(nytimes) - Many digital cameras shoot rudimentary video, and some camcorders take a shot at producing passable photographs. The Canon DC50 tries to do both well. Its five-megapixel sensor is equal in resolution to that of some midgrade cameras, and is actually bigger than those used by some photojournalists just a year or so ago.
The Times's top technology reporters sift through the newest gadgets and trends at the Consumer Electronics Show and the Macworld convention, reports Trend.
Go to Bits В" Canon's road map for the future of imaging foresees a merging of video and still photography, with one sensor and one chipset to satisfy both needs, and the DC50 is a step in that direction. A new processing chip, the Digic DV II, handles both kinds of images.
The DC50, which will be available at the end of next month for about $799, has both a built-in flash and video light. It can record still and moving images simultaneously onto three-inch DVDs, including dual-layer ones for added capacity, and a MiniSD-size camera card.
The camera's 10x lens zooms out to a serious telephoto length, 447 millimeters in still-camera terms. An image stabilization mechanism can be turned on to prevent shaky snapshots at this high magnification. MARTY KATZ