I’m not sure what the “N” stands for but the Canon PowerShot N is one of the most interesting cameras to be announced recently and it’s sure to get a ton of attention at the CES tradeshow where it’s being formally introduced. The Canon PowerShot N has built-in Wi-Fi and a unique compact design with an 8x optical zoom, a 2.8-inch LCD touch screen display that can be tilted up to 90 degrees, and a shutter release that’s mounted on a ring around the lens. Canon calls PowerShot N “the ultimate storytelling tool.” Although it was just announced this morning, dpreview already has a hands-on preview (of course) and they call the PowerShot N a “smartphone companion for the Instagram generation,” which seems pretty accurate to me.
Canon PowerShot N Key Features And Specs:
- 12.1-megapixel High-Sensitivity (HS System) CMOS sensor
- 8x 28-224mm f/3.0-5.9 optical zoom lens
- 1920 x 1080 full HD video
- Built-in Wi-Fi with enhanced wireless capabilities
- Sensitivity range: ISO 80 to 6400
- Creative Shot shooting mode
- DIGIC 5 processing
- Intelligent IS
- Face detection
- 2.8-inch 461k-dot tilting touch screen LCD display
- ECO Mode for 30% better battery life
Canon PowerShot N - White - Rear Touch Screen LCD Display
Canon PowerShot N - White - With Tilting Touch Screen Display
Canon PowerShot N - White - Tilting Touch Screen LCD
Canon PowerShot N - Black - Rear Touch Screen LCD Display
Canon PowerShot N - Black - With Tilting Touch Screen Display
Canon PowerShot N - Black - Tilting Touch Screen LCD
Built-in Wi-Fi is quickly becoming a standard feature with compact cameras. Like other Wi-Fi-enabled cameras, the Canon PowerShot N allows you to wirelessly transfer photos and videos to your Smart Phone or tablet (via Canon’s CameraWindow iOS and Android app) so you can upload them to your favorite social networks, or directly to the Web with an available Wi-Fi network. But the PowerShot N’s creative design makes it clear that Canon wanted it more than just another point-and-shoot camera with built-in Wi-Fi:
| “An ever-increasing number of internet users continue to post their own photos and videos online,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. “The new PowerShot N opens up a new dimension of photographic expression, helping people express their personal style and creative flair with powerful innovative Canon technologies.” |
Besides wireless connectivity and the tilting touch screen display, Canon also gave the PowerShot N something they call, “Creative Shot,” a shooting mode that “intuitively analyzes an image and automatically creates a series of five artistic photos of the original with varying composition, lighting and color for an array of options that are ready to impress.” Basically, that means the camera applies Instagram-like filters at capture. However, it applies those filters to the higher quality image captured by the PowerShot N’s big (compared to a Smart Phone sensor) 12-megapixel CMOS sensor, so you aren’t sacrificing image quality as you would taking a picture with the Instagram app on your Smart Phone. Of course, you can also take normal pictures with the PowerShot N and it captures 1920 x 1080 full HD video as well. The key thing about the PowerShot N is, as dpreview says, it’s a companion to your Smart Phone. If your iPhone or Android phone don’t give you the quality and functionality you want (e.g. a real zoom lens), then you can easily carry the compact PowerShot N in your pocket along with your phone, and have the best of both worlds.
The new Canon PowerShot N should be available in April of 2013. It comes in either white or black and the suggested retail price is US $299.99.
Canon PowerShot N Press Release >>
Related Content:
All Canon User Reviews
All Digital Camera User Reviews
Canon Cameras Forum
Digital Cameras Forum
Canon News, Reviews & Articles
Canon Web Site
Leave a Reply