Rumors of a Canon mirrorless camera are heating up with July 24 being the unveiling date, according to Canon Rumors.

The camera is further rumored to use a different mount than the current EF and EF-S DSLRs.  An increasingly popular theory is that the upcoming mirrorless line of cameras will adopt the Canon G1 X sensor format, which equates to a roughly 1.85x crop factor.  This is larger than both the Nikon 1 Series (at 2.7x) and the Micro Four Thirds standard (at 2x).

Of course, the advantage of an interchangeable lens design over the G1 X would simply provide better lens selection.  My biggest problem with the G1 X is the rather slow aperture on the long end at f/5.8, as well as the minimum focus distance of 4.3 feet.

Nikon’s rather odd 1 Series format doesn’t quite stack up to other mirrorless camera offerings thanks to the much smaller sensor.  However, Panasonic and Olympus are squeezing a lot of goodness out of the smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor and lenses.

In my book, Sony’s NEX line is the mirrorless system to beat.  Sony uses a larger APS-C image sensor and still manages to keep the cameras very compact.  Lenses like the 16mm f/2.8 and Sigma’s excellent 30mm f/2.8 lens let the NEX models compete in the size department with other smaller-format cameras.  And, Sony’s fast autofocus and fluid video capture match or best just about everything else out there.

Let’s see if Canon can step up the game with a solid offering next month (even if it is a little late to the game).