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Professional requirements drive Canon’s new EOS-1D Mark II N

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 22 August, 2005 - Canon, a leader in photographic and imaging technology, today launches the EOS-1D Mark II N: an upgrade of the award winning EOS-1D Mark II. Still featuring 8.2 Megapixel performance at 8.5 frames per second, the upgraded camera has a higher performance buffer to deliver a 48 frame burst in JPEG and 22 frame burst in RAW. LCD monitor size increases from 2.0” to a 2.5”, and dual CF and SD memory card slots provide for separate RAW and JPEG recording. Colour Matrix and parameter settings are replaced with Canon’s new Picture Style – 6 pre-sets that simplify in-camera control over image optimisation and processing.

“The EOS-1D Mark II took photojournalism and sports photography by storm and was chosen by more than 70% of professional photographers at the 2004 Athens Olympics, ” reported Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. “Taking feedback from the professionals as their guide, Canon’s engineers have made a great camera even better.”

Exceptional image quality is assured with an APS-H size (28.7 x 19.1 mm) CMOS sensor and high performance DIGIC II processor. The EOS-1D Mark II N also features 45-point Auto Focus and a start-up time of 0.2 seconds. Its wide 100-1600 ISO speed range is expandable to L:50 and H:3200.

First choice of professional agencies

Launched in January 2004, the EOS-1D Mark II fast became Europe’s best selling professional D-SLR camera . It secured the major share of sports and photojournalism worldwide, with the world’s leading wire agencies such as Reuters, Getty Images and AFP choosing Canon professional products for their photographers. “One of the big pluses of working with Canon is the interaction we get as a ‘body’ of photographers,” explained Stephen Munday, Director of Operations – Editorial, Getty Images. “Canon consults with us about our wish list for new products. When they come to testing a new camera, most of the work has been done because they have listened to their clients – the photographers.”

New screen

For improved image review and menu readability, the EOS-1D Mark II N is fitted with a larger, brighter 2.5” 230K pixel poly-silicon TFT LCD monitor, giving photographers a significantly larger viewing area. The improved screen has twice the number of backlighting LEDs so that it retains brightness and visibility throughout a wide 170? angle of view, both vertically and horizontally. This makes it easy to view images when camera is mounted in a fixed position. With image playback, the magnified view can now be viewed straight away on any selected AF point , and magnification is possible during the quick review immediately after image capture.

Meeting photographers’ needs, listening to the market

The EOS-1D Mark II N incorporates a host of improvements to enhance performance, operation and speed. To prevent shooting disruption, new folders are now automatically created when image number 9999 is reached in the current folder. A new memory card selection short cut makes it fast and easy to switch between card slots when choosing recording location. A Low Level Format option executes secure and permanent deletion of SD card data and increases SD card write speeds.

When shooting RAW and JPEG simultaneously, images can now be recorded separately onto a different memory card (CF or SD). In-camera file names are now customisable: users can decide the first four characters of the filename and the camera will append the 4 digit image number ¬– a feature particularly useful for agencies and photo libraries dealing with memory cards from multiple photographers.

Ready to use images as standard

New Picture Style pre-sets simplify in-camera control over image quality. The camera’s factory default configuration delivers more immediately usable JPEG images without need for additional menu settings. Picture Style pre-sets can be likened to different film types – each one offering a different colour response. Within each easily selectable pre-set, photographers have control over sharpness, contrast, colour tone and saturation.

The pre-sets include:

* Standard – for crisp, vivid images that don’t require post-processing;
* Portrait – optimises colour tone and saturation and weakens sharpening to achieve attractive skin tones;
* Landscape – for punchier greens and blues with stronger sharpening to give a crisp edge to mountain, tree and building outlines);
* Neutral – ideal for post-processing;
* Faithful – adjusts colour to match the subject colour when shot under a colour temperature of 5200K;
* Monochrome – for black and white shooting with a range of filter effects (yellow, orange, red and green) and toning effects (sepia, blue, purple and green).

Additionally, 3 user defined entries allows the possibility to create additional variations on the in-camera styles or install additional custom Picture Style files. Additional custom Picture Style files may be downloaded from Canon’s web site.

Picture Style replaces internal image processing previously controlled by setting processing parameters and colour matrix. Picture Style is also supported by the supplied Digital Photo Professional and RAW Image Task software.

Exceptional image quality, total reliability

Exceptionally high quality images are assured due to the combination of Canon’s DIGIC II processor and 2nd generation CMOS sensor, which features an on-chip noise elimination circuit to reduce the creation of fixed pattern and random noise. A low-pass filter placed in front of the sensor reduces false colour and moiré effects, while the infrared filter suppresses red fringing caused by sensor reflections and fog.

The EOS-1D Mark II N has a shutter durability of 200,000 cycles, and a weather resistant magnesium-alloy casing with over 70 dust and moisture resistant seals protects the camera.

A new Auto option is available on the Noise reduction menu screen, which offers automatic detection and correction when necessary of noise levels in images with exposures of 1 second or longer.

Compatibility and accessories

The EOS-1D Mark II N is compatible with all Canon EF lenses and the entire EX series Speedlite flash range. Canon's E-TTL II flash system optimises flash exposures by linking distance information from the camera/lens system to the 21-zone evaluative or averaged metering readings from the pre-flash.

The camera’s focussing screens are interchangeable; an optional new “Super Precision Matte” Ec-S focussing screen enables easier manual focussing with fast lenses.

With the optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E1, photographers can work cable-free as images transfer automatically through a wireless LAN to a computer in seconds . Interfaces include video out (for display in both NTSC and PAL formats), IEEE1394 (Firewire) and USB. The camera is PictBridge compliant for PC-less direct printing to any brand of compatible photo printer.

The EOS-1D Mark II N supports the optional Data Verification Kit DVK-E2 v2.2, which verifies the originality of images taken with the camera.

New software

The EOS-1D Mark II N is bundled with the EOS Digital Solutions Disk v11, which includes an upgraded version of Canon’s RAW image processing software Digital Photo Professional (DPP). DPP v2.0 now supports RAW images shot on all EOS digital cameras from the EOS D30 forwards, and includes support for Picture Styles. Improvements and additions are aimed at improving functionality and workflow efficiency for professionals, and include: easy image selection with three levels of check marks; real-time adjustment of sharpness; improved image correction (Copy Stamp); enhanced image transfer function – single image transfer to PhotoShop is possible; extended colour space support, now including Apple RGB and ColorMatch RGB; and an enhanced CMYK simulation function.

Also provided is on the solution disk is ZoomBrowser EX (PC) and ImageBrowser (MAC) v5.5 for managing images, EOS Capture v1.5 for remote shooting, PhotoStitch v3.1, PhotoRecord v2.2 (PC), RAW ImageTask v2.2 and CameraWindow v 5.3. EOS-1D Mark II N is compatible with CANON iMAGE GATEWAY providing a 100 MB online photo album.

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