After months of rumors, Canon's big announcement day has finally arrived, with a raft of new PowerShot and EOS models and a handful of new accessories, We start with a couple of additions to the popular 'A' range of affordable digital compacts, the PowerShot A650 IS and PowerShot A720 IS, replacing the A640 and A710 IS respectively. The A650 IS boasts 12MP resolution, 6x optical zoom, vari-angle 2.5" screen and - in a welcome upgrade to the A640 IS - image stabilization. The A720 IS is a less dramatic upgrade, increasing resolution to 8.0MP, adding face detection and an optional underwater housing, and (like the A650 IS) upping the top sensitivity setting to ISO 1600. 

Specifications

 Features at a glance:

PowerShot A650 IS

     12.1 Megapixels and 6x optical zoom
     Total anti-blur solution with optical Image Stabilizer, High ISO Auto and Auto ISO Shift
     2.5” vari-angle LCD with real-image zoom optical viewfinder
     DIGIC III with Face Detection AF/AE/FE and Red-Eye Correction in playback
     21 shooting modes including full manual control and Long Play VGA movies
     Optional accessories including lenses and waterproof case

PowerShot A720 IS
     8.0 Megapixels and 6x optical zoom
     Optical Image Stabilizer and High ISO Auto to combat image blur
     DIGIC III with Face Detection AF/AE/FE and Red-Eye Correction in playback
     2.5” LCD with real-image zoom optical viewfinder
     19 shooting modes including full manual control and Long Play VGA movies
     Optional accessories including lenses and waterproof case

Go further with PowerShot
With resolutions of 8.0 and 12.1 Megapixels respectively, the PowerShot A720 IS and A650 IS give users the power to create poster-size prints or crop sections of photos without loss of detail. The 6x optical zoom lenses on both cameras benefit from Canon’s 70-year heritage in optics with a range of leading technologies. Aspherical lens elements ensure maximum sharpness and clarity throughout the zoom range, while the lens-shift type optical Image Stabilizer (IS) combats blur without affecting image quality.

Users can take zooming further with the incorporated Digital Tele-Converter and Safety Zoom – offering all the benefits of digital zoom without the danger of interpolation. Both models can be supplemented with Canon’s range of converter lenses, including Close-up (A720 IS only), Tele Converter and Wide Converter lenses (both models). The PowerShot A650 IS also features Canon’s improved Image Inspection Tool, which allows users to quickly check key parts of an image at extra-high magnification on the integrated 2.5’’ LCD.

DIGIC III: the power behind great photos
As well as assuring fast performance, superior colour reproduction and accurate white balance in both models, Canon’s DIGIC III processor powers a range of features designed to assist photographers of all levels. Advanced Noise Reduction Technology safeguards images against graininess, even at high ISO speeds. Face Detection AF/AE/FE locates up to 9 faces in any scene before optimising focus, exposure and flash for perfect people shots. And for flash shots affected by red-eye, improved Red-Eye Correction during playback is included. This innovative system uses Face Detection Technology to identify faces and correct red-eye in captured images – while ensuring that no other part of the image is affected in the process. Red-eye correction can also be performed manually if needed.

Anti-blur features
A combination of technologies allows the PowerShot A650 IS and A720 IS to produce great shots with minimal risk of image blur.
Both cameras feature Canon’s optical Image Stabilizer, first developed for Canon’s professional EF lenses for the world-leading EOS SLR photography system. The optical Image Stabilizer uses lens-shift technology to counteract the effects of camera shake. As a second line of defence against camera shake, the PowerShot A650 IS also incorporates Auto ISO Shift, a manually selected feature that boosts ISO just enough to avoid blur. A range of high ISO features avoid the blur caused by subject movement, as well as camera shake when low light would normally require a longer exposure. Both cameras feature user-selected settings up to ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto, which prioritises high ISO settings for better low light snapshots. For particularly dark conditions, the PowerShot A650 IS incorporates a special ISO 3200 scene mode, which captures images at 1600x1200 resolution – perfect for postcard size prints.

Total versatility
With 19 and 21 different shooting modes respectively, the PowerShot A720 IS and A650 IS ensure that novice users can get great results with minimal effort – even in situations with tricky lighting. For more experienced photographers, full manual control offers wide scope for experimentation. Both models also incorporate Canon’s My Colors, which can be used to apply effects and enhancements during shooting. A new Image Resize function users can downsize full-resolution images to 1600x1200, 640x480 and 320x240 sizes. This is equally useful for conserving storage space or preparing images for email or the Web.

Movie moments
With both the PowerShot A650 IS and A720 IS, users can capture their memories in smooth 30fps VGA movies with sound – either in standard mode or a new LP (Long Play) mode, which offers movies of half the file size without compromising on resolution or frame rate.
Additional Information

Printing
Both the PowerShot A650 IS and A720 IS feature a dedicated Print menu for quick access to direct print options. Full PictBridge support means users can print directly to any PictBridge compatible printer without the need for a PC. A Print/Share button allows one-touch printing and easy uploads to Windows or Mac systems.

Language
The PowerShot A650 IS and A720 IS user interface supports 25 languages: English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Romanian and Ukrainian.

Memory Card Support
In addition to SD, SDHC and MMC memory cards, the PowerShot A650 IS and A720 IS support the new MMCplus and HC MMCplus card formats for storage of up to 32GB. The A650 IS and A720 IS are supplied with 32MB and 16MB memory cards respectively.

Software and CANON iMAGE GATEWAY

The PowerShot A650 IS and A720 IS come bundled with the following Canon Software:

    * ZoomBrowser EX 6.0 (Windows), ImageBrowser 6.0 (Macintosh): For organising and editing images, movies and slideshows, or creating and printing digital photo albums.
    * PhotoStitch 3.1 (Windows), PhotoStitch 3.2 (Macintosh): For creating panoramic photos from multiple images.

The bundled software supports Windows 2000 (SP4), XP (SP2) and Vista and Macintosh OS X v10.3-v10.4. The camera supports PTP for driverless transfer to Windows XP and Macintosh OS X, along with MTP for image and movie transfers to Windows Vista.

 Optional Accessories
Optional waterproof cases (the WP-DC18 and WP-DC16) allow users to bring the PowerShot A650 IS and A720 IS to depths of up to 40 metres for compelling underwater shots. Specially designed Weights (WW-DC1) are available to control camera buoyancy. Accessories are:

     Waterproof Case (WP-DC18) – A650 IS
     Waterproof Case (WP-DC16) – A720 IS
     High Power Flash (HF-DC1) – A650 IS, A720 IS
     Soft Case (DCC-700) – A650 IS
     Soft Case (DCC-80) – A720 IS
     2.0x Tele Converter (TC-DC58C) – A650 IS
     1.75x Tele Converter (TC-DC58N) – A720 IS
     0.75x Wide Converter (WC-DC58B) – A650 IS
     0.7x Wide Converter (WC-DC58N) – A720 IS
     Close-up lens 250D (58mm) – A720 IS
     Battery Charger Kit CBK4-300 – A650 IS, A720 IS
     Ni-MH Batteries NB4-300 – A650 IS, A720 IS
     AC Adaptor Kit ACK600 – A650 IS
     AC Adaptor Kit ACK800 – A720 IS