We’re not totally convinced of the legitimacy of this story, or why on earth Canon is going down this development path (if indeed it is), but the company has managed to combine a digital SLR (DSLR) with mobile phone technology.

From now on, you will always have a phone handy, no matter where you are. Yeah right, like you’re going to pull this out of your bag and make a call! Stoopid!

‘I got the idea out on a photo safari in my local park when I needed a friend’s advice,’ Alana Harford, Chief of Engineering at Canon, explained. ‘But when I wanted to call him, I realised that I had - once again - forgotten my cell phone at home. At first I thought about duct taping the phone to my camera - which I’ve always got on me. Then it occurred to me: ‘Hey, why not combine the two?’’

The first mobile phone-capable camera from Canon will be the Digital Rebel XCP. Mechanically, it is similar to Canon’s popular entry-level digital SLR, the Digital Rebel XT. However, the controls on the back have been changed to make room for microphone, speaker and dial pad.

Also, the added phone capability allows the photographer to send pictures to other cameras - or phones. Using the latest third-generation mobile technology, the XCP can transfer its 8-Megapixel images in both JPEG and lossless RAW format.

The product was not universally lauded by certain professional photographers. Some nature photographers complained the phone has rung and scared off wildlife, and setting the phone to vibrate can blur pictures.

‘I think we’re on to something here,’ concluded Alana Harford. ‘In a few years, I bet you can't find a camera out there without a built-in phone.’ We’d like to bet otherwise.

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BIOS, Jan 23, 06 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Digital camera