canonical

Canon PowerShot A2200 review: Good photos and video if not much else

The Canon PowerShot A2200 is basically filler in Canon's A-series PowerShot lineup and, despite that, it's one of the most popular cameras on CNET. It's a step-down from the A3300 IS, getting a shorter lens, smaller LCD, and no optical image stabilization. (It's also lower resolution: 14 megapixels compared to the A3300's 16-megapixel resolution.) Below the A2200 is the A1200, which is basically a 12-megapixel version of the A2200. It has the same shooting options, LCD, and lens, but the A1200 has an optical viewfinder and AA batteries.

That's not to say the A2200 … Read more

This Day in Tech: Microsoft loses patent case, Hulk Hogan at E3

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Thursday, June 9.

Daily cost of a 'promoted trend' on Twitter: $120,000 Cost of buying space in Twittersphere zeitgeist is up more than 400 percent. More

Hulk Hogan at E3 2011 (Video featuring Brian Tong) Hulkamania runs wild at E3 2011. Brian Tong flexes with the wrestling legend to talk pythons, pistols, and toothpicks. More

Microsoft loses patent case at Supreme Court Software giant loses legal battle with a small Canadian company in a decision today that will cost … Read more

Handheld fan is 'coolest' lens ever

With DealExtreme.com's latest handheld fan, shutterbugs can cool off in style. Powered by two AAA batteries, the handheld fan mimics the design of Canon's 70-200mm EF telephoto lens, albeit in a miniature, palm-size version.

All you need to do is uncap the top cover to reveal two fan blades, flip the switch, and voila: instant coolness. The device is made entirely of plastic and claims to feature low power consumption for extended use.

Available in black and gray, the SLR zoom lens-shaped handheld cooling fan even comes with a free carrying strap. The unique gadget costs $5.60, including shipping.

(Source: Crave Asia) … Read more

Canon looks to recover quickly from quake

Like many other Japanese companies, Canon faced serious troubles after a powerful earthquake and tsunami struck the country several months ago.

Fifteen employees of the imaging giant were injured in buildings at Utsunomiya (Tochigi Prefecture), and an array of buildings spread across northern Japan were damaged. Those affected plants and facilities manufactured critical parts and components for a wide range of Canon products. In response, the company safely lowered its earnings forecast to reflect the impact of the disaster on its supply chain after suspending operations at several locations for nearly a month.

According to a recent Reuters interview with … Read more

Canon PowerShot A1200 camera review: Optical viewfinder, AA batteries, and good photos

Canon all but abandoned optical viewfinders on its PowerShot cameras; the high-end G12 was the only one. That changed at CES 2011, though, with the announcement of the Canon PowerShot A1200, an entry-level point-and-shoot with a real-image zoom viewfinder.

Along with the viewfinder, this budget-friendly 12-megapixel compact is powered by AA-size batteries, has a large selection of shooting options, uses an f2.8 28mm-equivalent wide-angle lens with a 4x zoom, and captures 720p HD-resolution movie clips. About the only thing missing is optical image stabilization, but you can counteract hand shake by using the viewfinder.

Like most cameras in its … Read more

Expanding iStockphoto makes high-end video play

LONDON--iStockphoto, a leader in the market for photos and other stock art, is expanding into premium-quality video under its Vetta brand.

The company announced the move at its weeklong iStockalypse event here, at which contributors take photos to sell, meet with peers, and learn tricks of the trade.

But this is not the only high-end video move under way at iStock. The company also expects to eventually offer high-end "2K" and "4K" video, which has roughly quadruple the resolution of mainstream 1080p video, iStock Chief Operating Officer Kelly Thompson said in an interview.

The video expansion … Read more

Canon's Vixia HF M41 and company review

In my more cynical moments, I'm convinced that camera and camcorder manufacturers conspire to make buying decisions confusing by overwhelming us with unnecessary choice. Example: Canon currently lists 20 HD camcorders on its site, eight of which are 2011 models, 11 from 2010, and one is older. All are still available, and the overlap in prices--not to mention the $50 price increments--is enough to make your head spin.

Today's befuddling trio of camcorders in the $650 to $800 (list) range are the Canon Vixia HF M400, M40, and M41. They're pretty much the same, except the M400 … Read more

Lightroom 3.4 sneaks in Nikon D5100 support

Adobe Systems released Lightroom 3.4 last night, formalizing support for the cameras listed in the beta version but also slipping in the ability to decode raw photos from Nikon's new D5100.

Lightroom, along with the related Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop CS5, is geared for handling the unprocessed raw images from higher-end cameras. This is an option that offers better quality but more hassle than JPEG. For Adobe and others such as Apple in the same position, it means adding support for a constant parade of new cameras, each with its own proprietary format.

Lightroom 3.4 and … Read more

Canon firmware update eases 3D shooting with XF300 series pro camcorders

In advance of next week's NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) show, Canon announced the intent to ship a summer firmware update for its XF300 and XF305 pro camcorders, thus bringing them into parity with the cheaper XF100 series.

The update will deliver the same 3D Shooting Assist features: the ability to use the image stabilizer to shift the optics for alignment across camcorders and a Focal Length Guide for calibrated zooming. It also adds up/down/left/right image inversion to the Scan Reverse function. Even if you don't shoot 3D there's reason to update: the firmware … Read more