As Photokina starts up in Germany — the international camera specific equivalent of CES or IFA — Canon is up with a couple of announcements for consumers, and whether you like lots of power or lots of zoom, there’s something for you.
First up is the power, and if the idea of small camera with oodles of power grabs you, chances are you’ve had a look in at Sony’s RX series.
Canon’s G series cameras have always been great options, but the company is looking to really compete with Sony this year with the unveiling of the G7X, a pocketable performance camera with a one inch sensor rated at 20.2 megapixels, and a 24-100mm equivalent lens capable of running across f/1.8-2.8, making it suited for low light. Assisting this here is a low light sensitivity which runs the gamut of ISO 125 to 12800.
The camera looks to be reasonably small too, not much bigger than the 3 inch touchscreen LCD that pops up from the back of the camera and can be positioned at the operator, making it ideal for selfies, and yet still grapple at the shutter side if you decide to take one of these photos.
Getting the photos off the camera can happen over WiFi with Near-Field Communication helping to make that connection possible on compatible cameras, sharing photos and videos to social networks quickly.
And there’s even RAW support, so if you regularly shoot in a less lossy format than JPEG, you’ll be keen to see it on this tiny compact.
But if a tiny compact doesn’t suit, and you’re more interested in getting photos up close from a long distance away instead of needing to be there and then at that moment, Canon’s other announcement in the consumer space will grab you, even from far back.
That camera is the PowerShot SX60 HS, a camera boasting 65x optical zoom equivalent to a whopping 21-1365mm, a ridiculously long range that is sure to please travellers not keen to carry a long lens with them on a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
Interestingly, we’re told RAW is also capable out of Canon’s SX60 HS, which should satisfy a great number of people, too, even if the lens apertures are slower, ranging from f/3.4 to f/6.5, typical ranges for both kit lenses and consumer grade cameras.
WiFi and NFC are both included here, too, as are manual modes and an LCD screen that tilts to make it easier to use in different positions.
Unfortunately, recommended pricing for neither is currently available — in line with Canon’s Australian view of letting dealers set the prices — though Canon has told us you can expect both the GX7 and the SX60 HS in stores from October onwards.
