Canon's 16.7-Mpxl EOS-1Ds Mark II Digital SLR

The successor to Canon's 11.1-Mpxl EOS- 1Ds, the 16.7-Mpxl EOS-1Ds Mark II camera is designed for commercial photographers, stock photographers, studio specialists, and other professionals. Its full-size sensor records images as large as 4992 x 3328 pixels”?large enough to generate a double-truck spread at 300 dpi. The 24 x 36-mm full-frame CMOS sensor eliminates the focal-length conversion factor, and the sensor 's larger microlenses result in improved signal-tonoise ratio.

Driven by its DIGIC II Image Processor, the EOS-1Ds Mark II shoots up to 4 fps for up to thirty-two 8-Mpxl JPEGs or eleven 14.6-Mpxl RAW images. Canon's CR2 RAW format offers 12-bit gradation and lossless image compression. Photographers can choose to record images as JPEG or RAW, or JPEG and RAW simultaneously. Depending on the format chosen (RAW or one of four JPEG file sizes), image sizes range from 16.7 to 4.2 Mpxl.

The 230,000-pixel, 2-in. color TFT LCD monitor will display nearly 100% of JPEG images, and can display up to nine images on screen. Displayed images can be enlarged up to 10x.

RGB histograms are also available on the EOS-1Ds Mark II. The RGB histogram allows color-checking of the red, green, and blue color channels, as well as inspection of white balance, color balance, saturation, and gradation compression.

The EOS-1Ds Mark II features two card slots for CompactFlash and Secure Digital memory cards. And, if service is needed, users won't have to lose all the custom settings”?camera settings can be saved to a memory card and shared with multiple cameras.

Shutter speeds range from 1/8000 to 30 sec and bulb, with a shutter lag of 55 milliseconds. It offers a start-up time of 0.3 sec and can shoot up to 1200 shots on one battery.

The camera's weatherproof body is made from a rigid magnesium alloy and its shutter can endure up to 200,000 cycles. The EOS-1Ds Mark II is bundled with EOS Digital Solution Disk 9 (to download and perform simple adjustments to RAW images) and Digital Photo Professional 1.5 (for high-speed RAW-image processing and preview, support for sRGB, Adobe RGB, and Wide Gamut RGB color spaces, and is color-management system compatible).

It offers FireWire connectivity and a USB port. More than 50 models of Canon's EF lenses are compatible with it (except the EF-S series). Although Canon had not yet released a list price as this issue goes to press, the estimated street price on the EOS-1Ds is $7999; it begins shipping in November.

The CanoScan 9950F is a color image scanner designed for production-level scanning and supports a wide range of originals, including photos, documents, negatives, and transparencies up to 4 x 5 in. With a maximum resolution of 4800 x 9600 dpi and 48-bit color, it can automati- cally scan up to thirty 35mm negatives and import each into an individual file.

In addition, the CanoScan 9950F includes FARE level 3 technology that automatically scans the film's surface for dust and scratches and removes imperfections. Additional features include the new backlight correction that lets users easily adjust for exposure errors from backlit subjects. Its four function buttons”?copy, scan, PDF, and e-mail”?simplify operation; it also offers USB connectivity.

CanoScan 9950F retails for $399.99 and is available now. (Canon: www.usa.canon.com)