Canon Rolls Out 'more Affordable' 10.1 Megapixel DSLR Camera

Tokyo (Japan) -Canon announced a new version in its popular Rebel DSLR series. The EOS 100D, which will be called Rebel XS in the U.S. is a 10.1 megapixel camera that is expected to debut for $600.

Canon announced the camera throughout the world earlier today (exception : there is no announcement in the U.S. yet) and judging by the initial feedback on the Internet, this could become an interesting product. The EOS 1000D, which will be called "Rebel XS" in the U.S. will be positioned just below the EOS 450D, a 12.1 megapixel camera.

The basic features include a 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, a 7-point autofocus, three frames per second shooting capability, a 2.5" LCD, support for SD and SDHC memory cards and RAW processing software. Among the advanced features are twelve custom functions, including an auto lighting optimizer - which corrects brightness and contrast during image processing, while promising to improve skin tones in portraits by ensuring correct exposure for faces. Photographers can also enable additional noise reduction for shots captured at high ISO speeds, Canon said.

Canon allows users to use the 2.5" display as a digital viewfinder, which will display a "smooth" 30fps video feed called LiveView. An optional grid line and histogram display can be selected to help with shot composition and exposure. Two AF modes are available for use with Live View : Quick AF, which momentarily flips the camera’s mirror to engage the AF sensor, and Live AF, which uses contrast information for compact camera-style focusing.

Maximum image resolution is 3888 x 2592 pixels, which will result in a 3.8 MB image (9.8 MB in RAW format).

The EOS 1000D will carry a suggested retail price of 549 Euro (body only) in Europe, suggesting that the camera will debut for about $550 - $600 in the U.S. Canon hopes that the EOS 1000D/Rebel XS will have a similar big impact on the DSLR market as the original 6.3 megapixel digital Rebel (EOS 300) camera.