The Canon
PowerShot G1 X Mark II is a new premium compact camera with a large CMOS
image sensor and a fast lens. The metal-bodied G1 X Mark II has a
1.5-type multi-aspect sensor, a 5x f/2.0-3.9 lens zoom lens, full manual
controls, shooting mode dial, 3-inch tilting LCD touchscreen with
1,040K dots, built-in flash and a flash hot shoe, DIGIC 6 processor,
wi-fi and NFC connectivity, ISO range of 100-12800, full HD movie
recording, 14-bit RAW image capture, 31 AF points, focus peaking
function, and dual lens control rings. The Canon Powershot G1 X Mark II
is available in black priced at £799 / €949 / $799.99.
Ease of Use
The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II tested in this review was kindly provided by CameraWorld,
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Measuring 116.3 x 74.0 x 66.2 mm and
weighing 558g including the battery and memory card, the Canon PowerShot
G1 X Mark II is slightly smaller and lighter than the original G1 X
model that it replaces. Featuring a stainless steel chassis and all
aluminium metal exterior with a solid feel and tank-like construction,
the G1 X Mark II feels very well made indeed. The control layout has
been changed quite a lot since the previous model, with external
controls that offer just the right amount of stiffness and resistance
and are large enough to be easily and quickly accessed in the heat of
the action. The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II won't easily fit into a
trouser or shirt pocket, being much more at home in a deep coat pocket
or a small camera bag.
The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
features a large multi-aspect, 15 megapixel CMOS sensor that captures
images either in the 3:2 aspect ratio at 12.8 megapixels or the 4:3
ratio at 13.1 megapixels whilst maintaining the same angle of view.
Measuring 18.7mm x 14mm, it's almost the same height as the APS-C sensor
used in many DSLR cameras. This should add up to better image quality
especially in low-light, greater depth-of-field, and greater dynamic
range, all the things that your typical compact cameras struggles to
deliver.
Disappointingly the original G1 X's
exposure compensation dial has been removed from this new model,
replaced instead by a position on the rear control pad, as is the ISO
speed, which makes choosing these key settings a slower 3-stage process.
The G1 X's optical viewfinder has also bitten the dust too - instead
you can choose to purchase the optional and rather pricey EVF-DC1
electronic viewfinder, a snip at £250 / $300. Another grumble is that,
annoyingly for such a creatively rich camera, the full user guide is
still provided on CD only. In what comes across as a cursory gesture,
only a very slim printed quick start guide is included in the box.
The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
unassuming-looking front plate is dominated by the bulbous 5x zoom lens,
with a bulb for the built-in self-timer/AF assist lamp flanking them on
the left. Note that there's no thread included for fitting filters. The
G1 X Mark II has also lost the original model's very useful front
control dial, as featured on EOS DSLR cameras, which made changing the
aperture and full Manual shooting mode very easy.
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| Front |
Rear
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Instead you now use a combination of
the new dual control rings and the rear navigation wheel to change the
aperture and shutter speed, each of which can be configured to suit your
particular way of working, and impressively for each of the PASM
shooting modes. The smooth, clickless front Continuous ring can only be
assigned to AV, TV or Exposure Compensation, though, with the larger,
clicking rear Step dial having more settings available. The Continuous
ring also provides the additional ability to make fine adjustments when
manually focusing and can be used to fine-tune the focus distance after
AF is achieved. The third main configurable control is the navigation
wheel on the rear, which we found to be a bit too thin to use precisely.
The left-hand side of the Canon
PowerShot G1 X Mark II when viewed lens on now has a much more
pronounced hand-grip than the original model, a big improvement that
makes it more easier to steady the camera, and there's a similarly
textured small pad at the back for your right thumb to rest on.
Curiously, there are actually two editions of the G1 X Mark II, one with
the large grip that is only available in Europe, Middle East and Africa
and which we have reviewed, and one with a smaller grip that is
available in the rest of the world, where you can optionally purchase
the larger GR-DC1A custom grip.
From left to right the G1 X Mark II's
top-plate houses the new folding pop-up flash, with a switch on the side
for manually releasing it, along with a hotshoe for an accessory flash
(in addition to the built-in bulb), the playback button, a springy
raised nipple-style shutter release button surrounded by a rocker switch
for operating the optically stabilised 5x zoom (24-120mm equivalent on a
35mm camera), and behind this again the small, recessed on/off button.
The fact that the lens is image stabilised, says Canon, provides a
four-stop advantage when shooting handheld, while the Intelligent IS
system analyses the focal length, focal distance and type of camera
movement and applies the most appropriate mode from seven possible
settings, and the Hybrid IS system makes shooting macros easier than
before by counteracting both shift and angular movements.
The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II is
quick to power up in a second or so, the rear LCD blinking into life
with the 5x optical zoom lens simultaneously extending from storage
within the body to its maximum wide-angle setting. It now starts at the
equivalent of 24mm, making it very useful for those landscapes group
portraits or getting the required shot in confined spaces. The G1 X Mark
II also has much brighter apertures of f/2 at the wide-angle end of the
zoom range and f/3.9 at full telephoto, a big improvement on its
predecessor, plus a 9-blade aperture for better bokeh effects. As a
further aid to landscape fans, a 3-stop neutral density filter
option is provided among the function menu options, to be turned on or
off as required, and the horizontal Electronic Level and RGB histogram
can be enabled to help with composition and exposure.
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| Side | Front |
The G1 X Mark II also has a much
improved continuous shooting mode, which in conjunction with Tracking AF
makes it well-suited to both slow and fast moving subjects. The Canon
PowerShot G1 X Mark II can capture an unlimited number of
full-resolution JPEG shots at 5.2fps with the focus point locked at the
first frame, or you can shoot continuously at 3fps with AF tracking,
again up to the full capacity of the memory card in JPEG format.
The shooting mode dial features
settings for Auto capture, Hybrid Auto, Program, Shutter Priority,
Aperture Priority and Manual, along with two user customisable settings,
a smattering of scene modes (15 in all), Creative Effects and Creative
Shot modes, and finally a video mode. The Canon PowerShot can shoot
1080p HD video quality at 1920x1080 pixels at 30fps. The G1 X Mark II
also boasts stereo sound courtesy of tiny microphones positioned either
side of the Play button and you can use the creative filters during
recording to spice up your footage, and the 5x optical zoom can be used
when filming.
The Creative Filters shooting mode
contains 10 different options to help spice up your images. The High
Dynamic Range mode is probably the most useful, automatically taking
three exposures of the same scene at different settings, then combining
them in-camera to create a single image with greater dynamic range. Note
that you need to mount the G1 X Mark II on a tripod or stable surface
to avoid camera-shake.
We appreciated the flexibility
presented by the tilting LCD screen in terms of trying out unusual and
formerly awkward framing. It can be titled forward through 180° for
easier selfies and backwards through 45° in order to shoot over the
heads of a crowd. The LCD has also been upgraded to a 3 inch monitor
with a higher resolution of 1040K dots, although sadly it can't also be
rotated about its axis or folded screen-in to the body for added
protection, as on the original G1 X.
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| Top | Flip-out LCD Screen |
The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II has a
touch focus/shoot option which is on by default. To switch it off,
change the Touch Shutter option in the main menu. This then becomes a
touch focus screen which will lock onto the subject whereever you
touched, with a press of the Display button centering the AF point. In
playback the touchscreen can be used to change the magnification of an
image by spreading and pinching two fingers, and switch between images
by swiping from side to side, just like on a smartphone. You can also
adjust the LCD's touch sensitivity to your liking with Standard and High
settings available.
Top-right of the LCD is a new button
for quickly connecting to a previously paired smartphone or tablet,
rather strangely positioned adjoining the rear thumb-grip. The G1 X Mark
II's wi-fi capabilities allow you to share images during playback via
the Up button on the navigation pad. Simply enter a nickname for the
camera and five more icons then appear, connecting the G1 X Mark II to
another camera, a smartphone, a computer, a printer and the internet
respectively. Setup is relatively straight-forward for each scenario,
although you'll need a basic understanding of the protocols involved.
Note that you need to install the dedicated and free Canon CameraWindow
app to connect the G1 X Mark II to an iOS or Android device.
The G1 X Mark II's wi-fi functionality
is also employed to tag your images with GPS data recorded by your
smartphone ( latitude, longitude, altitude and shooting time) via the
Canon CameraWindow app, which effectively replaces a more coventional
built-in GPS system. We actually prefer having GPS built-in to the
camera rather than having to sync it with an additional device, so in
this regard the G1 X Mark II doesn't compare well with rivals that offer
this feature, although it does side-step the issue of negatively
affecting battery life. The G1 X Mk II also features NFC (Near Field
Communication) technology (the same technology that's used for mobile
payments), which allows you to connect it to a compatible internet
enabled device or another NFC-enabled camera by simply tapping them
together.
Underneath is the one-touch movie
record button, which as its name suggests instantly begins recording a
movie at the current quality and creative settings, and then the direct
print button that more helpfully doubles up in shooting mode as a user
assignable shortcut key to the likes of red-eye reduction or auto
exposure lock. The MF button quickly toggles manual focusing on and off
and doubles up as the Delete button, with a button alongside for setting
the position and size of the AF point during shooting and for image
search during playback. The G1 X Mark II focuses quickly enough for a
compact camera in either good light or bad and at both ends of the zoom
range , with a slight delay of around 0.25 second, but it's certainly
not as fast as a DSLR or the best of the compact system cameras.
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| Memory Card Slot | Battery Compartment |
Underneath this pair of controls is
the four-way selection or control pad, with, at points north, east,
south and west a means of selecting the exposure compensation (+/-2EV),
choosing from the on-board flash settings, setting the ISO speed (the
handy Auto ISO feature allows the maximum ISO speed to be set, therefore
specifying what ISO range the G1 X Mark II will use if you leave it up
to its own devices), and activating normal or 5cm macro focus modes. At
its centre is the Function/Set button that is again consistent with the
Canon G-series. Press this button at its centre when in any of the
capture modes and an L-shaped toolbar that will be familiar to Canon
users appears on the screen, offering pull out toolbars with further
options from the range when you come to rest on a particular setting.
At the bottom right hand corner of the
backplate are a further pairing of buttons for the Display options and
accessing the main menu. A press of the Menu button brings up a trio of
folders on screen, the first the Shooting menu where the likes of the AF
assist beam and blink detection modes can be turned on or off, the
second the Setup menu where sound options and LCD brightness can be
tweaked, and the third being a 'My Menu' option for commonly used
functions.
On the right hand flank of the camera -
viewed from the back - we find covered ports for HDMI out, an optional
remote shutter release cable plus combined USB 2.0/AV out connection. On
the bottom is a familiar metal screw thread for a tripod, and a sliding
cover for the compartment that houses the lithium-ion battery needed
for power and the SD, SDHC or SDXC cards needed for image storage.
Battery life is about the same as the previous model, at around 240
shots from a full charge, so you'll need to budget for at least one
spare battery.
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