Now that the output of digital cameras has reached about as high a resolution as it seems possible to reach, the megapixel race has switched to video cameras.
Just a year ago, Sony broke new ground by launching the first one megapixel camcorder, and next month Canon is due to scoop that by releasing two new units that manage to hit the magic two megapixels. At this rate, still cameras could be history in just a couple of years.
The Optura 300 and the Optura Xi have two-megapixel CCDs, which should be all you need for reasonable quality still photos - a first for a digital camcorder. You can also record 640x480 still photos while recording video.
Other still camera features are a built-in flash, continuous shooting mode at three frames per second and SD memory card slots.
There is also a 3.5-inch display on the Xi and 2.5-inch on the Optura 300.
The two camcorders use a technology called PictBridge, which lets users connect their cameras directly to a PictBridge-enabled printer via USB to make direct prints without the need for a computer.
Canon also promises a 10x optical and 200x digital zoom in the Optura 300, and an 11x optical and 220x digital in the Optura Xi. Both cameras come with an optical image stabiliser that Canon claims will help smooth video shot by shaky hands or from a moving vehicle.