The thing about taking photos of events and get-togethers is that you have to stop attending the event or get-together to do so. Canon‘s new Powershot PX smart camera wants to circumvent these breaks from being present by giving you a way to put a bunch of people in a room and photograph them having fun without getting any people involved.
It does this by sitting on a flat surface somewhere and looking vaguely like a cheap home security camera. Only instead of just tracking whatever’s moving in the room, Canon’s little camera critter is cataloguing the camaraderie we’re certain is cropping up. All without needing a human to make something go ‘click’.
Time to pick up a Powershot PX?
The Powershot PX is based on a crowdfunded Japan-only device called the Powershot Pick. It joins the ranks of Canon’s other more experimental devices, bringing an ability to intelligently take 11.7MP images or record in 1080p to the table.
Canon bills its device as “your own personal photographer” since it uses its 19-57mm focal length range, 340° horizontal field of view and 110° vertical coverage to capture whatever’s going on at your gatherings, automatically. It will, according to the company, monitor the “…action and [frame] subjects intelligently to capture natural expressions and reactions,” though it’ll also respond to voice commands if you’re looking for a more staged picture.
The automatic camera is supported by Android and iOS apps because to do otherwise would be silly. The app stores and suggests images to keep, transfers them to removable storage if needed, lets users manually control the camera for those times when voice control just isn’t cutting it, and also lets users choose a set of faces to give priority to, so you don’t end up with a camera full of pictures of your unattractive cousin Bertrand. Again.
The Powershot PX is, at the moment, only confirmed for a launch in the UK and Europe sometime this month. At launch, it’ll cost around R9,100, so expect it to be a little more costly should it launch here in South Africa. As soon as local details are known, we’ll update this post.