The Canon PowerShot S60 replaces the current S50 model, and other than the lens is mostly similar feature-wise to its predecessor, with a five megapixel sensor in a compact body with sliding lens barrier. Where the S50 had a 35 - 105mm equivalent 3x optical zoom lens, the S60 has a noticeably wider and longer-zoom 28 - 100mm equivalent 3.5x optical zoom lens even though the camera body is just a touch slimmer. The improvement is accomplished with a new technology dubbed "UA" - meaning the camera features "Ultra High Refractive Aspheric" lens elements.

Smaller and smaller lens designs have required camera manufacturers to use increasingly thinner lens elements (necessitating glass with a higher refractive index) - but these thinner elements can introduce problems such as chromatic abberation and spherical abberations. Aspherical elements aim to correct for various such abberations, but traditionally haven't been able to be made with high-refractive glass because it behaves unpredictably when cooling. UA lens elements are made of glass, as opposed to other materials such as fluorite, but achieve a higher refractive index than has previously been possible for an aspheric glass element. Canon's manufacturing process, we're told, relies on measuring the aspheric profile with an extremely high degree of accuracy. Canon reps gave an analogy of a digicam lens being seen as the scale of a football field, with the accuracy of their measurement corresponding to being able to detect a blade of grass sticking up a few millimeters higher than the others.

Other changes include a new NB-2L H battery, using the same format as the previous NB-2L with which it is completely compatible, but offering 26% improved battery life. There's also been a redesign of the camera's user interface, including a new five-way controller centered in the back of the camera, and a new look for the on-screen menus. Photo printing/transfer features have been enhanced, including one-touch printing or copying to a PC, and direct ID / passport style printing. Optional accessories will include a new water-resistant housing, and a 2x tele converter lens, and a white-balance preset for use underwater has been added.

Pricing for the Canon PowerShot S60 has not yet been announced, but the camera should ship next month.

Canon PowerShot S60
Type	Compact digital still camera with built-in flash, 3.6x optical zoom / 4.1x digital zoom/15x combined zoom
Image Capture Device	5.0 M pixel, 1/2 inch charge coupled device (CCD)
Sensitivity	Auto; 50/100/200/400 (Equivalent to ISO)
Resolution (Recording Pixels)	640 x 480 (Small), 1,600 x 1,200 (Medium 2), 2,048 x 1,536 (Medium 1), 2,592 x 1,944 (Large); 640 x 480, 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 (Movie).
JPEG Image Quality Modes	Normal, Fine, SuperFine
File Format	Design rule for Camera File system, DPOF Version 1.1 (Digital Print Order Format), JPEG (Exif 2.2 compliant)
Image Recording Format	Still Image: JPEG (Exif 2.2 compliant) or RAW, Movie: AVI
Recording Media	CompactFlashTM (CF) Card, Type I and II
Shooting Modes	Auto, Creative (P, Av, Tv, M, Custom), Image (Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Fast Shutter, Slow Shutter, Stitch Assist, Movie) and Custom
Shooting Speed	Continuous approx. 2.0 fps (High Speed), approx. 1.5 fps (Normal Speed)
Photo Effect	Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Low Sharpening, Black & White, Custom
Playback Modes	Single, Index (9 thumbnails), Magnification (Approx. 2x to 10x), Slide Show or Movie
Erase Modes	Still image: All images, Movie: Part of movie, All movie
Interfaces	USB, A/V out (Video: NTSC or PAL selectable, Audio: monaural) and CF Card slot (Complied w/ Type I and II Standard).
Direct Printing	Direct connection to Canon Direct Photo Printer, and PictBridge compatible printers
Lens	5.8 - 20.7mm, f/2.8 - f/8.0 (WIDE), f/5.3 - f/8.0 (TELE) zoom lens (equivalent 28 - 100mm in 35mm format)
Shutter Speed	15-1/2,000 sec. Slow shutter operates with noise reduction
Focus Range	Normal AF: 1.4 ft. – Infinity/44cm – Infinity; Macro AF: 1.6 in. – 1.4 ft./4 – 44cm(WIDE), 1.0 – 1.4 ft./30 – 44cm (except W).
Number of Focus Points	9 AiAF & Flexible (FlexiZone AF)
Light Metering Method	Evaluative metering, Center-weighted average or Spot metering
Exposure Control	Program AE, Shutter Priority AE, Aperture Priority AE (Safety Shift available) or Manual; AE Lock is available
Compensation	+/- 2.0 EV in 1/3-stop increments
Built-in Flash	Auto, On/Off, Red-Eye Reduction On/Off
Flash Range	1.8 – 14 ft./55cm – 4.2m (WIDE) 1.8 – 6.6 ft./55cm – 2.0m (TELE) (when ISO speed is set to Auto)
White Balance Control	TTL Auto White Balance, Pre-set White Balance (Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash or Underwater), and Custom White Balance.
Optical Viewfinder	Color LCD Viewfinder
LCD Viewfinder	1.8-inch low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD
Power Sources	Rechargeable lithium-ion battery (NB-2LH/NB-2L) or AC Adapter Kit ACK700, Car Battery Charger CBC-NB2
Dimensions	4.49(W) x 2.22(H) x 1.53(D) in./114(W) x 56.5(H) x 38.8(D) mm
Weight (w/o battery and CF card)	8.11 oz./230g
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