The end?

RLight wrote:

Has the PowerShot lineup reached the end as we know it? Consider:

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1. The iPhone 13 Pro takes better pictures than all but the G1X Mark III in terms of both quality and versatility. Not even mentioning video...

That's a strange claim for a camera that has a zoom lens, a huge sensor, and DPAF.  24MP on the G1XIII is probably about the same at ISO 3200 that the iPhone is at ISO100.....although the iPhone processes the images into the dirt in order to remove the noise while also just pulverizing detail.

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2. Canon doesn't have a PDAF on-chip AF system ala Sony.

Not any more, because they moved past it.  Remember the old Hybrid sensors that they used for a while?  Probably not because when DPAF came out PDAF on-sensor in the form of hundreds of individual sensors became completely unnecessary for Canon.

It's either DPAF or CDAF.

And DPAF outperforms Sony's old Hybrid-type sensors these days.  It took Canon a while to catch up on readout speed and tracking algorithms, but they've now fully trounced Sony on that front.

Given the recent G5X II using the latest non-PDAF 1" sensor, stacked-BSI at that, and the SX70, SX740 also use latest BSI sensors also with latest DIGIC8, and, the G7X III uses the latest DIGIC8 and stacked 1", there's really no-where to go.

It wouldn't be hard for Canon to create their own 1" DPAF sensor, but they probably won't because there isn't much demand for compact point and shoot bodies any more.

DIGICX "eats" too much power for a smaller platform.

???  I'm not sure what that is based on or really means.  It runs the camera, that's all.

There's now nothing to refresh on either the SX70, SX740, G5X II or G7X III, unless, Canon is considering using their latest stacked sensor fabs for some smaller chips and doing a limited DPAF run. But, for what audience? Perhaps DPAF for the G7X IV and the vloggers? That's about all I can think of.

Nah.  They have cheap, small R bodies, still some M's, and even some old DSLR's.

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3. The G3X "bridge" camera series is retired, unofficially.

I think all G cameras are unofficially retired at this point.

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4. That just leaves the possibility of a G9X III ala DIGIC8 and stacked CMOS refresh, but is unlikely due to price. And the G1X Mark IV. The problem with the latter, is there a market big enough to produce it at a price point viable for both bringing to market, and profitability?

The Mark III came out 4 years ago.  Maybe there will be some new G camera, but I'd guess the most likely one would be the G7 line.

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I think Canon may double down on some at-home tech, possibly a fixed lens, say 35mm offering perhaps, but the M200/M6II + 22 / RP + RF 35 already has that covered.

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It really took me back to realize this may be it folks. Whatever plans Canon has at this point, that they think they can make money off of, are it, if there's any left. It's a moment for pause and reflection where things have come, and now gone.

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It's making more sense now perhaps why Canon is rallying around the RF mount, and even ignoring the M mount. It's either the time to go big or go home, or, pretty close to it.

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Any thoughts from the peanut gallery? What's left of it that is. That too... There's few of us left, that the smartphone hasn't claimed.

Pretty sure the G is dead.  The M might be replaced with an RF-S mount and compact lenses.  But heck, maybe there's enough demand to keep one or two of the G cameras alive.