News

Canon has won three top product awards in the prestigious annual awards judged by the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA). The Canon EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM zoom has been awarded ‘European Professional Lens 2011-2012’, the Canon EOS 600D DSLR has won the accolade of ‘European Camera 2011-2012’, and the Canon LEGRIA HF M41 has been named ‘European Camcorder 2011-2012’.

An expert panel, comprising specialist editors from more than 50 prominent magazines across 20 countries, votes on the annual EISA awards. The awards recognise the products that combine the most advanced technology, features and design with genuine value, and the 2011-2012 EISA judging panel has heralded these Canon products as the best in their respective classes.

Steve Marshall (Product Marketing Director, Canon Consumer Imaging Group, Canon Europe) commented: “These EISA awards are a powerful tribute to the products within both our photo and video groups, and also highlight the market-leading quality Canon offers to consumers and professionals alike.”

European Professional Lens 2011-2012: Canon EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM

The compact EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM zoom is a 4.3x lens that has the build quality that photographers have come to expect from Canon’s acclaimed L-series lenses. The lens captures stunning high-contrast, high-resolution images with low levels of chromatic aberration throughout the zoom range, makes use of Canon’s Super Spectra Coatings to reduce ghosting and flare, has a four-stop Image Stabilizer (IS), an eight-blade circular aperture for excellent bokeh, and a minimum focusing distance of 1.2m (3.9ft) throughout the zoom range.

Commenting on the Canon EOS EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM zoom lens the EISA judging panel said: “The Canon EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM is an amazing telephoto zoom lens that combines high image quality with an extremely durable construction, and a surprisingly compact design. It sets a new standard for this popular zoom range with its professional autofocus performance and the latest generation of Image Stabilization, but is still affordable for the enthusiast. Throughout the zoom range the lens shows optical qualities that are in line with fixed focal length lenses – it performs very well even at its widest aperture, and the environmental shield protects it from moisture and dust.”

European Camera 2011-2012: Canon EOS 600D

The Canon EOS 600D, announced in February 2011, is a compact, lightweight DSLR that has a high-resolution 18 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, 14-bit DIGIC 4 processing, an ISO range of 100-6400 (expandable to ISO 12,800), and high-speed shooting at 3.7 frames per second. It has a 9-point AF system and even more accurate focusing is provided by an extra-sensitive central AF Sensor. The camera’s iFCL metering system – first seen in the EOS 7D – features a 63-zone Dual-layer metering sensor that helps to ensure your shot is correctly exposed, even in difficult lighting conditions.

The EISA judging panel said of the EOS 600D: “The Canon EOS 600D is a good value camera that has a very strong set of features and customisable functions. The excellent resolution and its low-noise characteristics, even at high ISO settings, make it an extremely desirable model to amateur photographers. This new EOS generation offers Full HD video, a larger, more comfortable grip, an external microphone socket, wireless flash control, good dynamic range, an articulated LCD screen and a host of beginner-friendly features that make advanced picture quality easier to achieve.”

European Camcorder 2011-2012: Canon LEGRIA HF M41

The LEGRIA HF M41 camcorder is a compact, lightweight model that features Canon’s professional 2.4 Megapixel HD CMOS Pro sensor and creative cinematic functions, such as Story Creator. It has a high-quality 10x optical Canon HD Video lens, Dynamic Optical and Powered Image Stabilizer systems, a 7.5cm touch screen LCD, 32GB Dual Flash memory, and a high-sensitivity built-in zoom microphone with audio jack for external audio.  

Commenting on the Canon LEGRIA HF M41 the EISA judging panel said: “The Canon LEGRIA HF M41 high-end video camera is conveniently compact, making it useful for shooting high quality videos under practically all conditions. The camera has a LCD screen and a traditional viewfinder. It is equipped with an easy-to-use menu system with as many automatic and manual functions you could wish for – including full manual sound recording and the ability to connect an external stereo microphone. Autofocus is extremely fast due to an external ‘distance eye’. With no less than two SD card slots complementing the built-in 32GB flash memory, you should never run out of recording space. Picture quality is extremely good with an exceptionally low level of noise, even in poor light.”