Canon’s announced several new digital cameras, both of the dSLR and compact point & shoot varieties. Regulars are probably familiar with my portability prioritization at the expense of some quality. Which is why only models from the P&S lineup would appeal to me. If a camera doesn’t fit in my pocket, it’s not coming with me on vacation (or to CES).
If you recall, last fall, I picked up what could be the top P&S ever in the form of Canon’s higher end PowerShot S95 ($400). Yet, in addition to being a tad bit bulky and with limited battery life, the inability to continually focus while shooting HD video was a deal breaker. Like mobility, I also appreciate versatility. And so I traded in that S95 for a Sony Cyber-shot WX5 (as documented here). While the Sony’s ($300) quite competent and offers a number of nifty features, it doesn’t match the pure photographic capabilities (without intervention) of the Canon S95.
Well, it looks like Canon is taking some of that “high sensitivity” functionality of the S95 downmarket, even though the CCD sensor remains unique to the S95. We won’t know until March exactly how well the smaller CMOS sensor, with comparable F/2.0 aperture and shutter speed, of the new Elph 500 HS ($300) handle low light situations. But I assume it’ll at least match my current Sony. And, yes, the 500 HS does provide continual focus while shooting 1080p, in addition to enabling zoom. Bonus: A slo-mo video mode. The 500 HS may not be the S1000 I’m pining for, but it could tide me over until a true S95 successor emerges.