Canon unveils the PowerShot S2 IS

Canon today announced a new five megapixel camera with 12x optical zoom - the Canon PowerShot S2 IS. It also features a high quality VGA video mode, MovieSnap and Stereo Sound.

The five megapixel PowerShot S2 IS digital camera provides users with the high quality resolution, color and low noise that consumers have come to expect from Canon. The camera's fast f/2.7(W)-f/3.5(T) image stabilized 6.0-72.0mm 12x zoom lens (36-432mm equivalent) makes tack-sharp long telephoto shooting positively practical.

When the optical zoom is augmented with the camera's 4x digital zoom, the maximum focal length effectively becomes equivalent to a 1728mm lens on a 35mm camera.

Despite its extensive optical range, the lens is ultra-compact and retracts securely into the camera when it is powered down. In addition, there are two levels of close-up shooting, Macro and Super Macro. Super Macro mode enables extreme close-up shooting to 0 cm from the end of lens barrel, for creative shooting — great for shooting flowers to use in scrapbooks, on invitations and more.

The Canon PowerShot S2 IS will be available in June for a price of $499.99. More details about the PowerShot S2 IS at Canon product page.