Because they had so many features in common, not least the sensor and manual exposure control, Canon's PowerShot S95 was regarded by many as a baby G12. Canon also introduced the S95 at the same time as the G12.
So now Canon has announced the new PowerShot S100 we are wondering where its big brother, the PowerShot G13 is?
Canon is never one to explain its strategy, or give away what cameras it has in the pipeline, so we've put our thinking caps on and have come up with a few possible explanations for the missing G13.
A big PowerShot S100
The most obvious explanation, of course, is that Canon will follow a similar pattern as it has in the past and the G13 (or whatever the G12's replacement will be called) will have a very similar specification to the S100, but with a few extra control dials, a viewfinder (optical or electronic) and an articulated screen.
As Canon's premier compact camera the G series tends to outshine whatever is below it if they are announced at the same time. Could Canon have decided to delay the launch of its replacement for the G12 until we've all had time to give the S100 the attention it deserves?
While this is plausible, it seems strange given that we are all now jumping to conclusions about what the specification of the G13 will be.
No Canon G13
Another possibility is that Canon sees the S100 as a more important camera now that the G12's popularity is challenged by the increasing number of compact system cameras (CSC) that are available. After all, the size saving between the G12 and a CSC such as the Pentax Q, Olympus PEN E-PM1 or Panasonic GF3 is disappearing. Perhaps there will be no replacement for the G12?
We think this is unlikely.
Compact system camera
There is always the possibility that Canon has something big (or perhaps we should say small and mighty) up its sleeve.
Could the company be about to launch a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera itself? And if it is, will it use an APS-C sized sensor or a 1/1.7in sensor like the one in the S100?
Canon tells us that it has used its DSLR, compact camera and camcorder technology to help develop the S100, perhaps even more of this will be applied to a compact system camera?
We will have to want and see what the future brings.
