S95 -> G12?

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Is Canon’s recent announcement of the PowerShot S95 also a virtual announcement of the PowerShot G12? It certainly appears so. In fact, Canon Rumors  points to an announcement on CNet that included the G12. That G12 announcement was quickly removed. Why? PowerShot enthusiasts want to know.

Because the PowerShot S90 and G11 were so closed linked, it was only natural to assume the same relationship would exist between the rumored S95 and G12. I made this assumption in my own prediction about the G12. Perhaps because of my long association with G-series cameras, my interests and emphasis was on the G12; I considered the S95 to be a subset of the G12. It never occurred to me that the announcements would be separated and certainly not that the S95 would be announced before the G12.

Will there even be a G12? I think so. I’d even predicted that the G12 would be a slightly evolved G11. The Canon Rumors article and picture from CNET are probably correct. If so, I was right about HD video but wrong about “full HD” and a CMOS sensor. Perhaps the G12 will be announced in September and I’ll get a few more points for guessing the announcement date.

I’m sure that the S95 and G12 will be quite capable cameras but am trying to sort out how I feel about the G12. Does the G12 in fact include some feature set or innovation that warrants a separate announcement? Judging by the CNET (through Canon Rumors) image, the lens focal length is the same as the G11; therefore the sensor is probably the same size as the G11 (and S90/95). The sensor could still be CMOS but is probably the same CCD sensor as is used in the S95 although a different one than was used in the S90 and G11 (because it can generate HD video). It appears that the G12 announcement is likely to be anticlimactic and to have a ho-hum reception.

Will the G12 be the last of the G series? If so, it makes sense to shift emphasis to the S95 and its successors now. In that case, what will replace the G series? Are we about to see the introduction of the long-awaited large sensor PowerShot?
 
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