Earlier this year, Canon announced an experimental new camera, the Canon PowerShot PICK. The crowdfunded camera uses AI to analyze a scene, identify people, track their faces and pick the perfect moment to capture an image. It’s an ‘automatic shooting camera,’ basically, and it leverages Canon’s extensive history with optical design, video processing and artificial intelligence technology.
Now, Canon has unveiled the PowerShot PX. The new PX is based on the PICK and uses facial recognition and auto-subject search technology to capture photos and videos automatically. Canon Europe calls the PowerShot PX ‘Your own personal photographer.’ The idea is that with the PowerShot PX, you no longer need to stop enjoying your time with people to pull out your phone because the PowerShot PX works automatically.
Like the PICK, the PowerShot PX can pan and tilt to track subjects. It moves 340 degrees (170 degrees left and right) horizontally and 110 degrees (-20 degrees down and 90 degrees up) vertically.
The PX shoots 11.7MP images and 1080/60p video. Interestingly, it doesn’t record 4K video, although it does have the megapixel count to do so. 1080p video can be recorded at 23.98fps and 29.97fps in addition to 59.94fps. Video is recorded in .MP4 format and stills are JPEG only. The sensor is a 1/2.3 CMOS image sensor and it’s paired to a Canon DIGIC 7 processor. The built-in lens has a 19-57mm focal length range (35mm equivalent), giving it 3x optical zoom. There’s also 4x digital zoom.
Canon PowerShot PX
The PowerShot PX is approximately 56.4mm wide and 81.9mm tall. It weighs around 170 grams, including a microSD card. The PX has built-in Wi-Fi to connect to your home Wi-Fi network and smart devices. The PX also has Bluetooth, so you can view all the PX’s images wirelessly on your smartphone or tablet using an accompanying app. It charges via USB-C. Battery life ranges from two to five hours, depending upon shooting frequency. The PX includes voice activation, so you can manually control when the camera shoots if you don’t want to let it work automatically.
The PowerShot PX works to capture natural expressions and reactions. This means that it can capture candid moments while you’re enjoying your time with friends and family. You can also set the camera to prioritize specific faces, such as for someone’s birthday party.
Following an event or gathering, you can dive into the connected app to view all the captured photos. The app recommends certain photos to keep, but you can make manual selections. If you use Canon’s webcam utility app, the PowerShot PX can also be used as a webcam.
As of now, Canon has only announced the PowerShot PX for Europe and the United Kingdom for €500 and £450, respectively. That works out to around $580 USD. The PowerShot PX comes in white and black colorways.