Canon IXUS 510 HS: Now With Wi-Fi

The new Canon IXUS 510 HS (known in the US as the Powershot ELPH 530 HS, according to Canon) will be the first Canon camera with built-in Wi-Fi capabilities. That means you’ll be able to wirelessly upload photos to the Internet as well as to transfer media directly to mobile devices.

The new camera uploads images to the Canon Image Gateway using a wireless network connected to the Internet. Canon’s online service allows you to organise the photos and share them on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

The 510 HS will also let your camera wirelessly play with smartphones and tablets. In March, Canon will release the CameraWindow iOS app, so you’ll be able to transfer your photos and videos from the 510 HS directly to an iOS device and vice versa. Canon plans to release a similar Android app in May.

Besides the new Wi-Fi features, the Canon IXUS 510 HS is identical to the Canon ELPH 520 HS we first saw last month. It’s powered by Canon’s new Digic 5 processor, which gives the camera speedier performance, and improved low-light shots compared to its Digic 4 predecessors. The IXUS 510 HS uses a 12x optical zoom, and shoots with a 10-megapixel, high-sensitivity CMOS sensor.

Canon will also be releasing the Powershot ELPH 320 HS, a cheaper camera with the same Wi-Fi features as the 530 HS. It’s basically a Wi-Fi version of the new 110 HS. It is also powered by the Digic 5, has a 5x optical zoom, and carries a 16.1-megapixel, high-sensitivity CMOS sensor. Both the 530 HS and 320 HS can shoot 1080p HD video.

Canon tells me that the Powershot HS 530 will launch here as the IXUS 510 HS, an unusual blurring of product lines. There’s no word yet on Australian availability or pricing, but the Canon Powershot ELPH HS 530 will cost $US350 and the 320 HS will run $US280 when they launch in the US in March. [Canon]