Canon Canon G1 X Mark II Announced and Looks Amazing

Personally, as much as I loved the LX5/7 and the GRD3 for as long as I did, I don't see any reason to shoot with that sensor any more when there are cameras roughly as small and handy coming along with vastly superior sensors. Once I shot with a Ricoh GR and Nikon A I knew one of those was gonna be my "pocket" camera and the LX7 headed out the door soon after. I'm happy enough without a zoom, but for those that like 'em, things are really heating up now...

Oddly, the LX7 has shown me that as much as I love good image quality, I really give favour to a very wide angle lens. As you mentioned in response to my previous questions, the LX7 at 16:9 is much wider than 24mm, more like 21 or 22. From my estimates, it is just shy of 21mm on a full frame camera, making it around 21.5mm or thereabouts. The ability to shoot with a modern small sensor at that field of view is thrilling for me. It beats the GRD III with the 21mm adapter for a few reasons, one being the much smaller size, another being the image quality and colour control. Yes, the LX7 actually has better image quality than the GRD III, something I resisted for a while as the Ricoh was my favourite pocket camera, hands down.

Putting a 21mm adapter on a GR/D is fine, but it feels clunky and a bit fragile. The LX7 can go straight into a jacket pocket and emerge with wide angle lens blazing.

As far as the G1X II goes, the combination of 24/2 wide angle lens with that fat, luscious sensor ought to be great. A fair equivalent would be the Olympus 12/2 prime on an E-PL5, assuming that Canon has brought its sensor up to scratch. It could be a very competent and smaller alternative to a m43 camera with a number of lenses, ideal for traveling and general photography. Let's hope that Canon don't botch this with lesser image quality.
 
Oddly, the LX7 has shown me that as much as I love good image quality, I really give favour to a very wide angle lens. As you mentioned in response to my previous questions, the LX7 at 16:9 is much wider than 24mm, more like 21 or 22. From my estimates, it is just shy of 21mm on a full frame camera, making it around 21.5mm or thereabouts. The ability to shoot with a modern small sensor at that field of view is thrilling for me. It beats the GRD III with the 21mm adapter for a few reasons, one being the much smaller size, another being the image quality and colour control. Yes, the LX7 actually has better image quality than the GRD III, something I resisted for a while as the Ricoh was my favourite pocket camera, hands down.

Putting a 21mm adapter on a GR/D is fine, but it feels clunky and a bit fragile. The LX7 can go straight into a jacket pocket and emerge with wide angle lens blazing.

As far as the G1X II goes, the combination of 24/2 wide angle lens with that fat, luscious sensor ought to be great. A fair equivalent would be the Olympus 12/2 prime on an E-PL5, assuming that Canon has brought its sensor up to scratch. It could be a very competent and smaller alternative to a m43 camera with a number of lenses, ideal for traveling and general photography. Let's hope that Canon don't botch this with lesser image quality.

Yeah, I look back at some of the good-light shots I did with the LX7 when I had it (and the LX5 before that) and I wonder why I can't just be satisfied with that these days. Because except under extreme pixel peeping, they really hold up well. And the flexibility of those cameras with the instantly accessible multi-aspect sensor and particularly the speed of the LX7 lens makes it semi-OK even into somewhat lower light. But the bottom line is that once I had a Nikon A in my pocket I simply wasn't gonna take the LX7 out any more. I've got other gear for really long and really wide focal lengths and I guess I like to just get into a groove with a pocket cam and 28mm has always served me really well as a do almost anything I want to do kind of focal length. So I sold it while I could still get something for it. But I still recommend it to folks because I think it's just one of the most incredibly well thought out little cameras I've ever seen. I've used most of the others and I loved the GRD3 for a fixed 28, but the flexibility of the LX series was like nothing else I'd used.

I'm glad you're still enjoying it. I wish I could!

-Ray
 
This is the first new camera announcement in a while that made me say "gotta have it". But the more I think about it the less sure I am.

It will have a hard time replacing my two favorite primes (17/1.8 & 45/1.8) on my E-M5. Not to mention the 40-150.

It won't replace my RX100, because sometimes size (lack thereof) really matters to me. The G just isn't pocketable.

It won't replace my V1 for shooting action.

And even in my twisted gear-loving brain I can't find a rationalization for a fourth camera. Although I may keep re-reading Nic's post until I'm nodding along with the idea that I need a Canon sensor for some variety. :)

I think I've started to form a rationalization that may work for me. The G1Xmk2 won't replace another camera, but it will prevent me from dropping some cash on a nice f/2.8 zoom for my m4/3s kit. And while the Oly 12-40, for example, is a constant 2.8 vs the 2-3.9, I can certainly make a case that overall the new G will have more pros than cons in a head-to-head comparison for me (range; macro; size). I really like the idea of carrying a small pouch with E-P5 + 17/1.8 and the G-zoom.

The only logic i need to overcome for this argument is that I really had no plans to buy the 12-40/2.8. Though I do admit to being tempted when refurbs were on sale last week. I'm also frequently tempted by used bargain pairings of the Fuji X-E1 + 18-55. So yeah, the G1Xmk2 will head all of that off at the pass.
 
This is the first new camera announcement in a while that made me say "gotta have it". But the more I think about it the less sure I am.

It will have a hard time replacing my two favorite primes (17/1.8 & 45/1.8) on my E-M5. Not to mention the 40-150.

It won't replace my RX100, because sometimes size (lack thereof) really matters to me. The G just isn't pocketable.

It won't replace my V1 for shooting action.

And even in my twisted gear-loving brain I can't find a rationalization for a fourth camera. Although I may keep re-reading Nic's post until I'm nodding along with the idea that I need a Canon sensor for some variety. :)

Why replace? Just buy as an addition!!
 
From the examiner article "There is simply no way that any electronic viewfinder can replicate what is seen by the human eye.". Neither can the sensor so maybe we should just give up on photography till technology catches up with the human eye. Anyway I don't see what good a really bad ovf such as was on the G1x would do when coupled with that lens
 
In a sense, the G1X II is like a Panasonic LX on steroids. And as an aside, I have no idea why the LX7 hasn't sold very well, because it is a stunning camera. I'm getting photos from this that continue to surprise me.

And I second retow's notion that a G1X II, a Sony RX1 and a Ricoh GR could be a complete high quality travel kit. Many could just use the G1X II. Others would want to add the RX1 for the full frame look and low light capabilities. Others could do with the GR as the pocket sized wide angle option.

Probably because its using a smaller sensor. Though, the new sensor they are using is about a stop better than the old one.
 
I've been eyeing an E-PL5 for a while now, waiting for the prices to hit sub 400 bucks. I might reconsider and get this instead if the AF is as good and the dynamic range is as good as the e-pl5. 90 percent of my shooting falls within that lens range. The only thing I don't know is if filters can be put on.
 
If the sensor is largely unchanged from the G1X then this won't be the case.

Do we know of the sensor is the same? Is that the general feeling? I was hoping for an improved sensor, not just an increase in high ISO performance simply because of DIGIC 6 coupled with the same sensor.
 
Good question. The way that they reduced the image circle but still ended up with an oversized sensor points to the same basic sensor being used.

To be honest I'm still a bit mystified about the genesis of the G1X (Mark I) sensor. At it's release it was rumoured to be a cut-and-shut modification of the 18mp APS-C sensor down to a 1.5", 4:3 aspect 14mp sensor. Where I have my doubts over this theory or claim is that the G1X produces different IQ measurables compared to Canon's contemporary APS-C cameras, most notably reduced dynamic range. Even my 2008 release 50D with an older 15mp APS-C sensor had more dynamic range. From that I don't know whether the G1X sensor had anything to do with their APS-C sensor, or if it did was it throttled somehow? I love the output of the G1X but it is very DR limited compared to a Sony or Olympus or Samsung. If the Mark II uses the same basic sensor architecture as the Mark I then I hope that the new camera can pull more DR out of it.
 
There was obviously some press material from Canon indicating that the Mark II has a new sensor (see below), but it's rare that a camera is released that doesn't have a "new" sensor in it, with the mystery always being what exactly constitutes the ability to claim it as new. Olympus claimed a few generations worth of new 12mp sensors that always performed largely similar to the last.

The physical size of the sensor remains unchanged at 1.5-inch, though the pixel size is larger than the older camera. This means the photo sites are able to gather more light, resulting in a less noisy image.

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Canon says the G1 X Mark II is based around a new sensor, though it's always hard to tell exactly how much has actually been re-engineered. Although Canon's marketing material talks about the Mark II having a 18.7 x 12.5mm sensor, we're pretty confident that it's actually the same size as the G1 X's (nearer 18.7 x 14mm).

Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II: a quick summary
 
I'm not sure why, but I'm unusually hyped for this camera. For my shootings needs, it's a 90% solution and would easily be my daily driver. I mostly like the fast lens, especially at the long end, and the wide 24mm. For me, these specs alone easily trump my RX100M2 for a lot of my use. (I won't be selling my RX though - I'll use it when I need super portability).
I also like the styling of the new G1X.
I'm just hoping for fast and precise autofocus. Some YouTube videos of AF speed from CP+ look promising.
Needless to say, I've preordered mine, and can't wait for April.
... On another note, my problem with hyping a camera so much is that it makes it even harder for it to live up to or exceed my expectations... Hopefully I don't do that here haha. (I clearly remember when the original RX100 blew my mind when I first tried it - probably because I expected very little, like a bog standard P&S, and got very different results!)
 
I'm very interested to see what the performance of the new lens is wide open at the 24mm equivalent. I obviously don't anticipate performance equal the the Olympus 12mm f2 prime, but it would be nice if the lens is usable (reasonably sharp) at its largest aperture.
 
90 percent of my shooting falls into the range of this camera. Much more compact I think than the olympus kit zoom with any of the Olympus or Panasonic bodies. The panasonic pancake zoom is probably closer in size, but not optically good. If the sensor and lens deliver, I think I would shell over the cash.
 
Ok Sony, put that excellent 1 inch sensor into the new RF gestalt A6000 and mate a compact f2-2.8/24-120mm or 21-105mm Zeiss zoom with auto lens cap to the body and make the whole thing weathersealed and not heavier than 300 grams. You can do it.
Or maybe Ricoh/Pentax is listening and surprising us with a GX300 witth aps-c sensor and one of its excellent 24-72mm optics & wide and tele converters. Who remembers the GX100 and GX200, ergonomics and UI wise the best compact cameras ever built.
 
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