While other cameras look out to the world, Canon's new Vixia mini points the camera back at you. Geared towards the aspiring YouTube star or blogger upgrading from a lower quality webcam to full HD video, the Vixia includes an ultra wide-angle fisheye lens and a flip-up 2.7-inch touchscreen display that swivels to face forward or backward and is small enough to slip in a pocket. Plus, like a GoPro for selfies, the Vixia mini outputs MP4 video to a microSD card as a stand alone device. Canon suggests possible uses such as cooking shows, guitar how-tos, or hobby recording, but it's hard to tell if these low-intensity users are likely to buy a new camera.
Geared towards the aspiring YouTube star or blogger
The Vixia mini captures both stills and full HD video using a 12.8 megapixel high-sensitivity CMOS image sensor and includes a variety of video modes, such as slow motion and interval recording. Wi-Fi allows instant uploading to social networks or blogs. And unlike the GoPro, a tripod socket works with existing camera gear. The Vixia mini (Legria mini in Europe) will cost $299 / €329 / £269 and be available sometime in September.
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