`
`Ex. GOOG 1033
`
`EX. GOOG 1033
`
`
`
`
`
`

`

`The Canon Still Video System Is
`One of a Kind
`
`Imagine a camera that takes color photos but uses a floppy disk instead of
`film so that no film development is necessary. Then imagine sending these photos
`8,000 kilometers in three minutes. You've just imagined Canon's SVS.
`
`Canon U.S.A ., Inc. has commer(cid:173)
`cialized a still video system (SVS) that
`was field -tested at the 1984 Summer
`Olympics
`in Los Angeles. Fujio
`Mitarai, president, announced the
`product by saying, "The system was
`designed and is being built exclusive(cid:173)
`ly by Canon. The Canon SVS's com(cid:173)
`ponents are intended for industrial
`users at this time. Newspapers , maga(cid:173)
`zi nes and news photo agencies are the
`most likely immediate users. " But this
`unique system can be used in any bus(cid:173)
`iness where managing graphic infor(cid:173)
`mation is required .
`that Mitarai
`The componems
`referred to are the RC-70 I high(cid:173)
`resolution camera ($2,595)
`that
`records up to 50 color pictures on a
`still video floppy disk, the RT-971
`transceiver ($19,900) for transmitting
`color or monochrome images over tel(cid:173)
`ephone lines in three minutes, the
`RP-601 primer ($6,950) and
`th e
`RR-551 recorder ($2 ,695) for instan!
`picture playback on a TV set or mo(cid:173)
`nitor. Also available are the BP-7N
`th e Video
`Ni-Cd ballery pack,
`Visualizer RE-5 50, the CCD Color
`Vi deo Camera Module and
`the
`RL-303 Laminator. In the following
`paragraphs, the main componems of
`the system will be examined in further
`detail.
`
`The Camera
`The sti ll video camera resembles a
`
`conventional 35 mm SLR camera in
`appearance, size and-to a
`large
`degree-operation. But the RC-701 is
`the first electronic imaging color
`camera on the market. II is equipped
`with a 2/ 3-inch CCD image sensor.
`Recording on a two-i nch floppy disk
`at 780 pixels per horizomal line, the
`camera uses an RGB stripe filter to
`distinguish colors.
`Its shutter speed varies from 1/ 18
`second to I / 2,000 second in nine
`steps. Four shooting speeds are pos(cid:173)
`sible: a single image, two images per
`second, five images per second or
`even 10 pictures per second. The head
`moves automatically from one track
`to another and it does so soundlessly
`even at the fastest shooting speed .
`Automatic white balance is provid(cid:173)
`ed but the color temperature may also
`be manually adjusted with a nine(cid:173)
`position control. Exposure met ering
`is also automatic or manual. For au(cid:173)
`tomat ic metering, an SV lens is used;
`for manual, an FD lens. The normal
`CCD sensitivity is equal to a film
`speed of ISO 200 but in low:light con(cid:173)
`ditions, sensiti vity is automatically
`raised 10 EVI.5, the equivalent to ISO
`600.
`For viewing and focu sing an im(cid:173)
`age, a roof prism with laser mat and
`split -image rangefi nder is convenient(cid:173)
`ly equipped. Viewfinder LEOs indi (cid:173)
`cate shooting mode, aperture value,
`over or under exposure warning, ex-
`
`posure correction, flash charge ready,
`battery level, manual mode set and
`floppy disk status. More information
`is provided by an LCD on the top of
`the camera, including shutter speed,
`color temperature, shooting speed,
`track number and warnings for im(cid:173)
`proper disk loading or full disk . An
`added feature not found in conven(cid:173)
`tional cameras is the RC-70l 's built(cid:173)
`in data encoding system that can su(cid:173)
`perimpose on the bo11om of the im(cid:173)
`age year, month , day, hour, minute,
`second, shutter speed, aperture and
`four-digit identification . When data
`is entered, it is monitored with the
`LCD.
`The user does not have to worry
`about accidental exposure or double
`exposure with a floppy di k. The disk,
`VF-50, is easily snapped into the
`camera, tracks of the disk are auto(cid:173)
`matically advanced. Even if several
`pictures have been taken, the disk
`may be removed and re-inserted. The
`next picture is then recorded on the
`next empty track with no need for the
`user to perform any adjustment. Fur(cid:173)
`thermore, the disk may be erased and
`used over again
`indefinitely
`if
`reasonabl e care is taken to avoid
`damage. Its capacity is 50 images in
`field or 25 images in frame mode.
`With an adapter, the camera can
`use nearly 60 Canon FD lenses. In ad(cid:173)
`dition to these, the company has in(cid:173)
`troduced models designed especially
`for use with the RC-701, compensat(cid:173)
`ing for the CCD's high sensitivity to
`long-wavelength light. Two lenses are
`currently available, the SVII-66 mm
`f/ 1.2 zoom and the SV 50-150 mm
`
`This photo was taken with Canon 's RC·701 camera . printed out
`by the RP-601 and reproduced in JEI un·retouched .
`
`Canon still video system:
`
`f/2.8 zoom. The SV 6 mm f/ 1. 8 wide
`angle lens will be available later. Be(cid:173)
`cause the camera's imaging area is
`only one-fourth that of a 35 mm
`camera, the effective focal lengths of
`the two zoom lenses are 44-264 mm
`and 200-600 mm , respectively. These
`models have electronic mounts. Spe(cid:173)
`cial!Cs provide the int erface with the
`camera and 8-bit microcomputers ad(cid:173)
`just aperture.
`Only 50 ms is required for the SV
`11-66 to go from maximum f I 1.2 to
`minimum f/22 aperture. The two
`lenses do not have aperture setting
`rings, however, because they operate
`in either shutter priorit y or
`programmed modes. Both zooms
`have macro capability. The SV 11-66
`is priced at $695 and the SV 50-150
`costs $795.
`
`The Transceiver
`The RT-971 sends and receives
`video images worldwide via public tel·
`ephone lines or leased lines. It may
`even be used with cellular telephone,
`a feature that enhances flexibilit y and
`versatility . Transmission time for a
`color picture is three minutes in the
`fast mode (field) and six minut es in
`the slow mode(frame). For mono
`chrome, transmission is twice as fast.
`Two telephone transmission modes
`are available, AM for low-noise lines
`and FM for high-noise lines.
`To send a picture, the user inserts
`the floppy di sk. The transceiver reads
`the disk and stores the digital infor(cid:173)
`mation in its 256KB memory. The
`unit then reads the data from its
`memory and transmit s it. Users at
`either end can view the images on
`their transceiver's built-in 3. 7-inch
`color monitor or on an external mo-
`
`Ex. GOOG 1033
`
`

`

`(left to right) Rl-303 laminator. RC-701 still video camera, RT-971 still video tranceiver. RP-601 color video printer, RR-551 still video recorder
`
`f/ 1.8 wide
`e later. Be-
`mg ar
`is
`a
`~
`ler..
`,f
`-4-264 mm
`·ely. These
`·un ts . Spe(cid:173)
`:e with the
`rputers ad-
`
`'o r the SV
`n f/ 1.2 to
`The two
`re selling
`·y operate
`>rity or
`h zooms
`sv 11-66
`v 50- 150
`
`receives
`•ublic tel(cid:173)
`. It may
`lephone,
`•ility and
`ne for a
`!S in the
`nutes in
`r mono
`· as fast.
`modes
`ise lines
`
`· inserts
`er reads
`I infor(cid:173)
`·y. r---..
`·or
`.•
`ser.
`ges on
`.7-inch
`talmo-
`
`nit or of any size. Two-way voice com(cid:173)
`munication is possible because each
`transceiver is equipped with spea ker
`and mic.
`For color images, red , green and
`blue signals are transmiued sequen(cid:173)
`tiall y and they are reassembled at the
`other end. Black
`is
`tran smi u ed
`separately. The receivin g RT-971 co(cid:173)
`pies the digital information onto
`another floppy di sk. Transmission
`and reception require very lillie from
`the users and this ease of use has the
`additional advantage of providing
`higher reliabilit y.
`transceiver can
`Moreover,
`the
`record/ playback freeze-frame images
`from other sources such as a VCR or
`vi deodi sk player. Compatibility, in
`fact, is one of its primary benefits.
`The RT-971 may be used with a per(cid:173)
`sonal computer and computer as well
`as with the Canon RP-601 video
`print er. Thus the transceiver can han(cid:173)
`dle captions and text from a personal
`computer (64KB of the RT-971 's
`memory is for text) . It also interfaces
`with
`conventional wirephoto
`machines.
`Two final fun ctions of the tran(cid:173)
`sceiver should also be mentioned . A
`positive-negative reversal switch is in(cid:173)
`cluded as a standard feature, and the
`unit may be powered by a car ballery
`by connection with a converter.
`
`The Printer
`The RP-60 1 is a full-color ink -jet
`printer with yellow, cyan, magenta
`and black ink . It produces prints in
`either of two sizes: 3 5/ 8 x 4 13/ 16
`inches or 2 11 / 16 x 3 9/ 16 inches.
`For the larger size, printing time is 4.5
`minutes and for the smaller it is three
`minutes. P rinting is automatic but
`
`may be adjusted manually. The
`printer convert s a nalog video signals
`int o digital signals and this data is en(cid:173)
`tered into the unit 's memory. At this
`point , the data is analyzed and th e
`printer's on-board computer selects
`hues, brightness and saturation. As
`mentioned , these characteristics may
`be manually adjusted.
`Originals may be made from the
`Canon still video camera and visualiz(cid:173)
`er or from freeze-frames of TV, VCR
`and videodisk. To assure care-free
`operation, the RP-601 includes an au(cid:173)
`tomatic capping mechanism to cover
`nozzles during non-use. It also has a
`pump that removes bubbles from the
`ink supply.
`
`The Recorder
`An int egral part of the still video
`system is the RR -55 1 video recorder.
`This unit allows the pictures from the
`camera 's floppy disk as well as freeze(cid:173)
`frames of other video sources to be
`displayed on a TV set or monitor. It
`has a di sk drive for the floppy di sk
`and permits forward or reverse search
`at one, two, fi ve or 10 frames per se(cid:173)
`cond.
`image on
`It displays an
`screen for one to 99 seconds.
`The recorder can both erase track s
`and re-record erased track s of the
`floppy disk. It is also the unit that
`freeze-frames video images from a
`TV, VCR or videodisk player . The
`RR -55 1 further records date s ,
`parameters and other identification
`on the bollom of a video image
`produced by the still image camera.
`Finally, all the recorders' s funct(cid:173)
`ions may be remotely controlled (up
`to 23 feet away) by an infrared control
`unit.
`
`the
`
`The Visualizer
`The RE-550 is an electronic over(cid:173)
`head projector. It is equipped with a
`color video camera, Ci-10, tha t can
`feed signals to one or more TV mo(cid:173)
`nitors or to a large-screen projection
`video system for mass a udiences. It s
`Ci- 1 0 ceo camera provides 780
`horizontal and 490 vertical pixels. Un(cid:173)
`li ke conventional overhead projec(cid:173)
`tors, this model can accommodate
`three-dimensional objects as well as
`transparencies . It can connect with
`the Canon transceiver or printer and
`
`it produces images ranging in size
`form 91 x 121.6 mm to 314 .6 x
`233.3 mm . The unit 's lens is an 8.3-16
`mm f/ 1.7-2.2 zoom with macro a nd
`it can focus an object as close as 1. 29
`inches. T he RE-550 also produces
`fli cker-free images with
`it s high(cid:173)
`frequency lighting system and it has
`a built-in microphone. An external
`mic may also be used.
`This outline of the SVS indicates
`the ra nge of capabilities of Canon's
`most recent innovation.
`
`Telework RE-550 video visualizer
`
`AUGUST ' 86, 59
`
`Ex. GOOG 1033
`
`