In the next few days, many new cameras will be introduced because of CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, which begins tomorrow on the 8th and ends this Friday, the 11th. A couple of cameras have already surfaced which have captured our interest. The first is the Pentax MX1, a compact digicam that seems to be following the lead of some of Fuji's latest offerings like the X10 and the soon to be announced X20. The MX1 has a 12 MP sensor with a 4X zoom, in 35mm terms from 28mm to 112mm, with a maximum aperture range from f/1.8 to f/2.5. Actual zoom range is 6 - 24mm. The controls and layout are intended to reference older film cameras and the construction also supports this. The camera features brass top and bottom plates with, I assume, a black paint finish, when the camera comes in the all black finish. It's also available in the black and chrome finish. With Pentax's solid history of making user friendly and high performance cameras, I'll be interested in checking this one out.
The other camera is kind of the polar opposite of the Pentax MX1; it is the Canon PowerShot N. This unconventional camera is intended as a supplement to your smart phone, as it can be connected via Wi-Fi to the phone, tablet, or PC of your choice. The square design and tilting touch screen enable the camera to used in any direction, configuration, and orientation, according to Canon. One of the two rings surrounding the lens is the zoom control while the other functions as the shutter release. The idea is that you can carry this highly pocketable camera (3 x 2.4 x 1.2 inches in size when closed) with you and take better quality pictures and videos than you can take on a phone and then be able to upload them to the social media platform of your choice through your phone or tablet. Interesting idea. I'm looking forward to seeing this as well.
