After a couple of months of zipped lips, our Non Disclosure Agreement with Canon is lifted, and we can talk about some exciting consumer/prosumer developments that are so interesting, they might find their way into the professional, high-end realm.

Is the consumer market  overtaking the professional one–especially when you look at the numbers? Canon shipped something like 10 million consumer camcorders and cameras. You can count some high-end cameras on your fingers and toes, with a few reaching into the thousands…

The new Canon VIXIA HF S10 will, I think, become a darling of news and documentary camera crews, as well as for casting, location scouting and rehearsing shots. About the size and weight of a thin can of Arizona Ice Tea with a chocolate bar taped to the side, the VIXIA HF S10 records video to a 32GB internal Flash drive or directly to an SDHC memory card. It has an 8.59 Megapixel Full HD (1920×1080) CMOS Image Sensor.

What wowed me most was the Face Detection Technology, which not only uses advanced algorithms to track a person’s face–both static and moving–along with the ability to pick and chose with a joystick which face you want to follow when there are several people (up to 9) in the shot.

The other really fun idea was Video Snapshot Mode. In this Mode, every time you push the RECORD button, the camera records for four-seconds, then automatically cuts. You’ll find yourself composing more carefully, and sparing your audience endless hours of enduring your latest travel trip. Supplied software even includes a selection of background music, and although Avid and FCP shouldn’t be alarmed, you can easily make a nicely cut presentation. Maybe next year, there will be a music video MODE–cutting after a mere second.

The camcorder also shoots 8.0 Megapixel digital photographs. More information coming soon to the next issue of FDTimes. Meanwhile, click here for Technical Specs and More Info from Canon.