Bizarre crowdfunded gadgets aren't anything new — in fact, that's a legit category of which you'll even find listicles on the web. However, most of these "bizarre" gadgets usually come from (often overtly) ambitious startups looking to pull off a near miracle or the old fashioned lunacy. Canon, the Japanese imaging giant, fits neither bill, and take one look at the Ivy Rec and you will soon realise that neither does its latest camera.
It's not a commercial product yet, and we really doubt if it ever will be. Nevertheless, Ivy Rec is a tiny little camera that looks like it accidentally got stuck while trying to wiggle out of a keychain. Its elongated outer casing shell has a square empty area, which by the looks of can be used to clip on to a backpack or Snowy the Alpine Terrier's collar. It apparently has a 13-megapixel sensor inside that, alongside still, can shoot 1080p videos at 60fps. The camera is waterproof for up to 30 minutes underneath three feet of water, and according to Canon's promo material, is "great for outdoors".
While none of this provides conclusive hints of what the Ivy Rec is about, perhaps the only clue lies in how Canon's trying to introduce it — crowdsourcing. The sort of outdoorsy action camera that Canon is going after is already ruled by GoPro, followed by the highly credible DJI. Canon, on this note, might be attempting to gauge if there is enough audience interest in ultra-compact cameras that can literally fit anywhere by introducing it on Indiegogo. Furthermore, crowdsourcing is a neat little way of generating hype and spreading the word out among the enthusiast community.
Nevertheless, there is no word from Canon on when would the crowdfunding campaign go underway, and if at all Canon intends to really make one of these. The Japanese imaging behemoth does not really need to rely on crowdfunding to make a commercial release, so it'll be interesting to see what happens if the cute little Ivy Rec fails to raise the moolah after all.
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