- In the summer of 2019, Canon presented its Ivy Rec project on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo.
- Bingo: acclaimed by internet users, Ivy Rec is now sold at 129 euros.
- This tiny camera that clips onto your belt is worth its master key and resistance, but its photos are of very ordinary quality.
For Canon, it all started with a crowdfunding campaign on the Indiegogo platform in the summer of 2019. Objective achieved: the project of a mini, waterproof and resistant camera named Ivy Rec from the Japanese manufacturer was able to see the light of day. The device is now marketed and sold 129 euros.
Canon probably did not need the money raised on Indiegogo to develop its Ivy Rec. The world number one in photography has enough means to self-finance his projects… It is more to assess the appetite of the public around a new concept that he wanted to rub against the verdicts of internet users, visibly won over (funding was 522% completed). But let's face it: the Ivy Rec surprises.
No screen, flash or viewfinder
Available in four colors (apple green, anthracite gray, passion pink and lagoon blue), the device is effectively mini: 110.5 x 45.2 x 18.5 mm for 86 grams. It's three times lighter than a smartphone. It works on battery and recharges via a USB cable.
Originality (and good idea): the little backpacker clips like a carabiner on the belt. It's convenient to never part with it. And once in its place, it really does not interfere, even when sitting. The Ivy Rec could almost be used as a key chain…
At the back is a notched wheel to make some selections. In addition to turning the device on and off, you can choose Photo, Video, Photo / Video or Wireless mode. Exit, the aiming screen: this is replaced by a hole in the hull of the Ivy Rec! Just place your eye at the back to frame your images. On top, finally, a classic trigger. Flash, we will not find any.
Note that a thread is present under the Ivy Rec. It allows him to fix it on a photo stand, but we imagine it more on a tripod. A microSD card (very difficult to install and extract given the small size of the device) is used for storing images. The Canon Mini app download is required to go a little further.
Lucky framing lucky!
Let us settle without delay the famous question of the framing: that operated absolutely does not obtain the expected rendering. Equipped with a fixed lens equivalent to 26 mm with a field of view of 78 °, the Ivy Rec delivers shots much wider than what we thought we would get. It is a bit haphazard luck ... Furthermore, the square format of the frame on the device does not correspond at all to the rectangular format of the photos.
A 13 megapixel 1 / 3p CMOS sensor immortalizes them in correct quality ... but nothing more. If good lighting conditions, especially in sunny weather, suit them like a glove, noise is instantly invited into the images as soon as the light dims. Videos can be shot up to Full HD (1080p at 60 frames per second) and turn out to be respectable to say the least. The quality of development remains however perfectible.
An app to do more
Weighted with the Canon Mini application, our smartphone recognizes the Ivy Rec in a few steps. The first pairing is a bit tedious. Things will be much simpler then: just place the wheel on the back of the smartphone in "Wireless" mode and then open the application for both to communicate by Wifi. The key is the possibility of making adjustments first. There is the choice of the size of the photos among the three proposed: S (2080 x 1560 pixels), M (2944 x 2208), L (4160 x 3120). And there is the selection of their format: 4: 3 or 1: 1. It's hard to make it simpler.
Also offered, remote triggering. From then on, the smartphone will be used as a viewfinder for taking photos as well as shooting videos. Hence the advantage of having a small tripod to hang the device anywhere. Finally, the application allows you to access, download and share the contents of the memory card. The multiple tests that we carried out encountered no difficulty.
We regret, however, that it is not possible to use the screen of your smartphone to focus and even less to zoom. A selfie mirror wouldn't have ruined Canon either. In addition, the application does without any possibility of cropping, retouching, adding a filter ... which is a bit chickish. It will therefore be necessary to rely on its usual photo applications to possibly rework the shots. But the simplicity is there.
A master key for children
Obviously, photo experts may laugh at the Ivy Rec without even having tried it. Certainly, it is clear that with the latest offshoot from Canon, the images produced do not obtain the rendering of those immortalized with a good smartphone. We are faced with raw, basic views, which may lack detail.
But the vocation of Ivy Rec is not to pose as a potential competitor, but as an essential complement. Resistant to shocks up to two meters, waterproof up to one meter (standard: IP6X), it is a master key that will avoid risking the life of your smartphone in a hostile environment. With the Ivy Rec, you can photograph or film a water slide descent, a canoe trip, a ski bowl ... for twice the price of the first GoPro. And this, almost without adjustment. But at 129 euros, the Ivy Rec is still a little expensive if we compare it to most Canon compacts sold, them, less than 100 euros. If they are not necessarily waterproof or connectable, they have a screen. Dilemma…
The fact remains that without saying so, the manufacturer may be eyeing a clientele often forgotten in photos: that of children. Not necessarily teens who are already equipped with a smartphone, but indeed the youngest who are not yet old enough to be equipped with a smartphone (where we do not want to lend ours). For them, the Ivy Rec can truly constitute a gateway to the world of photography: sufficient in quality and fun to use.
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