Content creators are the new rock stars. And movie stars. And TV stars. And they're all desperate for a video camera that's specifically designed for them. At least that's what camera manufacturers like Sony and Canon seem to think at the moment.
Sony has released and announced several vlogger-focussed models in recent years, while Canon has just unveiled its very first vlogger point-and-shoot: the PowerShot V10.
With a fairly affordable price of $429.99/£429.99, a flip-out screen and a palm-sized design that'll fit in any pocket in your jeans (apart from that tiny little watch one that no-one ever uses) the PowerShot V10, Canon says, is the entry-level camera to kickstart your content creation career; the model that'll see you ditching your smartphone as your vlogging tool of choice for the advantages a 'real' camera.
Is that the case – or would you be better off sticking with your mobile until you can afford something a bit more powerful? I spent some time shooting with the PowerShot V10, here are my thoughts.
Canon Powershot V10
Despite its tiny size and solid physical design, the V10’s patchy performance, tiny screen and lack of a native 9:16 shooting mode (unless you turn the camera onto its side) make it feel somewhat redundant for anyone that already owns a decent smartphone. If you want to vlog better, save your money for a beefier camera than this.
- Genuinely pocketable design
- Handy built-in stand
- Good image quality in the right conditions
- Unreliable autofocus performance
- Tiny screen
- No portrait shooting option (except rotating the camera)
Design
- Weight: 211g
- Dimensions: 63.4 x 90 x 34.3mm
- Built-in kickstand
For me, the design is the strongest part of the PowerShot V10 by some stretch. Canon rightly decided that going small would give the V10 an edge over Sony's ZV-1, ZV-1F and ZV-1 II vlogging compacts (even if action cam alternatives like the GoPro Hero 11 Black and Hero 11 Black Mini are even lighter and more compact), and the V10 is one of only a few cameras I'd genuinely describe as pocket-sized. The term gets thrown around a lot, but it’s literally true in this case.
The built-in stand is a great feature. It folds down to allow the V10 to stand on a desktop or shelf, and allows for some adjustment of the angle. It's worth noting that it only works one way, though: it's not much help if you want to prop the camera up on its side to shoot 9:16 portrait content. There's a standard tripod mount on the bottom of the camera too, so attaching to a handle or tripod is easy.
The camera is also well constructed: it's plastic but feels solid, tough and not in the least bit delicate, even in its moving parts. There's a soft carry case (a velvety drawstring bag, basically) in the box, along with a rubber cap to keep the lens protected when not in use. It stays put nicely but it's tiny and it'll be easy to lose if you're not careful.
Controls are minimal: a large record/shutter button on the front and a handful of tiny (but nicely responsive) buttons and a cursor control on the back for power and settings. I'd have liked the front button to double up as a power on button too, and for there to be a dedicated physical button for switching between photo and video shooting modes (currently you have to use the touchscreen or menus to do this, and it just feels like there's one step too many every time).
Connectivity and displays
- Micro HDMI out, 3.5mm mic in and USB-C with live-streaming support
- 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2
- 2-inch 460,000-dot touchscreen
With limited space to work with, Canon has opted for a minimalist connection selection: USB-C (with 2.0 speed) to handle charging, data transfer and wired live-streaming/webcam duties; a micro HDMI; and a 3.5mm jack for an external mic. While I'd have preferred a full-sized HDMI and perhaps a headphone jack for monitoring audio levels, I'm not surprised they're missing from an ultra-compact entry-level product like this.
There's wireless connectivity too, in the form of Bluetooth 4.2 and single-band Wi-Fi. Canon has made it easy to pair the V10 with a smartphone running the company's Camera Connect app – no shocker given that vloggers will almost certainly want to upload content straight to social media and may well want to live stream to boot. Streaming to YouTube and Facebook is supported via the app, or you can enter a URL and stream key for other platforms manually.
The size issue also means the touchscreen is small at just two inches across. It can flip up to face forwards (a must on a vlogging camera as it lets users see themselves while filming) but the size does detract from visibility somewhat. I shot several sequences that looked fine on the screen, only to find that they were out of focus when playing them back on our computer later.
Video and photo performance
- 19mm equivalent lens with f/2.8 aperture
- Shoots up to 4K/30p or 1080/60p video and 15.2MP stills
- Two levels of digital image stabilisation
With its 1-inch back-illuminated CMOS sensor, wide-angle lens, face-tracking autofocus and digital image stabilisation, the PowerShot V10 is set up to deliver better image quality than a smartphone – but does it actually do that?
In our opinion, it's all a bit much of a muchness. That may not sound very technical, but while it's true that the V10's videos and photos can look great in the right circumstances (sharp detail, rich colours and decent audio from the dual built-in mics), overall it doesn't feel like a superior shooting experience when compared with a decent quality smartphone.
The contrast-detection autofocus didn't always function as intended, often missing faces and focusing instead on the background. The image stabilisation worked well at times but felt jerky at others and, at its most effective setting, results in a quite severe crop to the image that'll give you less space for framing your face comfortably.
Sound-wise the results are generally decent and clear, although you'll need to add some kind of wind filter if you're vlogging in blustery conditions – without it the twin mics struggle. The box features some fuzzy magnetic/stick-on wind shields that do a decent job, but the setup is a lot fiddlier and less sturdy than, say, the Sony ZV-1's shield, which locks firmly into the cold shoe camera mount.
For still photography, the V10's fixed wide-angle lens proves both a blessing and a curse. It's sharp and the wide field-of-view enables you to fit a lot in the frame, which is helpful for group selfies and interior shots, but it's terrible for shooting anything that's not within a couple of metres – distant subjects simply get lost in the wide frame. It also lacks a flash or similar form of illumination, which makes indoor shooting reliant entirely on ambient light.
A quick word about overheating and battery life, too. Canon suggests that the V10 can overheat and shut off while filming long 4K clips, and I left the camera running to test that out. It began to show an on-screen heat warning after about 35 minutes, which I think is a decent amount of time.
The battery should last a little longer than that, of course: from our tests you can get about an hour of 4K footage filmed on a full charge.
Verdict
The PowerShot V10 is Canon's first real attempt at a vlogging camera, but it's worth pointing out that the company already makes several cameras that are ideal for vloggers – not only in the PowerShot compact range but also in its mirrorless EOS R and EOS M lines. In fact, the V10 feels decidedly underpowered next to pretty much all of them, and its faults are likely to frustrate anyone who bought it expecting a major step up over a smartphone.
While the V10's size and simple controls are appealing, prospective vlog stars may well be better to stick with their phone for the time being, and use the money instead to put towards a bigger, better camera that will really take their videos to new heights.