Digital Cameras: Canon

From 1839 – when photography was first invented in France, technology has taken quantum leaps. Technology whether directly or indirectly has been the backbone of any corporate success. It was in the year 1933 when a Japanese company – Precision Optical Instruments was formed to conduct research into what was fast becoming an obsession in America – The Camera. Though the first camera was designed by George Eastman in the year 1885 it became popular as a household gadget only 5 decades later. So when families in America were trying to get a hang of the features of that black box called camera to create a snapshot out of every moment of their lives, at that very point a company in the easternmost part of the globe was carrying out experiments to map this prospective market. Hence was born ‘Kwanon’ - Japan’s first 35mm focal-plane-shutter camera in the prototype form. That was in the year 1934, now lets fast forward this to 1995 where Canon (The company registered itself as Canon in the year 1935 – probably derived from Kwanon) made an entry into the digital camera era. EOS DCS3 digital SLR camera was introduced in the July of ’95 in collaboration with Kodak – the pioneers in the Digital photography.

These digital cameras were SLR (Single Lens Reflexes) cameras; they had a Canon EOS (Electro-optical system) body while the image sensors and electronics were designed by Kodak. It was in October 2000 when Canon for the first time single handedly designed and manufactured digi-cams. EOS D30 was the first such model with 3.1 megapixel SLR, weighed 780 grams with a 1.8 inches color TFT liquid crystal monitor. Today the latest offering from the Canon camp is an EOS 30D which is an 8.2 megapixel SLR, 2.5 inch LCD monitor catering to the requirements of semi-professionals. It was announced on February 20, 2006. Now what do we mean by the term semi-professionals – Well this camera is divided into two sections: The Basic Zone and the Creative Zone. The basic zone is for home use and the creative zone which is heavy on the technical nuances is for professional purpose. Though the basic zone is not as basic as the name suggests, it has features for complete automatic shooting, Portraits, Landscapes, Close-ups, Fast moving objects, Night scenes and if you want to do away with the ‘Men in Black memory erasing flash’ then there is this ‘No Flash’ feature which is all automatic without the flash. With all these attributes the 30D is list priced at $ 3500 which is not a very high price to pay. So whether you want to use digital photography to capture your kids growing or it’s about experiencing photography in a new light, its here to stay.