CANON INTRODUCES ELURA 40MC DV CAMCORDER.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon, Inc. (NYSE: CAJ), Lake Success, N.Y., and a leader in analog and digital cameras and camcorders, has introduced the new Elura 40MC DV camcorder, a true hybrid digital imaging device offering three distinct recording modes - Digital Video, Motion-JPEG (MJPEG) video clips for sending video messages via email and Digital Photo for XGA resolution digital still images.

In addition, when connected directly to the Canon CP-10 Card Photo Printer, users can instantly print high-quality photos without the use of a computer. The Elura 40MC is designed to be a multipurpose digital imaging device and its remarkable small size and weight make it the ideal companion for home, travel and business use.

"The new Elura 40MC is an excellent example of how Canon is using its imaging and printing expertise to combine movie, photo and output capabilities into a single imaging product," said Yukiaki Hashimoto, vice president and general manager, Photographic Products Group, Canon U.S.A. "The flexibility of this camcorder will enhance the experience of shooting and sharing digital images through TV, the Internet and now printing photos at home," added Mr. Hashimoto.

Three Recording Modes

1. Digital Video

The Canon Elura 40MC captures up to 2 hours of high-quality digital video with digital stereo sound when using an 80-minute MiniDV tape.

2. Digital Photo

A built-in memory card slot accepts either a Secure Digital (SD) or Multimedia (MMC) card for recording digital photos. Selectable picture-quality modes include XGA (1024x768) and VGA (640x480) resolution in standard, fine and super-fine compression modes making it possible for users to choose the image quality that best suits their needs. Digital photos can also be recorded to the MiniDV tape where each is recorded for approximately 6 seconds with digital stereo audio and combined with the video for variety.

3. Motion-JPEG

Users can record short video clips such as birthday greetings, business reminders and holiday wishes and attach them to email and send them over the Internet. Clips are stored on an SD or MMC memory card and length options include 10 seconds at 320x240 resolution or 30 seconds at 160x120 resolution.

Print Digital Photos Anywhere, Anytime

The Canon Elura 40MC is the world's first DV camcorder to include a Direct Print feature, which allows users to connect directly to the Canon CP-10 Card Photo Printer and instantly print wallet-sized photos. Once connected with the supplied USB cable the user selects the image, cropping options, quantity of prints and other details such as with or without a border or optional photo paper for a sheet of 8 miniature photo stickers. The CP-10 Card Photo Printer is great for family fun and practical enough for the office, and its small size and weight make it easy to carry to a party or on vacation.

Imaging Technologies

Beyond its diverse recording capabilities, the high-quality video and digital photos produced with the Elura 40MC can be attributed to a number of key design features including a new 1/6-inch, 680,000 pixel CCD image sensor and dual image processor, improving the color reproduction for TV playback and printing color photos.

In addition, a new, miniature 10x optical zoom lens, developed through the company's expertise in designing lenses for 35mm and broadcast TV cameras, further enhances the image quality of video and digital photos, rendering amazing detail and contrast. An integrated digital zoom extends the camcorder's magnification to either 40x or 200x bringing even the most distant subject up-close. The camcorder's advanced Image Stabilizer complements the powerful zoom by instantly compensating for unwanted tiny camera movement, providing smooth and steady video, even at the full telephoto zoom setting.

Composing low and high angle shots and self-portraits is easy and fun with the rotating 2-inch, color view screen. The screen is also useful for instant playback of recorded images or tucks away neatly when the eyecup color-viewfinder is preferred.

Image Control and Special Effects 

The Elura 40MC will satisfy any user, from the most experienced videomaker to the beginner. Beyond being fully automatic for point and shoot simplicity, the camcorder has a wide assortment of manual controls including focus, exposure lock, white balance and shutter speed control. The Auto Exposure (AE) Shift feature lets the user select how light or dark the camcorder sets the automatic exposure level.

While the Auto mode is fine for most shooting situations, the camcorder includes a variety of pre-programmed auto exposure modes, each carefully designed to deliver the best results under special shooting conditions. They include Sports, Portrait, Spotlight, Sand & Snow, Low Light and the newly added Night mode. Night mode allows users to see and shoot color video in virtual darkness. Functioning similar to "night vision" in certain binoculars and other optical devices, the Night mode provides a clear, color image of subjects in darkness. Opposed to other brands that place a "green tint" over a monochrome image, Canon's Night mode lets the user see and record in color. In fact, due to automatic adjustments made in the camcorder, Night mode can remain on in any lighting condition.

A variety of special effects make it easy to exercise creativity and change the look of the video image. Special effects include Art, Black & White, Sepia, Mosaic, Ball, Cube, Wave, Color Mask or Mirror. Fade effects, which create unique scene transitions, include Wipe, Corner, Jump, Flip, Puzzle, Zig Zag, Beam, Tide, Fade Trigger and standard Black.

The Elura 40MC even includes a Stitch Assist feature for creating 360-degree panoramic still images. The feature makes it easy to align and record successive still images in a 360-degree loop. Using the supplied Photo Stitch software users can transfer the images to a computer where the software will seamlessly crop, align, and overlap the individual images to form one extra wide-angle panoramic image.

On Board Interface Terminals

To ensure versatility and maximum connectivity the Elura 40MC camera body is packed with a variety of A/V terminals eliminating any screw-on adapters that could be misplaced or broken. A standard In/Out terminal permits connecting to a TV or VCR, copying old analog videos to a MiniDV tape, converting analog signals to digital for transferring to a computer, A/V insert and audio dubbing. Additionally, it includes Firewire and USB terminals for interfacing with a PC or the Canon CP-10 Card Photo Printer among others.

Additional Features

- Built-In Microphone Terminal

- Integrated Speaker

- Photo Search/Date Search

- Time Code

- 16:9 Wide Screen Mode

- Self Timer

- Confirming/Warning Beeps

- Record Search/Review

- LANC Terminal

- Zero Set Memory

Included Software Adds Value and Entertainment

The Elura 40MC kit includes two CDs with a suite of helpful software for image management and editing. The Canon Digital Video Solutions CD includes the following: ZoomBrowser EX (Windows) and ImageBrowser (Mac) that make it easy to download, organize, browse and resize digital photos for email; Photo Record, a printing utility that makes it easy to add frames and captions to the images and arrange a page layout for printing and Photo Stitch that makes it easy to import a series of still images and create an extra wide-angle panoramic digital photo. Another CD includes Photo Impression by ArcSoft that makes it easy to apply special effects to digital photos, edit them or place them into greeting cards or calendars. Video Impression, also by Arcsoft, provides tools for editing and applying special effects to videos or attaching them to email.

The Kit Contents

The Canon Elura 40MC comes complete as a kit which includes the camcorder, Battery pack NB-2L, AC adapter CA-PS700, Battery Charger CB-2LT, USB Cable, 8MB SD Memory Card SDC-8M, Wireless Remote WL-D77, S-Video cable S-150, Stereo Video Cable STV-250 and USB Cable. The Application Software CD-ROM included in the kit offers a USB Driver, ZoomBrowser EX (Windows) and ImageBrowser (Mac), Photo Stitch, Photo Record (Windows), ArcSoft Photo Impression and ArcSoft Video Impression.

The Canon Elura 40MC DV camcorder kit is available at dealers nationwide and has an estimated retail price of $999.00. The camcorder kit is also be bundled with the Canon CP-10 Card Photo Printer and has an estimated retail price of $1198.00.

Canon will continue to promote the benefits of digital imaging and video through the launch of new digital camcorders which support the new Exif Print (Exif 2.2) standard. This standard, designed to optimize printing quality, is expected to gain worldwide acceptance over the next 12 months. In addition to supporting Exif Print with new digital camcorders including the Elura 40MC, Canon intends to broaden support for Exif Print across its imaging product ranges to include devices such as digital cameras, photo printers, multi-functional products in the future.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. In 2001, the company was listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America, and was ranked # 41 on the BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent-holder of technology, ranking third overall in the U.S. in 2001, with global revenues of $26 billion. Canon U.S.A. employs approximately 11,000 people at over 30 locations.

For more information, visit http://www.usa.canon.com or call 212/527-8811 or 1-800-OK-CANON.