Canon Confirms Future Launch of SLR-Style Compacts

After interviewing Canon's Head of Image Communication Products, Masaya Maeda, Reuters' headline couldn't have been clearer: 'Canon to launch smaller high-quality camera'. Enough said really!

This affirmation all stems from one key quotation: 'It's not a question of whether or not you have a mirror. There is a consumer need for good-quality cameras to be made smaller [...] We will meet this need.'

An ultra-compact SLR?

Masaya Maeda then went on to say that it wouldn't necessarily be too complicated to use a mirror-based system in a very small camera body, adding that Canon had, in fact, already made ultra-compact SLRs in the past.

However, there was no word on whether this new camera would be a genuine SLR or one of the new hybrid cameras with interchangeable lenses, such as the Panasonic GF1 or Sony Nex-3 and -5. Indeed, Masaya Maeda didn't give any concrete details about what form Canon's future cameras would take. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see!

> Digital Cameras: SLRs, Micro 4/3 and Interchangeable Lens Reviews

> Hybrid Cameras: The Future of Photography?



> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products