Believe it or not, we Filipinos are amongst the jolliest people on Earth. While this statement is seemingly satirical, it is quite surprising that many think tanks around the world often agree with this observation. It could be because of our innate character that, amid the disheartening economic, political, and social atmosphere, we could easily and relentlessly find joy in the relationships that we have with our loved ones. As an implication of this nature, we are also very fond of images: images that enable us to cherish the good times, and smile even in hard times. Valuing these characteristics, Canon has been ardent in keeping its Filipino consumers delighted as always.

Giving us many more reasons to smile, Canon Philippines recently staged the Canon Expo Smile ’09 at A.Venue, Makati City to officially kick off the ImageNation Celebration, an annual event which is customarily anticipated as a grand occasion where the company showcases its latest imaging devices. This year, the expo introduced 33 new products from Canon’s lines of digital cameras, camcorders, printers, and copiers, giving consumers 33 more reasons to smile.

Starting off with the digital cameras, we took a quick stopover at IXUS’ booth where we saw the 10-megapixel Canon IXUS 95 IS showcased in an assortment of tasteful colors. Within the svelte confines of this point-and-shoot lies the DIGIC 4 image processor which can also be found in EOS models such as the 50D and the 5D Mark II.
Ideal when capturing group shots, interior designs, and landscapes, the 12.1-megapixel Canon IXUS 110 IS has a 28mm wide-angle lens and 4x optical zoom. It also allows you to record high definition videos at 720p resolution. Another 12.1-megapixel IXUS model is the IXUS 100 IS which features only 3x optical zoom.
Next stop: the PowerShot booth. Here, we caught sight of the 12.1-megapixel SX200 IS which is Canon’s newest addition to the PowerShot Telephoto Series. Equipped with a sophisticated lens with up to 12x optical zoom and 0cm macro capability, this camera is both great at shooting wide-angle and close-up shots.
The latest release of PowerShot SX1S IS is pre-installed with a firmware update which brings RAW file capture capability to this 10-megapixel ultrazoom camera.
Although the PowerShot A2100 IS and the PowerShot A1100 IS look identical to one another, the former is equipped with a 6x optical zoom 36-216mm lens with OIS and a 3-inch LCD, while the latter is fitted with a 4x optical zoom 35-140mm lens with OIS and a 2.5-inch LCD.
The new concept model, the PowerShot D10, didn’t fail in gathering its own set of audience, particularly, when the folks from Canon “abused” it by dropping it from a height of 4 meters and drowning it in a huge glass of water. Definitely, this PowerShot is aimed at those who love the extreme outdoors.
Under Canon’s camcorder roof, some of the latest offerings include the dual-flash VIXIA FS22 and FS200. Both models feature 37x optical zoom lens, electronic image stabilization, and DIGIC DV III processor with Face Detection technology.
The latest addition to the SELPHY Compact Photo Printer lineup, the CP780 serves as your portable, digital photo lab which you can use to edit and print out shots captured by your IXUS, PowerShot or EOS camera directly.
One good reason for SOHO owners to smile, the network-ready Canon PIXMA MX868 is the smallest duplex AiO machine in the industry. This office appliance offers functions such as Caller Rejection and Junk Fax Reception Reject which enable users to refuse faxes from blocked or unknown callers, translating to significant paper and cost savings. Coming up are two more business solutions from Canon.
The FAX-JX201.
The imageRUNNER IR1024IF.
Apart from these new offerings, Canon is also holding one of the biggest photo and video contests in Philippine history: the Canon ImageNation Capture Smile Photo Contest. Everyone is invited to shoot for PhP250,000 worth of Canon products by showing why and how we as a people have a million (and more!) reasons to smile. Just log on to www.canon.com.ph/smile for more details.
Lastly, Canon is steering the ImageNation Smile Tour ’09 around the country. Simply visit an SM mall near you, check out Canon's new products firsthand, and grab hold of their special promos! Here are the schedules of the said road show:
March 12 – 25: SM Mall of Asia
March 23 – April 5: SM Cebu
March 26 – April 8: SM Pampanga
April 9 – 22: SM Davao
April 23 – May 6: SM Megamall
May 14 – 27 SM North EDSA
This is just the beginning of the ImageNation Celebration. Canon Philippines has a lot more surprises in store for the smiling and fun-loving Filipinos like you in the months to come, so stay tuned!
The D10 looks like a toy.