Canon Releases EOS 650D With The World’s First* Intuitive Touch Screen In a DSLR

Kuala Lumpur, 8 JUNE 2012 – Canon, a world leader in digital imaging, is set to release the perfect camera for entry-level photographers. The EOS 650D – successor to the popular EOS 600D – promises unparalleled performance for users who want to take the next step in photography.

“We are thrilled to announce the arrival of the new EOS 650D to Malaysian shores! The new high speed 18-megapixel EOS 650D is the result of intensive research and development, the answer to consumers looking for the ideal DSLR to meet their highest expectations. This puts the model in a league of its own with the new intuitive Vari-angle Touch Screen interface making it the world’s first DSLR model designed with a touch screen feature, said Simon Wong, Director of the Imaging Communication Products division of Canon Marketing (Malaysia).Driving the EOS 650D is an 18-megapixel CMOS sensor and powerful DIGIC 5 image processor. With these two technologies working in tandem, the EOS 650D’s high speed continuous shooting capabilities achieve up to 5.0 frames per second, and offer ISO speeds of up to 12800 (expandable to 25600). Its auto-focus (AF) system is also quick and precise, with a new 9-point all cross-type AF backed by a new Hybrid CMOS AF System that dramatically increases AF speeds whilst continously keeping the subject in focus on live view and movie shooting modes.

A new intuitive Vari-angle Touch Screen interface in the EOS 650D supplements the regular EOS controls with set-shoot-view convenience, making photography a breeze for users of all levels of proficiency. The EOS Scene Detection Technology has also been improved to automatically determine the right exposure settings for that decisive shot in every situation.

*as at 6 June 2012

To improve the DSLR experience, Canon is also unveiling two new lenses – the EF40mm f/2.8 STM and EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM.


Intuitive Touch Screen
For the first time, EOS controls are integrated into an intuitive 3-inch Vari-Angle Clear View LCD II Touch Screen Monitor, making commonly used adjustments such as exposure and shutter speed accessible in one screen.

Auto-focusing (AF) in live view mode is so easy to use by simply tapping the area on the frame that the camera is to focus on. A Touch Shutter option speeds things up even more by automatically activating the shutter by tapping on-screen, the area to be focused.

There are four different methods of AF available during live view shooting:

The Face and Track mode detects a face, and continuously focuses and tracks it by switching AF points even when the subject moves to a side profile; the FlexiZone – Multi AF divides the scene into 31 AF points prioritizing the centre and subject in the foreground; while the FlexiZone – Single AF mode and Quick mode, allows the focal point to be changed by touching the exact area on the LCD.

In the Continuous (Pre) AF mode, subjects will always be in focus even before the shutter is activated for improved focusing speed. What’s more, users will be able to perform familiar multi-touch gestures (pinch, spread and swipe actions) to zoom in and out of shots, view images and flip pages.


Capture the Best Photos, Always
While it is an entry-level camera, the EOS 650D offers advanced hardware to reward users with astounding photos that justify their step up to DSLRs. The EOS 650D keeps images in sharp focus, with high ISO speeds of up to 6400 in automatic mode. Camera-savvy users can even manually set it up to 12800 (expandable to 25600). The benefit of such a dynamic ISO range is the ability to shoot crisp shots in diverse lighting conditions.

To compensate for higher noise levels at higher ISO speeds, the EOS 650D is equipped with a multi-shot Noise Reduction function, which shoots four shots in succession and then composites them into one image to compensate for noise to improve detail and definition.

Canon’s EOS Scene Detection Technology is improved in the EOS 650D to help amateur users take better photos in difficult situations. For instance when the camera detects a portrait shot taken, it will intuitively blur the background to emphasize the subject. When it senses a moving subject, it automatically engages a fast shutter speed, and at night scenes, the DSLR is able to detect if a tripod was being deployed, and adjusts the settings to bring out the best in the shot.

With more users taking night-life photos on the fly, the EOS 650D offers a new Handheld Night Scene mode to take beautiful night shots without the aid of a bulky tripod. It achieves this by taking four shots in rapid succession, and then superimposes them to form a single perfectly sharp image.

Brightly-lit daylight shots are also notoriously difficult to shoot because of high contrast created by blown-out highlights and dark shadows. To get around this obstacle, the EOS 650D uses HDR Backlight Control mode to shoot three images – one in normal exposure, one underexposed to get details from the bright areas, and one overexposed to capture details for the shadowy areas. With these three photos, the EOS 650D is able to use the optimal exposure from each shot to composite one perfect image, where details from both the bright and dark areas are preserved.

Conventional contrast-detection focus works by shifting focus back and forth until the peak contrast is detected; the new Hybrid CMOS AF System improves this by predicting the subject’s location and approximate focus using phase detection, which makes auto-focusing twice as fast when the subject is in the zone (approx. middle of the frame).

In-Camera Movie Editor
The same digital imaging capabilities that give the EOS 650D such amazing photos are also deployed for superior movie recording. In addition, Movie Servo AF intelligently tracks a subject to keep it focused, even as it moves closer or further from the camera.

The EOS 650D introduces the easy-to-use Video Snapshot editor, originally used in Canon Legria camcorders, making it a breeze to assemble videos by capturing quick clips (set to 2, 4, or 8 second durations). The in-camera editor can then re-order or delete the clips in an album, without the need of a PC. Once arranged, these clips can then be played back with background music just like a short film.

Fun Filters
While the EOS 650D is already capable of taking amazing photographs, Canon has outfitted it with several creative filters. Along with the well-received filters like Soft Focus, Grainy Black and White, Toy Camera, Fish-Eye and Miniature effects, the EOS 650D also comes with two new filters: the Art Bold and Water Painting effects.

Art Bold greatly enriches the colors of a photo to give it a surreal magical feel, while the Water Painting effect turns a photo into a watercolor painting, complete with soft pastel colors. As with the previous effects, these new filters come with three preset levels for increased customization and tweaking.Two Companion Lenses
Canon is releasing two new EF lenses to compliment the EOS 650D. The EF40mm f/2.8 STM is Canon’s first ultra-compact, lightweight EF series “pancake” lens well suited for users who like to take their cameras everywhere with them. Not only does the compact design allow for easier transportation, the subtleness of a small lens allows users to take discrete photos of people without attracting unwanted attention that a large telephoto lens would.

The new EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM has been developed to improve movie-shooting capabilities with improved image quality throughout the entire zoom range and silent, seamless focusing. The new stepping motor drive delivers ultra smooth and precise focusing during movie recording with continuous auto-focus. Coupled with the Movie Servo AF in the EOS 650D, the camera’s built-in stereo microphone will not pick up any focusing noises while shooting scenes that require silence, and a zoom ring lock to prevent users from accidentally changing the zoom in the middle of a shot, or extend when the lens is left in a bag.

With its successful marriage of technical ability, functionality and accessibility, the EOS 650D is the perfect camera for any user planning to transition into the next step of photography.

EOS 650D body and EOS 650D with EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II will be available from the 18th of June onwards at a recommended retail price of RM2599 and RM2999 respectively. The EOS 650D with EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM will be available from July onwards at a recommended retail price of RM3899.

The EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens and the EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens will be available at a later date.
EOS 650D
Dimensions: Approx. 133.1 x 99.8 x 78.8 mm
Weight: Approx. 575 g (CIPA Guidelines) / 520g (body only)
Image sensor: 18 mega-pixel 22.3 x 14.9 mm CMOS sensor
Imaging processor: DIGIC 5
ISO speeds: 100-12800 (expandable to 25600)
AF system: 9-point cross-type AF points
Continuous shooting speed: 5 fps
LCD: 3.0-inch vari-angle 1.04 million dots Clear View LCD monitor II
Battery life: Approx. 440 shots (with viewfinder), approx. 180 shots (with Live View)