It looks like Canon may be hoping to succeed where Nikon failed with its short-lived KeyMission series of cameras. The folks at Cinema5D spotted a rather interesting looking camera on the Canon stand at CP+ 2019 this year, and so they had a quick chat with them about it. It looks like Canon may be planning to tackle the action camera market.
The video above is in Japanese, although it comes with English subtitles. So make sure to turn those on if you’re having a little trouble following the conversation.
It’s quite common for Canon to show off concept cameras at shows. We saw a couple of them last year on the Canon stand during The Photography Show. They don’t always mean that something is definitely coming, but it’s to give people some indication as to what kinds of things they’ve been working on, and this little camera looks pretty cool.
Speaking with Kenta Watanabe, he reveals that the camera is designed for those shooting situations that might be difficult or a little too risky for using a smartphone to shoot photos or video. Like up a snowy mountain, in a swimming pool, or on the beach. Right now, it’s simply called the “Outdoor Activity Camera” but it has a very distinctive look that we’ve not seen before.
As with other cameras in the action camera genre, this concept camera is rugged and waterproof. But what’s interesting, and perhaps it might seem like a gimmick at first, is a built-in carabiner. Yes, that’s right, a built-in carabiner. I really actually love this idea. How easy would it be to just take a shot and then quickly clip it on your belt? And, likewise, quickly take it off your belt whenever you need, with just one hand, to shoot another?
Right now, the concept camera shoots 24 frames per second, but it seems that it’s only at 1080p HD. Watanabe says that 60 frames per second 1080p HD is their target. So, it looks like no 4K. That will be a deal breaker for many, I think, given the competition posed by the likes of GoPro. Although they say that “quality” (presumably this includes resolution) is not yet finalised and is still being researched. So, maybe. If the camera ever becomes a reality.
As with most cameras of this time, storage is a microSD card, shoved into a slot at the bottom end of the camera. There’s no word yet on what the maximum compatible card capacity will be, nor the speed of the socket. Obviously, if it’s only going to shoot 1080p, the demands won’t be that high, though.
As far as pricing and availability, no promises were made. Until the specs are finalised, there’s no word on when or even if the camera will be released, but the phrases used suggests that there’s a good chance. It’s going to be aimed at “young people”, and Canon says they’re aiming to price it as low as possible.
This year’s The Photography Show starts this weekend, so we’ll see if they have them on the Canon stand there. If they do, we’ll go check them out and see if we can find out any more about them.
What do you think of this Canon concept “Activity” camera? What features do you want it to have?
[via Cinema5D]
