Canon to boost China output of digital cameras

By Thepeoplechoice on 7:36 PM

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A model poses with Canon's new digital SLR camera 40D during ...
Reuters

A model poses with Canon's new digital SLR camera 40D during an unveiling in Tokyo August 20, 2007. Canon said on Friday it planned to boost production of digital cameras in China and build a new laser printer plant in Vietnam, aiming to meet booming demand in developing countries.

(Yuriko Nakao/Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) - Canon Inc (7751.T) said on Friday it planned to boost production of digital cameras in China and build a new laser printer plant in Vietnam, aiming to meet booming demand in developing countries.

Canon is looking to double its production capacity of compact digital cameras at a factory in China's Guangdong province to 10 million units a year by 2009, said a company spokesman, who declined to be identified.

The sharp boost in output of the cameras, which are priced around 20,000 yen ($195), would lift Canon's global digital camera production capacity by around 20 percent and help it cement its position as the world's biggest maker of digital cameras.

Canon shipped 24.6 million digital cameras in 2007.

It will also invest 5 billion yen ($50 million) to build a new factory in northern Vietnam which will assemble low-cost printers. The investment figure for the China output boost was not disclosed.

Canon shares fell 1.7 percent on Friday to 4,560 yen, outperforming a 2.9 percent fall in Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei index (.N225), as a stronger yen hit export stocks. (.T)

Olympus releases new camera

By Thepeoplechoice on 4:02 AM

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Basically just pre-PMA upgrades to existing models all around, Olympus just loosed nine new shooters. Almost all feature "HyperCrystal" or "HyperCrystal II" displays (not to be confused with hypercolor, dudes), facial recognition, OIS, high ISO modes, and a bunch of other stuff that every other camera company does now. Here's the quick rundown.
FE series (February)
  • FE-310 - 8 megapixel, 5x zoom, 2.5-inch LCD
  • FE-340 - 8 megapixel, 5x zoom, 2.7-inch LCD
  • FE-350 - 8 megapixel, 4x zoom, 28mm wide angle lens, 3-inch LCD
Mju / Stylus series (February)
  • Mju 840 - 8 megapixel, 5x optical, 2.7-inch LCD
  • Mju 850 SW - 8 megapixel, 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, waterproof to 3m
  • Mju 1010 - 10.1 megapixel, 7x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD
  • Mju 1020 - 10.1 megapixel, 7x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD
  • Mju 1030 - 10.1 megapixel, 3.6x zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, waterproof to 10m
SP series (March)
  • SP-570 UZ - 10 megapixel, 20x wide angle zoom, OIS, 2.7-inch LCD