Canon is finally getting into the vlogging camera arena, and it’s doing it with a quirky new point-and-shoot camera aimed at a no-nonsense “set it and forget it” crowd that I’m not sure even exists. The $429.99 Canon PowerShot V10 is an adorable little camera about the size of an extra-thick deck of cards that packs a 19mm f/2.8-equivalent prime lens and pairs it with a one-inch 20.9-megapixel sensor.
It records 4K at up to 30fps and is designed to film yourself with an articulating screen, front and rear record buttons, stereo microphones with a 3.5mm mic jack, a Micro HDMI port, digital image stabilization, and a kickstand to support it. It is expected to launch in June.
What makes the V10 interesting is its vintage design, which reminds me a bit of those old Flip Video cameras. And just like those long-dead cameras, when held vertically it films horizontally, making it seem more suited to YouTube content creation than TikTok or Instagram Reels. You can turn it sideways for vertical recording, of course, but the built-in kickstand isn’t really designed to hold it that way.
The PowerShot V10 doesn’t have many buttons, relying partially on touch controls using its postage stamp from a two-inch 3:2 LCD screen. Its simplistic offering of controls echoes the V10’s approach to entry-level content creation. It’s not a camera designed to offer control over every little setting, which is unfortunate as it can be useful for beginners to grow and learn.
For example, its ISO range of 125 to 12,800 in stills mode can’t even be selected manually, and the camera doesn’t support manual focus of any kind. Maybe they’re fine if someone is just taking video on the go, but the V10’s limitations remind me of the good old days of point-and-shoot digital cameras, where settings are limited because you can’t be trusted or respected. enough to use them correctly. That ISO range, by the way, drops to a maximum of 3200 for 4K filming and 6400 in 1080p. Also, the 20.9-megapixel sensor only uses 13.1 effective megapixels for video and 15.2 megapixels for still images. Oh, but don’t worry, it has five software skin smoothing levels.
Since the V10 is video-focused, it has some convenient features like a built-in ND filter and its contrast-based autofocus supports face detection which can detect when you’re holding a product to focus on it. But there’s no eye detection to speak of and no log recording or raw capture for photos either. It is limited to recording 8-bit Rec.709 color with MP4 files. And the V10’s small stature (weighing just 211 grams) means it only supports microSD cards, with a built-in 1250mAh battery that recharges via USB-C and tops out at around 55 minutes of 4K video recording.
The V10’s restrictions and omissions may not be a deal breaker if you use the camera for portable vlogging and simple live streaming and hardly ever worry about tight controls. But content creators, even beginners, aren’t stupid. Many of these creators are already shooting on their very capable phones, which offers some room for growth if you opt for third-party accessories like a gimbal or apps like Halide, and making the leap to a dedicated camera should respect its capabilities and show more advantages. than just a bigger sensor to record.
But since this is the start of a new line for Canon, perhaps it’s just the first glimpse of what’s to come. When I asked Canon if we can assume there will be more vlogging-focused cameras, Drew MacCallum, senior manager of camera product planning for Canon USA, said “absolutely.” With this new lineup, Canon seems aware that vlogging is one of the last remnants of dedicated point-and-shoot cameras, so here’s hoping future models don’t fall into the same PowerShot traps of yore. There’s a reason most of those point-and-shoot types died out.
