goldsmiths collective: Canon reinvents the point-and-shoot with ambidextrous PowerShot N

Monday, January 7, 2013

Canon reinvents the point-and-shoot with ambidextrous PowerShot N

No, you're not holding it wrong -- in fact, with Canon's new PowerShot N, any and every orientation is correct, thanks to a unique square design with key controls mounted around the center-positioned lens. In this case, a picture (of the camera body) tells far more than a thousand words -- this radical build is a bit tricky to explain, but we'll do our best. The idea here is that there's no one top or bottom, left or right side to the camera. Instead, those positions change based on how you've opted to orient the point-and-shoot. At 1.1 inches deep, the camera is very thin, yet it still packs an 8x 28mm f/3-5.9 lens. There's two rings around the barrel, with the first serving as a zoom toggle and the second used as a shutter release. The 2.8-inch, 461k-dot capacitive touchscreen is fixed at a slight angle, making it possible to take overhead and lower-angle shots simply by rotating the entire camera. There's a 12-megapixel CMOS sensor with a DIGIC 5 processor and an ISO range of 80-6400. It can snap 1080p video at 24 frames per second or 720p at 32 fps, and includes a bright LED that serves as an AF-assist lamp, a flash /and/ a video light.

Canon opted to use microSD cards here, due to the camera's small size, along with a rechargeable battery that can be replenished through the USB connector -- a new Eco mode will enable an up to 30-percent boost in battery life, with the display powering down after eight seconds, then waking up when the built-in gyro sensor detects movement. There's WiFi connectivity with a dedicated Mobile Device Connect button, for direct access to an ad-hoc sharing mode. You'll also find a few software additions, including a Creative Shot mode that duplicates the image you just captured and applies "Intelligent Scene Analysis," cropping the frame and adjusting color and brightness without overwriting the original file. The PowerShot N is set to ship in April for $300, and will be available in both black and white. Canon also plans to release a handful of accessories, including a few unique concepts for wearing the camera around your neck, playing off of the model's compact form-factor and light weight.

Gallery: Canon PowerShot N