The Canon PowerShot V10 is a camera that is absolutely brilliant but is hugely misunderstood. And perhaps that's to be expected. Because not only is it the most revolutionary camera that Canon has ever made, it's the most revolutionary camera that any manufacturer has made, this side of the GoPro or the Ricoh Theta - and it's now on sale ahead of Christmas for just £229.99!
So what is it? In short, the Canon PowerShot V10 is the first dedicated vlogging camera from Canon. In fact, I think it's the first truly dedicated vlogging camera that has ever been produced.
That's going to ruffle some feathers, but bear with me. Think about the standard go-to vlogging cameras – the likes of the Sony ZV-1 II, the Panasonic G100, the Canon EOS R50. They all have one thing in common: they're all just regular mirrorless cameras with a flippy screen so you can see yourself.
Seriously, they're just photographic camera bodies made a bit more video-y. The ergonomics are completely wrong, because if you're filming yourself then everything from the handgrip to the buttons are the wrong way round. You can't even hold them properly without an accessory. You need to buy and / or change lenses, manually zoom them, and manage your exposure settings either by wrestling with framerates or by choosing one of the automatic modes.
There really is nothing about them that actually makes them vlogging cameras, other than the flippy screen and maybe some codecs. In truth, your phone is far more fit for purpose when it comes to vlogging.
And it's exactly this that makes the Canon PowerShot V10 such a revolutionary product. It's not just another photographic camera with a bigger microphone on top or the "REC" button placed a bit more prominently – it has been built and designed, from scratch, for the sole purpose of recording vlogs as simply and conveniently as possible.
It's the size of a packet of smokes, so it's tiny enough to fit in a pocket and handhold for as long as you like. There are minimal buttons on it, with the only one being a big red record button when the camera is facing you. Turn it on and everything is ready for you to literally just press record and point it at whatever you want to film. No need to even go into the menus if you don't want to. And it has a built-in kickstand, so you don't need to find something to balance it against and worry about it falling over.
In other words, the Canon PowerShot V10 takes the simplicity of using your phone, but combines it with the power of a massive 1-inch sensor, Canon's brilliant autofocus, the look of a "proper camera" (rather than the overcooked, HDR look of a phone), built-in ND filters… and you can even take manual control if you want to.
Most reviewers got it twisted up. They looked at this and didn't see the point, when a Panasonic S5IIX does such a better job. But this camera isn't intended for reviewers who would go to all the trouble of setting up an S5IIX and an Atomos Ninja and a gimbal and cinema lens and everything else – it's designed for non-camera geeks who want what their phone does, the way their phone does it, but better.
So my hat is off to the Canon PowerShot V10, and to Canon. Viva la revolución.
Check out the best lenses for vlogging with your existing camera, along with the best Canon cameras that the manufacturer makes in the non-vlogging sphere.
