Canon Canon Powershot G1X Hands On First Look Video

[Amin]

First look at the Canon Powershot G1X with comparisons to the Fuji X10 and Olympus E-P3:

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[kyteflyer]

Well done, Amin! And thanks for the viewfinder views again. I absolutely hated the VF on my G11, and this looks the same. Its a mystery to me why Canon didn't make it larger, give the other improvements they made overall. The GV-2 looks like a great idea for eliminating that issue, but an expensive addition, isnt it?

 

[Amin]

Thanks, Sue. The Ricoh GV-2 is fantastic but only gives you the 28mm view and costs $199.

 

[serhan]

Very good first look video. It looks like a nice camera except the viewfinder.

 

[Amin]

Very good first look video. It looks like a nice camera except the viewfinder.

Thanks, Serhan. The only "gotcha" I've discovered besides the viewfinder so far is that the minimum focus distance is quite large.

 

[Julien]

Hi Amin, great video. A question and a suggestion: what camera did you use to film this video? Maybe you should use manual focus with a smaller aperture to avoid the focusing problems you had with AF in this video (provided there's enough light to avoid too much noise).

 

[Amin]

Hi Julien,

It was my first time doing something like this. I just used my Logitech webcam. The Logitech actually AFs well, but I didn't give it enough light I think. Also, the keyboard in the background may have been confusing it.

Thanks,
Amin

 

[Ray Sachs]

Well done Amin. I enjoyed it and found it informative.

But you know that if you really want to hit the big time, you're gonna have to get a videographer to follow you around while you act as silly as possible, speak with a British accent, and get into all sorts of minor trouble on the streets of Hong Kong! All the while, SORT of talking about the camera in hand. But you're gonna have to make a lot of jokes and otherwise pithy remarks!

-Ray

 

[Jock Elliott]

Amin,

Well done. I'm very interested in your take on the image quality, G1X vs. X10. And, of course, you have to include one night shot with pinpoint light sources!

- Jock

 

[Lili]

well done, Amin.
Shame about OVF, but then I seldom use my Voigtlander 28mm one...hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
<digs it out>

 

[TEBnewyork]

Thanks, Serhan. The only "gotcha" I've discovered besides the viewfinder so far is that the minimum focus distance is quite large.

Macro mode?

 

[pictor]

I could hold this camera in my hand and took some shots outside the store. One can hold this camera in ones hands very well because of its size and its high ISO capabilities is really stunning. The lens seems to be as good as expected with good center sharpness and soft borders, but nothing to complain. However, I won't buy it.

 

[Djarum]

Amin,

Excelent hands on first look. I can't wait to see your impressions on performance and image quality.

 

[Amin]

Macro mode?

It helps, but I hate having to switch modes. Also, even in macro mode you can't get all that close. It's a let down.

Amin,

Excelent hands on first look. I can't wait to see your impressions on performance and image quality.

Thanks, Jason. Performance is nothing special. To call the AF speed "average" is to be charitable. Any of the current MFT cameras focuses a LOT faster. Image quality seems very good. More soon...

 

[kyteflyer]

I couldnt help myself... went to the local Camera House this morning, which is where I bought my K-5, X100 and GRD3. I wanted to look, touch, play with a) X10 and b) G1X. Did both, and came away with my GAS intact.

In other words, neither of them left me feeling excited, at all. Yes, both are nice. Both have points to recommend them, but neither left me feeling that I must have either of them. *whew*

As an aside, Camera House is also running a comp in which you could win a G1X. I went in it of course, but given that I can't win an argument, I don't see much hope of winning the camera

 

[serhan]

LL G1X Field Report

LL post their field report:

Canon G1X Field Report

It is more or less close to Amin's findings, but sidebar commentary regarding Canon is very interesting...

 

[Luckypenguin]

I'm a bit mystified by one of points made in the sidebar commentary.

What exactly did Nikon do 5 years ago to "revive" themselves? As far as I was aware their product range has almost exactly mirrored Canon's up until the launch of the V1 and J1 late last year.

 

[Julien]

As far as I was aware their product range has almost exactly mirrored Canon's up until the launch of the V1 and J1 late last year.

Well I (respectfully, and partly) disagree with your statement. I think the LL reviewer was mostly thinking about the D3, which was the first Nikon pro DSLR that really put Nikon ahead of Canon for a category of users (spectacular high iso performance at the time of its release), whereas the previous D1 and D2 series were not very good value against the Canon offering of the time, and many thought that Nikon was "going down". The D700, as a "baby D3" has also been extremely popular among pro and enthusiats. And the D3S significantly improved what was already Nikon's strong point by offering even higher low light performance, along with the very advanced autofocus system of the D3.

In the last few years, Nikon has mostly been about great autofocus / high iso, while Canon has been more about resolution and video (I'm generalizing, it's not always true, and the differences aren't always significant between two similarily priced models).

What I mean is, I don't think the LL reviewer is saying that Nikon has been better than Canon in the last five years, but that they were dangerously lagging behing and have been able to get back on track and now are competitive against Canon.

 

[Luckypenguin]

Fair enough, although that being the case then the author's comments about Nikon aren't particularly relevant to the point I guess he was trying to make. Neither Canon nor Nikon has made an attempt to innovate their compact products and provide a direct equivalent to their entry-level DSLRs. In that sense they're both as conservative and protective of the status quo as the each other. Both of them are still nibbling around the edges.

 

[Julien]

On that I agree with you completely. It's pretty obvious that they want to "milk" their DSLR lineup as long as they can, and with the G1X and Nikon One they are mostly using their brand names to deflect consumer attention from the Sony/Samsung/M43 offerings, and not really trying to offer something competitive. Not to say those products can't suit some photographers' needs, but they aren't what they would be if Canon/Nikon really tried.