Here’s Canon’s statement:

In images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible. This phenomenon is not noticeable in an image with optimal exposure. The phenomenon may become more noticeable if a retouching process such as level compensation is applied to emphasize the image.

A fix should be here soon, I’d guess within a day or two. In the meantime, those of you with 7Ds should try to replicate it! It sounds kinda cool. I get an effect like that when I’m doing a flash+long exposure and a second flash goes off in the background. It looks crazy as hell. The 7D bug should be nothing like that, but hey.

[via CameraTown]

It’s really only like an 8-10% savings, but hey, would you rather have 10% off or 0% off? Click the pic to make it bigger, and then head to your favorite lens e-tailer to get buyin’.

[via Canon Rumors]

Patent Result says Panasonic topped the list because of some valuable patents in the semiconductor and word processing software fields. The research firm gives points to all companies it scrutinizes, measuring the value of patents filed by the number of objections from competing companies, for example. It also took into account the duration of patents held by each company into consideration.

Panasonic claimed the top spot with 986,917 points, with Toshiba following at No. 2 (483,749 points) and Canon with 461,348 points. Hitachi is fourth (439,777 points), Seiko Epson is fifth (428,347 points), Sharp is sixth (414,359 points) and Sony is tenth (308,660 points). The only company not operating  in the electronics sector is Toyota at rank eight (368,196 points).

There is a code to which a cowboy cleaves. He never shoots first, he’s always kind to ladies, and he never buys more printer than he can handle. While I can’t speak for those out on the lone prairie, I can report that the 52-pound ImageClass MF8050Cn by Canon may be the heaviest printer I’ve had in my office to date.

This isn’t a printer for scrap-booking or creating beautiful photomontages of your grandmother. The color printing is delightfully sharp but the speed and on-board features – the lack of a picture preview screen, for example – makes this an office printer through and through. It also has a built-in copier and fax machine if you’re into that stuff. It also scans from PCs or Macs.

Because we’re basically talking about a large job printer here you won’t be printing many photos on this printer. However, it has excellent color reproduction and is just fine for color prints. A slight concern: the “media capacity” is 150 sheets on this puppy, which means you’ll have to refill it every few if you’re doing a few dozen pages per day.

A 215 page document took 35 minutes – about 6 pages per minute. This included two paper jams and paper replacement. A full color, edge to edge photo took 30 seconds while a single black and white page, from warm-up to print, took 17 seconds. If you’re printing in bulk you can hit Canon’s expected rating of 12 pages per minute (B&W) or about 5 seconds per page.

The thing is chock full of inputs including a front USB port, a rear port, and an Ethernet port. The include drivers automatically add the printer the printer over IP, which is an important consideration for offices with multiple PCs and Macs. Setup was seamless and quite simple.

So who is this printer for? It’s for a small home office or small office with about ten users. It’s a massive printer and it’s built to survive heavy traffic. The color toner comes in four user replaceable packages and the printer itself costs $499 while the cartridges cost $75.

I’m still into the Samsung CLP 315, a small, more compact printer, but if you need a monster with a scanner and fax machine, this is definitely a contender.

We’ve seen a huge shift in the last five years as the DSLR has moved from the prosumer market to clearly an everyday Joe-type camera. Sure, there will always be high-end products which could be showcased at shows like PMA, but money is tight for everyone including the photography giant and so they need to focus on shows with the furthest reach.

This news comes from an unnamed spokeswoman and Canon hasn’t official announced the news. We’re jsut curious now if other mainstream photography companies like Nikon and Sony will follow suit. Canon not attending PMA is like General Motors and Ford not showing up at the North American International Auto show. It’s killer and might force the trade show to reevaluate its plan.

It’ll be using the Rebel XSi’s sensor and a DIGIC IV image processor, and should take shots at about 3.5FPS. 1080p movie mode is restricted to 30FPS, but I’m not sure about 720p. The rumor states there may be sensor-shift stabilization, which seems unlike Canon. They’ve always been lens-based stabilizers, but hey, maybe they saw the light. (Doubt it)

But unless they’ve got something pretty serious up their sleeves, RED’s Scarlet is still a threat to them, especially in the independent filmmakers market. After all, when you can have 3K digital RAW footage with serious color depth in a package the size of two cans of Sprite, the semi-pro Canon cameras start looking kind of plain. But really, it’s all wild speculation since the actual capabilities and price points haven’t been announced for the Scarlet, and Canon’s ace in the hole, if they have one, is similarly obscure.

The Canon fanboys are going off here, and the RED-heads are going off here. Go forth and flame. (Jannard responds here)

Gizmodo (lucky stiffs) got themselves a hands-on — PDN as well. Damn, I wish I had a spare couple thou sitting around right now, this thing is really a hell of a camera. Press release after the jump.

You like my fancy box? Ah yeah. I know you like that.

The press release for the Canon EOS 7D has leaked. Unfortunately, it’s only available as a translation from Chinese, so it’s riddled with all sorts of gibberish. Not that that’s ever stopped us before!

Another bit of unfortunate news, the press release is nearly 8,000 words long. That’s as long, if not longer, than a New Yorker article. As such, I won’t even paste it here. Canon Rumors has the whole thing should you be crazy person.

I will, however, pick out what I perceive to be the highlights:

• 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor

• 3-inch LCD (920,000 dot resolution)

• ISO from 100 to 6400, but there’s also an ISO 12800 setting for when you’re taking photos in a black hole

• HD movie mode

• Available September, 2009; no price listed

And more! But again, this press release is machine translated from Chinese, so make of this what you will.

Here’s the full list of features, gleaned from some pictures posted in Fred Miranda forums.

1. 18MP APSC CMOS
2. Dual DIGIC 4
3. 8 FPS (94 FINE JPEG/ 15 RAW)
4. New eight-directional double cross central AF point, total 19 cross AF points
5. ISO 100-6400 (Exp 12800)
6. 100% 1.0X magni VF with intelligent display, horizon assist
7. New iFCL metering (exposure and colour)
8. 3′ 920K Version II LCD, 160 deg viewing
9. Full HD video (w external mic input n HDMI output)
10. Live view w Face-priority AF
11. New switch for Live View/Video mode
12. Aero-dynamic body design, metallic shutter sound, 150K shutter life
13. New 24mm built-in flash, supports EOS intelligent speedlite system
14. A.L.O
15. P.I.C
16. Picture style
17. EOS Integrated Dust Removal system

Don’t ask me what ALO and PIC are. Some of the commenters are disputing the veracity of these pics and specs, but they sound about right to me. Apparently it’s a 1.6x cropped FOV, which some people will like and some not; at any rate those new wide angle zooms would be sweet on a 1.6x or 1.3. As I noted before, I’d put its price at sub-$2000, probably priced competitively but not equally with Nikon’s new D300s.

There’s also a nice new 100mm f/2.8L macro: dual IS, 9-blade aperture, internal focus and full-time manual. I’m guessing it’ll be somewhere in the neighborhood of $1200. How I would love to have one… but I guess I’ll just have to continue doing semi-macro with my 35mm f/2. Hey, it works!

The specs on the box are in Chinese, but helpful commenter maxxevv gives a translation:

i) 18Mp
ii) 100% viewfinder
iii) 8 frames / second
iv) Digic IV
v) 19 pt AF
vi) 3 inch LCD
vii) ISO 6400
viii)Video
ix) “Real Time Display” which probably is LiveView
x) What looks like “artificial horizon tilt”

And another 2 items which I cannot make out. One of them looks like “zone metering” … ?

Sounds like dynamite, assuming the movie mode isn’t the same shabby one that’s on the T1i.

In addition to the poster, there were leaked the following two lenses:

Are you kidding me? Those look fantastic. 15-85 and 18-135, f/3.5-5.6 IS? Damn, son, sign me up! That puts Canon in a much better position when comparing against Nikon’s excellent kit lenses, which have always been a selling point for their cheaper DSLRs. We’ll see what the pricing and performance are, but the numbers are looking hot like magma.

Canon rolled out a bunch of new cams yesterday and just like clockwork, Amazon has them up for preorder. Don’t believe they are on sale though. The “Our Price” is set right at the MSRP even though Amazon says they are on sale.

For instance: Amazon has the “List Price” for the G11 as $599 with a $100 discount, which brings the price down 17% to $499. Well, folks, the MSRP of the G11 is $499 according to the press release. The same shinanagins is happening to the rest of the recently announced PowerShot cameras. Kind of shady, Amazon. Kind of shady.

The predecessor to this camera, the G10, had a whopping 14.7MP on a small sensor. That’s a lot. But the camera also had issues shooting above 800 ISO and in low light. This can partly be blamed on the over-packed sensor. But the new G11’s 10MP sensor should resolve some of those complaints. However, the surprisingly low pixel count also caused us to dismiss an early leak. It’s not like Canon to drop the megapixel count on one of its halo cameras. This is from the same company that stuffed 21MP into the EOS 5D Mark II and leapfrogged the 12.1MP Nikon D700.

But finally the average consumer might start to understand that megapixels are not the sole factor in the quality of a camera. It might take some explaining from a salesmen, but they have been doing that for years.

I sold digital cameras at Circuit City from 2000 to 2004 and know first hand the buying mentality of most people. The first rule in sales is to understand that the buyer thinks they are an expert. Most of the time, they have talked to family members, who are also experts, seen something on Good Morning America, or even ventured onto the Internet in search of advice. Most of these people aren’t dumb or arrogant, they just don’t want a sleazy salesman to take advantage of them. But as soon as the salesmen points them in the direction of a modest priced Nikon or Canon, over a higher megapixel no-name, they get leery.

It eventually takes some calm reassuring and print samples to prove that there are more important aspects of a camera than just the megapixel. I can remember talking  a lot of folks out of the 8MP Sony DSC-F828 and into the original 6MP Digital Rebel. The Sony had an astounding 8MP for the time (2003-2004), but it was heavy and had lots of performance quirks. The trouble was the the Digital Rebel only had 6MP and that didin’t justify the $900 price for a lot of people. But the camera had a great CMOS sensor and was backwards compatible with all the EOS lens. A win-win.

Hopefully this move by Canon to include less megapixels into the G* series means that the company is willing to move past megapixels. Hopefully other manufacturers will follow suit and include better sensors rather than more megapixels. Hopefully consumers will catch on. Hopefully.

Canon has also released some PIXMA all-in-ones and SELPHY compact photo printers. Real winner is the ES40, a $149 printer that looks like a child’s radio. The best part? It talks to you!

Canon SELPHY ES40 Compact Photo Printer
The Canon SELPHY ES40 Compact Photo Printer is the latest addition to the SELPHY line which has become synonymous for producing high-quality photos, being portable and easy-to-use. The SELPHY ES40 is ideal for printing images of a child’s first birthday or a loved one’s retirement party which can be distributed to attendees for a keepsake as they leave. The voice guidance system, large 3.5-inch LCD screen and Easy Scroll Wheel allows for printing and navigating through menus and images to be more intuitive than in previous models. Users will now have more opportunities to personalize their photos with new frames and clip art available under the Creative Print function as well. The estimated retail price of the SELPHY ES40 Compact Photo Printer is $149.99.

CANON U.S.A. ANNOUNCES THREE NEW FEATURE-PACKED PIXMA PRINTERS AND A VOICE-GUIDED SELPHY COMPACT PHOTO PRINTER

Lake Success, N.Y., August 19, 2009 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announced two new PIXMA Wireless1 Photo All-In-One (AIO) printers, one new PIXMA Inkjet Business Printer with PgR technology and a SELPHY Compact Photo Printer with a new voice guidance system. The versatility of these machines provides users with many options, whether working in the home office to print business documents or putting together an album of the latest family vacation.

Developed with the idea of making photo printing easier, the new Canon SELPHY and PIXMA products have several innovative features. The SELPHY ES40 Compact Photo Printer includes a voice guidance system which provides step-by-step instructions for printing and adding graphics to images without having to rely on a manual. The PIXMA MP990 and PIXMA MP640 Wireless1 Photo AIO printers utilize the Auto Photo Fix II feature to help users get the most out of photos and help to correct many common photo errors, such as underexposed images. To enhance those near perfect memorable photos from either a sunny beach wedding or a child’s graduation taking place in a dark auditorium, Auto Photo Fix II can assist with features such as Multi-Zone Exposure Correction, improvements in overall face detection, scene analysis, plus brightness and saturation correction.

With PgR technology on the Canon PIXMA iX7000 Inkjet Business Printer, business owners will be able to produce professional-looking documents in-house while also reducing overall printing costs by printing documents on plain paper. Small businesses will be able to print high-quality color business and marketing documents on low-cost plain paper as large as 11″ x 17″ or 13″ x 19″ without having to leave the office. Using a clear ink working in tandem with five LUCIA pigment inks when printing on plain paper, consumers will no longer need to worry about oversaturated and wrinkled documents.

“In today’s economy, consumers are searching for versatile and easy-to-use products at a reasonable price without sacrificing overall quality,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. “The addition of these new PIXMA and SELPHY printers will provide consumers and businesses with many different choices when making a decision and can be confident that they will receive a high-quality, durable product.”

Canon PIXMA iX7000 Inkjet Business Printer
For business owners seeking an in-house solution for their overall printing needs, Canon’s PIXMA iX7000 Inkjet Business Printer has a wealth of advanced features to help streamline productivity. With advanced paper handling, such as Auto Duplex Printing, a three-way paper feed, an extra large paper cassette and the use of PgR technology, business materials can be produced on plain paper to help reduce overall production costs. Added features of this printer include built-in Ethernet connectivity making this the perfect shared device for a small office.

For the first time, Canon will be providing special solution templates designed for use exclusively with this printer through Canon Inc.’s Creative Park Web site, where business owners will be able to find templates to print menus, sales offerings and other office-related signs from the comfort of the office without having to take a trip to the local print shop. The PIXMA iX7000 will deliver high-quality documents at approximately 10.2 ipm for black-and-white and approximately 8.1 ipm for color2. The estimated retail price of the PIXMA iX7000 printer is $399.993.

Canon PIXMA Wireless Photo All-In-One Printers
With the introduction of the Canon PIXMA MP990 and MP640 Wireless1 Photo AIO printers, Canon has once again taken high-quality and ease-of-use to a whole new level. These stylish printers, with built-in Wi-Fi1 capabilities, are designed for use almost anywhere without sacrificing the overall décor of the home or home office. To print vibrant and long-lasting photos with superior quality, both printers use the ChromaLife 100+ ink system plus have a maximum color resolution of 9600 x 2400 dpi4. For the advanced amateur ready to take their hobby to the next level, the inclusion of a gray ink tank on the PIXMA MP990 helps produce superb black-and-white prints in addition to vibrant color prints. The PIXMA MP990 can also scan both film and slides, allowing users to reproduce and preserve memorable moments from the past. The integrated Easy-Scroll Wheel, for easy navigation through menus and images, is further enhanced by a large 3.8-inch LCD screen on the PIXMA MP990 and a 3.0- inch LCD screen on the PIXMA MP640.

In order to improve the users overall printing experience, both printers feature advanced paper handling, Auto Scan Mode5, and the Easy-WebPrint EX6 software. The easy-to-use Auto Scan Mode helps to simplify the scanning process by identifying, scanning and saving an original in the correct format with the touch of one button. Advanced paper handling features include Auto Duplex printing, to help consumers save their paper supply by up-to-50 percent, and a two-way paper feed which makes it fast and easy to change paper types and sizes. The Easy-WebPrint EX software can help make printing documents from the Web a simple operation. The software comes with an Auto Clip feature where users can select a specific part of a Web page to print rather than having to print the whole page, helping to conserve paper supply. The PIXMA MP990 will create a 4″ x 6″ photo in approximately 21 seconds7, and has an estimated retail price of $299.993, while the PIXMA MP640 will create a 4″ x 6″ photo in approximately 20 seconds7 , with an estimated retail price of $219.993.

Canon SELPHY ES40 Compact Photo Printer
The Canon SELPHY ES40 Compact Photo Printer is the latest addition to the SELPHY line which has become synonymous for producing high-quality photos, being portable and easy-to-use. The SELPHY ES40 is ideal for printing images of a child’s first birthday or a loved one’s retirement party which can be distributed to attendees for a keepsake as they leave. The voice guidance system, large 3.5-inch LCD screen and Easy Scroll Wheel allows for printing and navigating through menus and images to be more intuitive than in previous models. Users will now have more opportunities to personalize their photos with new frames and clip art available under the Creative Print function as well. The estimated retail price of the SELPHY ES40 Compact Photo Printer is $149.993.

Windows 7 Operating System
Canon is pleased to announce that its PIXMA inkjet printer products will be compatible with Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system. According to Microsoft, this operating system has new features to make everyday tasks easier and faster. Please stay tuned for updates regarding driver downloads and a full list of compatible Canon products.

The Canon EOS 7D might still be a rumor, but the company has released a whole slew of new cameras without a DSLR in sight. There are a whopping six new cameras, in four product lines. While the digital ELPHs are great, us camera geeks are mostly intersted in the new G11 and S90. Interestingly Canon dropped the megapixal sensor down to 10.0MP for both of these cameras.

G11

• 10.0MP (strangely low, right?)
• 5x optical zoom - 28-140 mm
• 2.8-inch vari-angle PureColor System LCD
• RAW shooting mode
• HDMI out
• No HD video recording mode
• October release for $499

S90

• 10.0MP
• 3.8x optical zoom
• 3-inch LCD
• RAW shooting mode
• October release for $429

PowerShot SX20 IS Digital

• 12.1MP
• 20x optical zoom
• 2.5-inch vari-angle PureColor System LCD
• 720p video recording mode
• HDMI out
• AA batteries
• September release for $399

PowerShot SX120 IS

• 10MP
• 10x optical zoom
• 3-inch LCD
• AA batteries
• September release for $249

PowerShot SD980 IS Digital ELPH Camera

PowerShot SD940 IS Digital ELPH Camera

The camera has been spotted in Best Buy’s inventory as a Canon Tipster pointed out.

Hey, checked things out at work and the Best Buy inventory system has the 7D in it. The body is listed at $2699.99 with a UPC of 013803117493 and the canon model number of 3814B004. The kit with a EF 28-135, which seems strange to me is selling for $2899.99 and has a model of 3814B010 UPC of 013803117530. The price seems to match the lens compared to the body.

Plus, we have this photo showing the badge which doesn’t appear to be photoshopped. Chances are that this camera is real and is coming very soon. Maybe early September?

The The LA Times notes that this isn’t a “shift” in consumer choice but a change in the way folks use phones. After all, people who use iPhones take lots of pictures and can send them to Flickr pretty easily? I’d wager that more people have iPhones, for example, than have Rebel XTis. And they definitely have more iPhones than 40Ds or Nikon D80s.

Sadly there’s no information regarding the use of disc film.