Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III Review - Review 2022

Canon's G1 X Mark II was virtually a slap-up camera. Information technology had a solid, wide aperture zoom lens, paired with a bigger sensor than competing models. But there was no born EVF, and its 13MP image sensor didn't offering as much resolution equally competitors like the Sony RX100 Three. Its replacement, the G1 X Mark III ($1,299), ups the sensor size to APS-C, the aforementioned as y'all get in an SLR, while at the aforementioned time sizing down the body. Merely it comes at the cost of zoom range—the Marker 2's 24-120mm f/2-3.ix zoom has been replaced by a shorter 24-70mm f/2.viii-5.6 lens. Prototype quality is potent, but I question its value and identify in the Canon line, especially when the G5 X delivers a longer zoom range with a brighter lens for a lot less money, admitting information technology with a smaller epitome sensor.

Design and Features

The big selling point of the the G1 10 Mark Three ($999.00 at Amazon) is its size. Information technology'south just a little scrap chip bigger all around than the G5 X, which has a smaller i-inch sensor and boasts an almost identical pattern. That makes the Marker Iii somewhat pocketable—it measures 3.1 by iv.5 past 2.0 inches (HWD) and weighs 14.1 ounces. Compare that with the G1 Marking Mark II, a bulky (2.ix by 4.6 by 2.6 inches), heavy (one.2 pounds) compact.

The size comes at a price—zoom range. The G1 X Marking II had some issues that kept it from getting our height endorsement, but zoom range was not ane of them. Its lens covered a 5x (24-120mm) range, with a bright f/2-three.9 variable aperture. The Mark 3'due south prototype sensor is bigger, so y'all need a bigger lens to cover the aforementioned range with the aforementioned brightness throughout.

Instead Catechism has chosen to shorten the range. The fifteen-45mm (24-72mm in full-frame terms) zoom matches the range y'all get with other premium ane-inch compacts like the aforementioned RX100 Iii. Its f-cease is narrower, but the sensor is larger. Information technology'due south a proven design, the same used by the EOS 80D, with solid performance at higher ISOs. So while yous're going to take to push button the sensitivity higher in dim conditions than you would with a brighter lens, the larger sensor does make up for information technology.

In that location'southward a control band around the lens. Information technology adjusts the zoom by default, but can be reassigned equally an discontinuity or shutter control, ISO dial, white residual adjustment, or transmission focus band. On tiptop, to the left of the EVF, is the Mode dial. It's a locking design, the type that makes you printing its centre button down to turn information technology. I similar the idea of a locking dial—it prevents inadvertent mode changes—but prefer the design that locks and unlocks with a push press.

You go a standard hot shoe, centered behind the lens on the top of the EVF. You tin add an external wink if you want, although doing so will negate the G1 X's size advantage. At that place is a popular-up flash only above the lens on the EVF hump. There'due south no flash release button—just lift upward on the swivel to open or push downward to close.

To the correct of the EVF yous become the On/Off push, EV compensation dial, zoom rocker, and shutter release. The main control dial is just ahead of the shutter, apartment on the forepart plate. It sits right at the top of the handgrip. The grip is bigger than you get on many compacts, and makes the G1 X Mark III quite comfortable to hold.

Rear controls all sit to the right of the LCD. The Record push button is at the summit, simply next to the pollex rest, with AE Lock (*), focus area, Play, and Menu buttons below it. There's besides a flat command dial with Q/Ready at its centre and four directional presses—Drive/Cocky-Timer, Flash, Info, and Macro. The Macro pick doesn't let the photographic camera focus any closer—it tin can lock on to subjects every bit close as 3.9 inches from the lens at its widest bending—only it does speed upward close focus by not assuasive the photographic camera to focus on distant subjects. Retrieve of it as a limiter switch.

The iii-inch LCD is a vari-angle design, then it swings out from the body and tin can face forwards, up, or downwardly. You can tap to ready focus, and it supports what Catechism calls Touch and Elevate AF. Other companies have dissimilar names for the system, which allows you to modify the focus point by moving your finger across the display while you lot've got the EVF to your eye.

LCD resolution is ane,040k dots and it's quite bright. It's like shooting fish in a barrel to use outdoors under sunlight, especially since yous can tilt the screen to avoid straight glare. At that place's also the EVF, which is adequately big and precipitous (two,359k dots). An eye sensor automatically switches between the rear LCD and viewfinder. Information technology works well for the most function, but has one large problem: If y'all've got the LCD swung out to the side for shooting at beveled angles the sensor remains agile, so your hand can trigger information technology with ease and black out the view on the LCD. I'd expect a camera at this price point to turn off the eye sensor automatically when the display is out to the side.

Connectivity and Power

Information technology's almost a given at this betoken, so information technology'southward no surprise that the Marker III includes Wi-Fi, along with Bluetooth and NFC, for advice with a smartphone. As with other Canon models, you can use an Android or iOS device equally a remote command, and transfer images from camera to phone using the Catechism Camera Connect app.

The G1 X is powered by the aforementioned NB-13L bombardment used by other cameras in the G series, including the G7 X Mark II. Just while it can drive the less power-hungry G7 for 265 images (per CIPA standards), the G1 X Mark III's larger sensor requires more than power and cuts the expected battery life to 200 images or 85 minutes of video. Y'all'll definitely want to carry a spare battery (or two) if yous apply the G1 X equally a travel camera.

A compact wall charger is included. Information technology has an integrated plug that folds in for storage and transport. You can also accuse the battery in-camera via micro USB. The simply other ports are micro HDMI and a 2.5mm remote control interface—at that place's no microphone input.

The memory bill of fare slot is located in the battery compartment, accessible via the bottom plate. You tin can use SD, SDHC, or SDXC retention cards. Speed tops out at UHS-I, so yous tin can't take reward of the faster write times offered past UHS-II media.

Operation and Autofocus

The camera powers on, focuses, and captures an image in about ii.2 seconds. Its autofocus locks on to a target in about 0.1-2d in brilliant light, but slows to about 0.eight-second in very dim weather, even with the aid of a bright orange autofocus assist beam. A slowdown in dim light is expected, although 0.8-2nd is a bit more lag that we like to see.

We had some issues with the G1 X Mark II's autofocus system. While it was solid for the most part, there were times when the photographic camera had a difficult fourth dimension locking focus. The Mark 3 uses on-sensor stage detection (Canon calls it Dual Pixel AF), which is by and large acccurate and reliable in our field tests. I still got the occasional failure to focus—the camera volition show a yellow box with an exclamation betoken rather than a green box when it tin can't lock on—just it'due south non a frequent occurence, and but seemed to happen when I was using a single point of focus rather than a wide surface area.

I clocked continous shooting at 9.4fps with locked focus, just the shooting buffer isn't huge—y'all can get 17 Raw or Raw+JPG shots, or 23 JPGs, before information technology slows downwardly significantly. Switching to AI Servo focus, which tracks moving targets, drops the speed to six.5fps. The G1 10 Marker Iii dis quite well on our moving target focus test, tracking effectively and delivering consistent, in-focus results.

Image and Video Quality

The G1 10 Marking Iii is, for all intents and purposes, a Canon SLR with a fixed lens and a pocket form factor. Information technology uses the same 24MP sensor we've seen in recent models starting with the 80D—Catechism has put it in well-nigh every SLR and mirrorless photographic camera its released since then.

When shooting JPGs noise is curbed to 1.five pct or less through ISO 3200. A shut await at shots from our ISO test scene shows that detail remains strong through this setting. Pushing to ISO 6400 increases noise a fiddling bit (to ane.6 percent), but epitome quality takes a pace back—at that place's some noise reduction going on behind the scenes that smudges fine detail. The blur intensifies at ISO 12800 and the top ISO 25600 setting.

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You can push the photographic camera further by shooting in Raw format. While there is strong grain at ISO 6400, details concur upward much amend than they practise in JPG format. At ISO 12800 and 25600 grain is heavier, but images aren't blurry similar the corresponding JPG output.

The APS-C sensor does have an reward at high ISOs when compared with a 1-inch sensor like the one used by the G5 X. At the broad angle the G1's lens is a flake more than 1 stop dimmer than the G5's, but fifty-fifty with that differential the G1 Ten Mark Iii captures clearer photos in dim light.

The lens itself is a short zoom, 24-72mm equivalent, but with 24MP of resolution you have some room to crop. At the 24mm f/2.eight position we come across 2,538 lines of resolution using a standard heart-weighted Imatest evaluation. Quality is stiff through about of the frame, but there's a drop to one,891 lines at the periphery. That's less fine detail than at the eye, but still passably precipitous, better than the 1,800 lines we want to see at a minimum.

Stopping down to f/4 improves the overall score to ii,746 lines, and edge quality improves to a crisp 2,227 lines. Image quality doesn't waver at f/5.6 (2,778 lines) and f/8 (two,659 lines), but does drop off at f/eleven (ii,501 lines) and f/xvi (2,055 lines). It's an expected result; diffraction scatters lite at very narrow apertures and cuts into prototype quality.

At the 45mm equivalent the maximum aperture is f/four.five. Image quality is very strong, 2,798 lines on average with edges that top ii,100 lines. Narrowing the iris to f/v.6 bumps the average resolution to 2,890 lines and edges are crisp, budgeted 2,400 lines. At f/eight we come across 2,831 lines, before functioning starts to drop at f/xi (two,672 line) and f/16 (2,297 lines).

Zoomed all the way in to 72mm the lens shows 3,104 lines at f/5.6, with edges that approach 2,800 lines. Images are yet well-baked at f/8 (iii,088 lines) and f/11 (2,807 lines), and nosotros see the expected drop at f/sixteen (2,398 lines).

The G1 X Marking III'southward 1080p video capture seems a scrap dated. You'd call back a $i,300 camera would back up 4K. Despite the limited resolution, video is crisp and steady, thank you to in-lens stabilization, and you tin opt for cinematic 24fps, traditional 30fps, or activeness-oriented 60fps frame rates. The Dual Pixel AF system delivers polish, pleasing changes in focus.

Conclusions

The Canon PowerShot G1 10 Mark Three is a camera that leaves me with very mixed feelings. It puts an APS-C sensor and zoom lens into a form factor nosotros haven't seen earlier—one that'due south pocketable—and both the lens and sensor are quite good. Canon'due south Dual Pixel AF organization is just as solid and versatile here equally it is in the company's SLR and mirrorless line. It'due south not a focus system that's class-leading, merely it gets the job done for nearly situations; certainly almost anything yous'd capture with a 24-72mm zoom.

But then there'southward the lingering feeling that, if Canon had stuck a scrap closer to the blueprint of the Marker 2, this could have been an admittedly killer camera. I miss the brilliant lens and extended zoom range offered by the Marker III's predecessor. If the visitor had merely added an EVF and improved the sensor resolution and autofocus, it would have been drawn a much clearer delineation betwixt the G1 X and G5 X models.

Instead the G1 X Mark 3 is more of a premium version of the G5 Ten than anything else. Its zoom range is a little shorter, but the extra 4MP of resolution gives you some room to crop. Its lens is dimmer, but the sensor does a amend chore at the upper end of its ISO range, more making upwardly the deviation. Merely despite its premium position, there are some things missing. We'd take liked to have seen 4K video at this price bespeak, equally well equally a microphone input.

Many photographers volition exist perfectly happy by choosing a the G5 X at $800—it's tough to justify spending an extra $500 given how like the class and role of the two models are. Merely if you practice a lot of photography in low calorie-free, or merely have the money to spend and desire the benefits of a larger image sensor, the G1 X Mark 3 won't disappoint. You're paying for miniaturization, but that's nothing new for photographers shopping for premium compacts. Our Editors' Choice premium compact is yet the Sony RX100 Three, which has a 24-70mm f/one.eight-two.8 zoom lens and ane-inch sensor, and a more attractive $750 price point.

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Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/cameras/17855/canon-powershot-g1-x-mark-iii-review

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