Canon goes all in on vlogging with the PowerShot V1 compact and R50 V mirrorless cameras
Canon is expanding its vlogging lineup in a big way with two new models, the R50 V mirrorless and PowerShot V1 compact, both designed to take on cameras in Sony's vlogging lineup. The PowerShot V1 has an interesting new 1.4-inch sensor that's considerably larger than the ones on most compact cameras. The R50 V, meanwhile, matches features from Sony's ZV-E10 II but at a considerably lower price.
The PowerShot V1 was already announced and released in Japan, but it's now set to come to North America. It effectively competes with Sony's ZV-1 II 1-inch sensor compact but has a much larger 1.4-inch 22.3MP sensor that's roughly the same size as Micro Four Thirds, but with a horizontal aspect ratio better suited for video. That larger size, along with the 17-52mm (3.1x zoom) f/2.8-4.5 lens, should make it superior to its rival in low light while also offering shallower depth of field.
I've only had the PowerShot V1 for a day, but it's heavy for a compact camera at 426 grams (15 ounces) and fairly thick. There aren't many manual controls other than the top mode dial, a rear setting dial for burst, exposure compensation and other functions, a lens dial for aperture, a camera/video switch and a zoom dial, along with several buttons. It has a 3-inch, one-million-dot fully articulating rear display but no electronic viewfinder, just like the ZV-1 II.
It can shoot 4K 30 fps supersampled video using the full sensor width, 4K 60p video with a 1.4 times crop or 1080p at 240 fps. Also supported is Canon C-Log3 with 10-bit 4:2:2 capture to improve dynamic range and allow for easier grading. Optical along with digital enhanced stabilization are available and to allay overheating it comes with a built-in cooling fan that allows unlimited shooting times at all resolutions.
Like the ZV-1 II, the PowerShot V1 supports several shooting modes aimed at creators. Those include a "close-up demo mode" that's equivalent to Sony's "product showcase," allowing the camera to quickly focus on an object you hold in front of the camera. Another is "smooth skin mode" for beauty-style shooting, plus "movie IS mode" for vloggers that stabilizes any jolting movements like walking.
The PowerShot V1 uses Canon's Dual Pixel II autofocus system with subject detection and face/eye tracking and includes a "subject tracking IS" mode that automatically adjusts cropping to center the subject in the frame. You can use it as a 1080p webcam via the USB-C port, while connecting to your smartphone for live streaming. For photography, it sports a physical mechanical shutter and can shoot bursts at up to 30 fps with autofocus in electronic shutter mode. A welcome feature is a built-in ND filter (equivalent to three stops of light reduction) that will allow creators to add more bokeh on sunny days.
Other features include support for a smallish LP-E17 battery and a single UHS-II card slot along with microphone, headphone and microHDMI connectors. However, the PowerShot V1 isn't cheap at $900. It's set to arrive in April 2025.
The R50 V is Canon's first true mirrorless vlogging-specific camera and is clearly designed to go up against Sony's ZV-E10 II. It's slightly taller than the PowerShot V1 but has largely the same dimensions otherwise, and weighs just a bit more if you include the new 14-30mm (21-45mm full-frame equivalent) f/4-6.3 power zoom lens.
It has a nice array of manual controls including a primary control dial on top, a zoom rocker for supported lenses and an unusual mode dial that lets you select multiple custom video and vlogging modes including Movie Auto Slow Shutter, Slow/Fast Motion Recording and Movie IS Mode. For vloggers it has a fully-articulating 3-inch display but again, no electronic viewfinder.
The R50 V comes with a 24MP APS-C sensor like the EOS R50, while also including features from Canon's Cinema EOS system like C-Log3 capture and 10-bit 4:2:2 video. It can capture supersampled 4K 30 fps video using the full sensor width, 4K 60p video with a crop or 120 fps 1080p video. It's not a bad camera for photographers either, letting them shoot 12 fps bursts using the first-curtain shutter or 15 fps with the electronic shutter, all with continuous autofocus enabled.
Like the ZV-E10 II it lacks in-body stabilization but does offer optical stabilization with supported lenses, along with electronic stabilization. For situations that require extra shake reduction, the optical and electronic stabilization modes can be combined and there's an enhanced IS mode for abrupt movements like walking.
The R50 V has vlogging-friendly modes like a product showcase-type function along with focus breathing correction. You get Canon's latest Dual Pixel II autofocus system that includes face and eye detection as well as subject tracking for people, animals and vehicles (along with an auto mode). A dedicated button allows you to livestream instantly with four modes supported: UVC/UAC, HDMI, Camera Connect, and Live Switcher Mobile multi-camera. It comes with a single UHS-II card slot and an LP-E17 battery, along with microphone, headphone, microHDMI and USB-C ports.
The R50 V will cost $650 for the body only or $850 with the new RF-S14-30mm F4-6.3 IS STM PZ lens (sold separately for $330). Canon also announced the $1,700 RF 20mm f/1.4L VCM full-frame lens, the latest in its fast hybrid cinema-friendly series that includes the RF24mm f/1.4, RF 35mm f/1.4 and RF 50mm f/1.4 models. As mentioned, I've only had the R50 V and PowerShot V1 cameras for a short time but you can expect a full review of both models shortly.
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