Canon continues to push the envelope for digital camcorders with two new Optura miniDV camcorders: the Optura S1, and the Optura 600. The sleek Optura S1 took some major design cues from the iPod, and features a smooth and clean exterior. The choice of the miniSD card format, a new thing for Canon, also meant a more compact camcorder. Packed in this tiny package is a 10x optical zoom, a 2.5" LCD screen, and a 1/3.9-in. 2.2 megapixel CCD — which means the S1 can take stills of up to 1632 x 1224 pixel resolution. While impressive, that still does not beat out the Optura 600, which features a huge 1/2.8-in. 4.3 megapixel CCD that will result in stills of 2304 x 1728 resolution — one of the largest resolutions of any hybrid imaging system camcorder. The Optura 600 uses the regular-sized SD card format for storage.

The Optura S1 will sell for $799, whereas the Optura 600 will sell for $1,099. Both will be available in September 2005.

Canon Announces 4.0 Megapixel Optura 600 and Sleek Optura S1 [Camcorderinfo via The Gadget Blog]

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