PowerShot PX wants to become your personal photographer

Canon offers you the possibility of having your personal photographer, who can accompany you in every moment of your life. The brand unveiled its new kind of device last November, which promises to immortalize both your evenings with friends and your DIY workshops with your children. It is thanks to artificial intelligence, and a small object that looks like a surveillance camera that Canon can accomplish this small feat.

Called PowerShot PX, the small autonomous camera uses a Bluetooth and wifi connection to act solo. It embeds a small CMOS sensor 1/2.3 of 11.7MP which can record videos in 1080p and up to 60 fps. She can turn 340°, so as not to miss anything. Charging is done through a simple USB-C port. Its battery life is somewhere between 2 and 5 hours, depending on how often you want to shoot. On the other hand, if you want to take it with you on a picnic day, you will probably have to think about taking an external battery.

Moreover, its format has essentially been designed to make the device completely nomadic. On the scale, the PowerShot PX displays only 170g, with the included memory card. In terms of dimensions, it will take a width of 56.4 mm and a height of 81.9 mm. It will therefore have no difficulty in inviting itself to the bottom of your backpack and will know how to be forgotten once placed on a coffee table or in a corner of your living room.

Nevertheless, with its look halfway between a surveillance camera and a mini Wall-e, it will become a companion of choice for your whole family. Especially since it emits small beeps like BB8, it has definitely made itself endearing. It is offered in black or white, our preference is undoubtedly the immaculate version, which definitely gives it the look of a cute robot companion.

A freelance photographer

During a family reunion or an evening with friends, the Canon Powershot PX wants to be a great ally to immortalize every moment of your life. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the small device can determine which are the good times to shoot. Without any intervention on your part, he will be able to take photos and videos more or less regularly.

We had the opportunity to test it during an evening, with little light and subjects moving without worrying about the small device. The process is rather interesting, even if we experienced some turbulence at the beginning. It seems that when the light is particularly low, the camera has trouble picking up the movements to choose when it starts shooting. Too bad for the partygoers. Nevertheless, when the AI ​​can distinguish faces in the assembly, the PowerShot PX is quite effective.

Especially since it has an undeniable advantage over our smartphones: no need to gather everyone together for the traditional selfie. PowerShot PX users can thus say goodbye to the chore of the group photo, which often requires retaking the photo a dozen times because uncle can’t keep his eyes open for more than 3 seconds. And then if your friends aren’t looking their best in the snaps, Pixie is to blame.

Still, you have to remember to bring it with you when you go out, and on this point our precious phones have a certain advantage, they very rarely leave our pockets where you will have to think about adding the PowerShot PX to the list of things you need to pack. We will end with the quality of the images, which have nothing to envy to that of our smartphones. If the result is not comparable to what SLRs or bridges can do, it is nevertheless largely satisfactory.

Take back control

If you still want to take a more classic photo, of an entire assembly, without having to sacrifice one of you or run to get there with the self-timer engaged, the Powershot PX can also be transformed into a voice recognition tool . It is enough for that to say “Hello Pixie, take a picture”. Again, it’s a success, especially since it does not require, unlike our smartphones, to find a tripod to be held in position. Remember that our precious telephones, thanks to “Okay google”and Siri, already offer this kind of functionality. Nevertheless, they often have to be placed in a precarious balance to carry out the operation. While for the Power PX Shot, a chimney or window sill is enough. The camera can rotate 340°, so the PowerShot PX will find the perfect angle to take the best possible photo.

A simple but effective application

The use of the Powershot PX goes hand in hand with a dedicated application. It allows you to view the photos and videos that have been taken. She also sorts and determines which ones are most likely to please you. A time saver when it comes to choosing which ones to share on your social networks or have printed. The application also allows you to launch a capture without having to call Pixie.

Finally, you will be able to know the charge rate of the device and thus anticipate dry failures. You will also need it when configuring your PowerShot PX, especially when pairing with Bluetooth and WiFi. A rather easy manoeuvre, even if you are not a pro.

We will end with another feature offered by the PowerShot PX. Aware that the promise of an autonomous camera would not be enough to justify the price of its new product, the brand has added another string to its bow. The tool can act as a webcam. A feature that we could not test, the product being exclusively compatible with Windows 10 computers. It is nevertheless an addition that allows it to be useful beyond specific events, in the daily life of teleworkers, who are still numerous.

After these few days of use, one question still remains: should you get the PowerShot PX? Our main reluctance remains on the price side. Count anyway €479.99 to get their hands on the little device. A price that could discourage the curious, especially if you use it on rare occasions.