Dubai, UAE, 26 April 2010 - Canon has won five awards from the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) - Europe's leading photo and imaging press association, for the second year in a row. The awards acknowledge the market-leading quality of Canon's photo and printing products.

The TIPA panel, which meets annually to select the best photo and imaging products of the year, awarded accolades for the following Canon products:

·         Best DSLR Advanced: Canon EOS 550D

·         Best DSLR Expert: Canon EOS 7D

·         Best Expert Compact Camera: Canon PowerShot G11

·         Best Multifunction Photo Printer:  Canon PIXMA MP990

·         Best Large Format Printer: Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6350

 "The TIPA Awards independently honour the most innovative products on the market - those offering the latest technologies, high quality design and true ease-of-use. Receiving awards for both photo and printing products clearly demonstrates the quality that runs through our range and reflects Canon's commitment to imaging excellence" commented Hendrik Verbrugghe, B2C Marketing Manager, Canon Middle East.

Nicholas van Santen, B2B Marketing Manager, Canon Middle East said, "Over the last five years Canon has made significant inroads into the large format printer market, against some of the longer established players. The TIPA award for Canon's flagship imagePROGRAF iPF6350 is a fantastic testament to Canon's leading technology and strength in the market. Canon is committed to expanding its portfolio of large format printers and grow its market share over the next year and this award from TIPA shows that we are steadily moving it that direction."

The TIPA judging panel gave the following citations:

Best DSLR Advanced: Canon EOS 550D

With a definition of 18 MP, the Canon EOS 550D competes with her more expensive sister-competitor. This advanced DSLR includes a 1920 x 1080 full-HD video mode, efficient Live View, an impressive number of settings and functions and is dedicated to the demanding consumer, but definitely usable by any amateur and enthusiast photographers; an excellent compromise.

Best DSLR Expert: Canon EOS 7D

With this EOS, designed for demanding users, Canon shows that using a small sensor APS-C is not an obstacle in achieving high image quality. The new CMOS 18 MP EOS 7D provides a superb results up to 3200 ISO. Action photographers will love shooting at 1/8000s shutter speed and ultra fast frame rates. Exceptional HD video makes this camera the choice of professional video makers.

Best Expert Compact Camera: Canon PowerShot G11

Well built and user friendly, the PowerShot G11 with all the manual functions that photographers need, is a great tool to work with precision and discretion. The 28-140mm zoom (equivalent) and its sensor smartly limited to 10 MP are two evidences of its positioning as an "expert" camera. It does not try to dazzle the beginner but to reassure the specialist.

Best Multifunction Photo Printer: Canon PIXMA MP990

Developed with the idea of making photo printing easier, the Canon PIXMA MP990 has several innovative features such as Multi-Zone Exposure Correction, improvements in overall face detection, scene analysis, plus brightness and saturation correction. The PIXMA MP990 printer utilizes the Auto Photo Fix II feature to help users get the most out of photos and help to correct many common photo errors, such as underexposed images.

Best Large Format Printer: Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6350

The 24-inch imagePROGRAF iPF6350 features Canon's new 12-colour LUCIA EX pigment ink system and innovative printing technologies to produce prints with increased accuracy of dot placement and a wider colour gamut - built to fulfil the demands of professional users for sophisticated print quality. The imagePROGRAF iPF6350 features a colour calibration function that uses an internal high-performance multi-sensor to achieve consistency of colour reproduction.

- Ends -

About Canon Middle East
Canon Middle East, a subsidiary of Canon Europe, is the operational headquarters for Canon in the Middle East and North Africa and is based in Dubai, UAE.

Founded in 1937 with the specific goal of making the best quality camera available to customers, Canon's tireless passion for the Power of Image has since extended its technology into many other markets and has established it as a world leader in both consumer and business imaging solutions. Its solutions comprise products, ranging from digital compact and SLR cameras, through broadcast lenses and portable X-ray machines, to multi-function and production printers, all supported by a range of value added services.

Canon invests heavily in R&D to deliver the richest and most innovative products and services to satisfy customers' creative needs. From amateur photographers to professional print companies, Canon enables each customer to realize their own passion for image.

Canon believes that considering the interests of society and the environment is an integral part of good business practice. This is embodied in its corporate philosophy Kyosei - 'To live and work together for the common good'.

Further information about Canon Middle East is available at: www.canon-me.com

About TIPA
The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) is comprised of 29 member photo and imaging magazines from 13 countries. Taking into account innovation, ergonomics, design, ease-of-use, efficiency, price/performance ratio, as well as other guidelines, TIPA editors meet once a year to vote on imaging products to help photo enthusiasts and professionals make the best purchasing choices. Additionally, TIPA activities include conducting surveys among the member magazines' readers, visiting companies and factories all over the world and staying in contact with research and developmental engineers in order to follow the evolution of imaging technology.

For media enquiries, please contact:
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d'pr
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© Press Release 2010