Canon aims at compact vlogging market with PowerShot V1

With compact point-and-shoot style cameras one of the current success stories of the modern industry, Canon has quietly announced the limited launch of the PowerShot V1.

Compact point-and-shoot style cameras are performing well in the current climate, offering users a step up from the abilities of smartphones but without the full range of bells and whistles — and complexity — that their more expensive brethren feature. The popularity of models such as the vlogging-oriented Sony ZV-1 Mark II is testament to their  appeal, and now Canon is taking a tilt at the market with the PowerShot V1.

Key features

• 1.4-inch CMOS sensor
• Ultra-wide angle 16-50mm zoom lens
• 4K 60P recording
• 30fps stills performance (electronic shutter)
• Canon Log 3
• Built-In Cooling Fan
• Built-in ND Filter (3-stops)
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF II

Announced with surprisingly little fanfare on Canon’s Japanese site, the camera is avowedly video-first. It features a 22.3MP 1.4-inch CMOS sensor (the same size as a MFT chip, but in a wider aspect ratio) and the F2.8-4.5 fixed zoom lens is equivalent to a focal length of about 17 mm to 52 mm (16 mm to 50 mm when shooting stills).

When shooting 4K videos, Canon says it achieves a maximum ISO sensitivity two levels higher than its own PowerShot G7 X Mark III. When shooting videos, this is equivalent to regular ISO 12800 (extended ISO 25600), and equivalent to regular ISO 32000 (extended ISO 51200) when shooting still images. That should make it possible to shoot clearly and with little noise even in low-light environments.

It represents the first outing of the company’s DIGIC X image processor in a compact unit. It is capable of (cropped) 4K/60P video shooting and 4K at up to 30p without a crop from an oversampled 5.7K image. There is a single UHS-II SD card slot as well as USB and HDMI ports to handle all that image data.

Canon says it can shoot 40K30p for over two hours thanks to a built-in fan and vents, it features 10-bit Canon Log 3, a built-in three-stop physical ND filter, decent image stabilization, Canon’s useful multi-function hot shoe for powering different accessories, various movie shooting modes, and a headphone and mic jack for that bit of extra flexibility in shooting.

It has a mechanical shutter that achieves a shutter speed of up to 1/2000, and an electronic shutter that takes that up to 1/16000. The latter also enables high-speed continuous shooting of up to about 30 frames/second allows users to capture even fast-moving subjects without missing them.

Canon says that compared to the autofocus of the Power Shot G7 X Mark III's contrast detection method, AF speed, subject detection performance, and tracking performance have been improved with the introduction of Dual Pixel CMOS AF II. Pupil detection corresponds to the pupils of people and animals (it specifies dogs/cats, and firmly excludes birds and horses); face/head and torso can be detected in people, and face, whole body in the same animals. This is the same autofocus as deployed in cameras such as the C80 so should work well.

Weight is a tidy 426 grams (15 oz) 

Price and availability

The PowerShot V1 is launching at the end of April with an initial roll out in Japan, China, and key Asian markets. Japanese price is ¥148,500, which translates as just below $1000 before you factor in such fun things as trade tariffs. No word yet on more global availability, but it looks like a useful addition to the range of options available to vloggers and more so we’d imagine that will follow at some point.

tl;dr

• The new Canon PowerShot V1 features a 1.4-inch CMOS sensor and an ultra-wide angle 16-50mm zoom lens, designed primarily for video recording with 4K at 60P capabilities and 30fps stills performance.
• It includes features like Canon Log 3, a built-in cooling fan, a three-stop ND filter, and Dual Pixel CMOS AF II for improved autofocus and subject tracking, especially in low-light conditions.
• The camera supports high-speed continuous shooting of up to 30 frames per second, with a mechanical shutter speed of up to 1/2000 and an electronic shutter capable of reaching 1/16000.
• Weighing 426 grams (15 oz), the PowerShot V1 is set to launch at the end of April, priced at ¥148,500 in Japan (around $1000), with potential expansion into global markets for vloggers and content creators.