Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Canon Legria Mini: a camcorder for the selfie generation

Canon's new video camera is aimed at filmmakers who want to be in front of the lens, not behind it.


Not long ago, video cameras were for filming other people: babies, brides, pets and drunken party guests.
But then the selfie generation came along, with their front-facing iPhone cameras, Skype accounts, video blogs and tedious Vine clips. No one’s happy just being behind the camera any more. Everyone wants to be Woody Allen: writer, director and, most importantly, lead actor.
Canon’s new compact camcorder is therefore the must-have gadget for the self-promoting star-in-the-making. About the size of bulky wallet, its radical design features a tilting 2.7 inch vari-angle touchscreen which controls all of the camera’s main functions, and a super wide-angle lens set at the thin end of the device, like the infrared bit on your TV remote.
There are some clever functions (slow- and fast-motion recording, a few whizzy animated effects, interval recording, and the ability to control everything via your smartphone), but it’s the Legria Mini’s hands-free capabilities that will appeal to the fame-hungry auteur.


Set the stand on the base of the unit to the desired angle (no tripod required), tilt the screen to face the direction of the lens, then it’s ‘Silence, moteur, action!’
Before you know it, you’re self-indulgently performing a Spanish-guitar rendition of Katy Perry’s Roar, knocking up a clearly superior version of Ruby Tandoh’s stem ginger treacle tart, and uploading the results via the built-in Wifi to your woefully underappreciated personal YouTube channel. Couldn’t be simpler.
If this camera isn’t your gateway to global stardom, there’s no justice.


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