The Canon PowerShot N will fit in your pocket—just about any pocket, in fact. But so will an iPhone. So why would you capture your next Facebook posting with the PowerShot N instead? That's the $300 question. And the answer may lie within its features.
Beneath the clean design of this diminutive point-and-shoot, Canon has packed a fair amount of horsepower. It has focused on areas where smartphones typically don't excel, such as optical reach, video options, and an articulating screen. Thanks to those features, combined with a large dose of creative functions, the PowerShot N carves out a niche in mobile photography. It's hard to say at this point how wide its adoption will ultimately be. In the meantime, though, let's take a closer look at the camera's strengths and see where Canon has placed its bets.
An itty-bitty camera.
Optics
Canon designed an 8X-optical-zoom lens that provides an equivalent focal range of 28mm to 224mm. The lens can focus as close as 0.39 inch, plus it's stabilized with Canon's excellent IS technology. When you push the zoom all the way out to maximum magnification, you can capture distant objects better than with an iPhone, or practically any other mobile device of this size. Optical magnification means clearer, sharper results compared with those from the digital-zooming function found on some mobile devices.
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