Smartphone cameras have gotten so good in the last few years that we’d almost forgotten the age of the external camera. Almost. Canon is bringing us back to those days with a new addition to its IVY line, named IVY REC. It’s launching on Indiegogo … soon.
IVY REC is the size of a classic USB flash drive, with a carabiner lock on one end they doubles as a viewfinder so you can line up your shots. There’s a 13MP 1/3″ CMOS sensor peering out one side and a dial to control shooting modes on the back. That’s it.
There’s no pesky things like a screen or controls to distract you from pure photography, but you can connect it to your phone if you really need to see what it’s seeing via Bluetooth.
IVY REC calls to mind all the clip-on cameras we’ve seen in years gone by, like HTC’s Re and Sony’s QX lens cameras. It’s not far off, but it’s been a while since it’s been done with up to date camera technology so it’ll be interesting to see what Canon brings to the space.
The camera is going to be crowdfunded, launching soon on Indiegogo. You can sign up to be alerted when it goes live, and get a 30% discount on whatever the device’s final price might be.
I’m surprised Indiegogo are allowing a global commercial corporation to use them for crowdsource funding of a commercial refail connedsumer product.