Canon’s latest camera isn’t a phone, but it’s very much geared at people who use their phones to capture video socially.
Capturing videos by yourself doing something for TikTok or YouTube is normally the domain of a decent phone and the front-facing camera, but it doesn’t have to be.
The are other options, such as grabbing a larger interchangeable lens camera and opting for the “pro” solution, or even to look at cameras built for capturing video of one’s self, though these can often be a little on the expensive side.
Canon’s latest camera is a little different. It looks more like a webcam and feels inspired by the sort of work your phone’s camera would do, as one of the oldest camera companies builds what it calls a “smart camera”.
Like all gadgets with the word “smart” tacked on the front, the Canon PowerShot Pick is an app-connected camera, relying on software to control it, either from your computer or your phone.
The Pick isn’t a conventional camera the way Canon typically makes them, and isn’t made for casual shots as you go out and about. Rather, you set it up on a counter and then capture images and videos in a way not unlike what your phone does for selfies.
Built as more of a camera that will stay put, it’s a palm-sized camera that will pan and tilt, tracking your position as you move about in front of it, allowing you to capture video demos without needing to reposition a camera, something you might need to do with your phone’s selfie camera.
In shot, the Pick is basically a webcam with a little more guts, sporting 3X optical zoom and an 11.7 megapixel sensor, able to capture Full HD video and roughly 12 megapixel images, and sending the over WiFi to phones and tablets, or wired to computers. There’s support for USB Type C here, the standard these days, with the app controlling functionality, but there’s also support for voice if you don’t want to reach for the phone.
“The PowerShot Pick is ideal for video content creators who are looking to grow their audiences, particularly those who have reached limits with their current gear and want something more dynamic that can follow and allow them to freely move around the frame without the need for a second person to film,” said Brendan Maher, Senior Manager for Product Marketing for Canon Australia.
“Pick will allow content creators to focus on expressing themselves as they don’t have to stop and start to set up the next shot or frame,” he said. “It’ll capture those meticulously planned scenes but also the unexpected moments, that can help build authentic audience connections.”
It will also cost a little more than you might expect, fetching a recommended retail price of $629 when it launches this week, making it around the price of a decent mid-range phone, with the only unusual trick being video tracking technology, something you might find similar to Centre Stage on the iPad and recent iPad Air.
The PowerShot Pick is set for release this week, however, coming to camera stores and specialists from March 30.
