The latest top of the range PowerShot is truly a beast in numerous respects. It's big for starters and fairly hefty, with looks that are all about practicality and not about aesthetics. Inside is a monstrous 1.5in CMOS sensor, giving plenty of space for its 14.3 million pixels to breathe. This then looks to be Canon’s response to the often posed question of when it will be releasing a CSC (compact system camera).
That sensor is 80% of the size of the APS sensor in a Sony NEX, and bigger than the Micro 4/3rds sensors in a PEN or G-series camera. Canon claims outstanding low light performance up to ISO 12800, partly thanks to the up-to-date Digic5 image processor, a claim we couldn’t test on the showfloor at CES.
The lens has an equivalent range of 28mm to 112mm, that’s a four times zoom factor and one that easily outclasses the kit lenses on CSC cameras. The aperture range is f/2.8 to f/5.8, so at the wider end you should get good depth of field effects. An optical image stabiliser is also included to help keeps things sharp at low shutter speeds.
There’s a viewfinder and a high-detail 3in display with 922,000 dots, plus the latter rotates out from the body for shooting from unusual angles. That display will also be handy when shooting 1080p video. A standard hotshoe on top of the camera can take all the usual accessories, plus there’s a macro adaptor for the lens available.
Manual shooting looks to be a breeze thanks to clear menus and a multitude of knobs and dials. A stacked pair of dials on top let you set the shooting mode and dial in exposure compensation. The zoom control is positioned around the shutter button, leaving the front dial free for shutter speed adjustment, while the dial on the rear around the four-way control was set for aperture adjustment. All of this is highly customisable though.
The G1X was a pleasure to use, and our shots on the show floor looked great on the LCD screen, beyond that we can’t comment on its quality yet. It costs a hefty $799 dollars at launch, which should equate to around 600 pounds inc VAT. It’s not chep then , but it may well be the best camera ever made with a single lens. We can see it appealing to those with DSLRs who don’t want to start a second lens collection for a CSC.
Posted on 11 Jan 2012 at 02:47
Author: Seth Barton at CES in Las Vegas
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/digital-cameras/1289527/canon-g1x-unleashed-at-ces-hands-on
Category: Cameras
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