Canon PowerShot N First Impressions Review

Conclusion

At its core, the N is just a capital-letters Cheap Point-and-Shoot with a wacky design. There is simply no good reason for a camera like this to have wireless connectivity if it can't handle sharing as seamlessly as a smartphone. The 4G-equipped Samsung Galaxy Camera is the only successful example we've seen so far, but it's a class up from the N in both price and features.

WiFi inevitably drives up a camera's cost, as does overwrought, underthought design. The result? The N isn't even cheap anymore—the $299 Canon is asking could buy you one of last year's high-end compacts (or even system cameras), or pay your smartphone bill for about 3 months.

Let's look at it another way: Smartphones are always in your pocket, and always connected to the internet. Point-and-shoots often stay at home, and only connect to the internet sometimes. Both take decent-enough pictures. Which one will you use most often?

There is no future for wireless point-and-shoots because there is no need for them. Could the camera industry please stop farting around in fantasyland?

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