Hands on video: Canon PowerShot N ‘any way up’ camera unveiled
Canon has unveiled the Canon PowerShot N, an innovative new camera with a flip-up screen and lens-ring controls for easy ‘any way up’ shooting.
Although initially it looks similar to the Samsung MultiView MV800, the Canon PowerShot N is a unique spin on the flipup touchscreen camera idea. For a start it’s much smaller making it more pocketable, but even more distinct are its lens ring controls.
Around the lens are rings for controlling the camera’s zoom as well as the shutter release for taking a snap. These sound clever but whether the whole idea actually works in practice is something that really can’t be judged until we’ve handled this new camera – we’ll be sure to follow up soon with a hands on preview to find out.
As well as the new camera design Canon has also added a number of features to boost the camera’s point-and-click appeal. It has inbuilt GPS and Wi-Fi with Facebook and YouTube upload support, and has a number of built in filters including Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Toy Camera Effect and Monochrome. Plus it has Canon’s Hybrid Auto mode which records four seconds of 720p video before and after the shot was taken to add a bit of context to the shot.
Canon PowerShot N Specs
Away from its fancy controls the Canon PowerShot N is a fairly modest compact camera with a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 8x optical zoom (28-464mm equivalent) and Full HD video recording, and that screen is 2.8in across. Meanwhile those compact dimensions are just 78.6 x 60.2 x 29.3mm when the lens is retracted.
Canon PowerShot N Release Date and Price
The Canon PowerShot N is set to cost £269, which is quite high for a compact with these specs, so its appeal really will come down to that unique control system. It will be hitting UK shelves from early-April.
Has Canon piqued your interest with its new twist on the compact camera or does it look like a concept gone too far? Let us know you thoughts in the comments.