I have a P1000, and it is an interesting device. For starters, it is NOT a compact camera, but rather it is bigger than my R5. Secondly, it is quite quirky in operation, but that said, it is capable of images that are hard to duplicate short of an R7 with the 200-800. For that zoom range, even with a 1/2.3 imager, the lens (at the long end) is 539mm and F/8, which translates to a 68mm objective (the camera takes 77mm filters). The upside is that the lens is remarkably sharp over the full 125:1 zoom range which is a feat never before seen on a consumer product. Physics won't let the lens be smaller, but the camera itself could be much more compact and both the AF and image stabilizer could be improved considerably. I typically shoot a 3 frame burst and usually get one shot where both the AF and the VC got it right at the same time. Any more than a 3 shot burst and the buffer will fill on the first try. So, yes, there is an opportunity for Canon with such a camera well executed in all respects, but the lens would have to be in the same performance league to be competitive. My thought is that a similar lens with a bit larger imager would be an interesting option. A 1/1.7 imager would shorten the equivalent range to 2200mm but would produce a significantly better overall image. Note that the image circle is inherently large at that focal length, so only the wide end would need a bit of tweaking to accommodate the larger sensor. Below are a couple of sample images, one with the P1000 and the other with the R7 and 200-800. Both images are at similar distance and full reach. The P1000 will only do this under ideal lighting conditions, whereas the R7 is much more forgiving and has an enormously higher keeper rate, but the combination of portability and reach is unmatched by any other combination I have been able to find besides these two. The P1000 theoretically has a bit more reach at 3000mm equivalent for a 16MP image and the R7 combo works out to about 1800mm for the same size image but the R7 combo is substantially sharper at the pixel level so it actually wins the reach contest, but not by a huge margin in spite of the much larger dispersion penalty that the P1000 has to live with.. The 200-800 also will focus closer than the P1000 with both at the long end, so the R7 also wins the magnification contest by a nose or two .
