6 Megapixel digital SLR for the consumer now a reality Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce the launch of the EOS 300D 6.3 Megapixel digital SLR. The lightest and most compact digital EOS camera ever is expected to ship with a recommended retail price of £899.99 inc VAT for the Body Only, or £999.99 inc VAT with the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens.

"Canon expects 400-500% growth in the digital SLR segment from 2002 to 2003 in terms of shipping volume," Hiroshi Komatsuzaki, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. "The EOS 300D will play a key strategic role in this growth. By dropping the price so significantly, Canon is very deliberately putting high performance EOS digital technology into the hands of the consumer at a time of accelerating demand for high performance digital cameras".

The EOS 300D bundles proven high performance technologies, such as seven-point, high-speed predictive auto focus, 2.5 frame per second burst rate, 35-zone metering and the DIGIC (DIGital Imaging Core) image processor, into a camera that is affordable to a much wider range of consumers thanks to its significantly reduced price point.

Canon believes the EOS 300D to be the single most important consumer SLR camera since the AE1 in 1976. Just as the AE1 triggered an SLR revolution through being the world's first camera with an embedded microcomputer, Canon believes the EOS 300D will be seen as the point in history when the SLR market shifted irrevocably to digital.

Precision optics, unrivalled sensor quality
At the front end of the EOS 300D is the lens system and digital sensor. Film EOS users considering the move to digital will be pleased to learn the EOS 300D works seamlessly with any of Canon's renowned EF lenses. There are currently more than 60 lenses in the EF range.