I was out shooting with my Canon G9 some weeks ago now when it suddenly froze up – and lost all power. I was never able to get it going again, and so decided it was time to upgrade to a different camera. I looked at the Fuji X10, the Canon G12 and a few others. I ultimately decided on the G1X, mostly because of the larger sensor and the amount of control it allows. It is basically the same set up as the G12 in a larger less compact package.
Mount Shasta with Moon and Cloud – G1X, 1/50th sec at F4.5, lens at 27.5mm, ISO 100
For a complete review and list of specs – go to www.dpreview.com. Since I have one and am using it on a regular basis, I thought I would share my experience with it so far from the perspective of an actual user, as opposed to just a technical review of features etc. There are very few large sensor compacts to choose from – and as has been stated in my previous articles, the restrictions on creating them are still ongoing. Maybe one day they will come out with a full frame compact like they had in the days of film. So far we’re still waiting. Until then – there are just a few large sensor cameras out there that are still in the compact category. I am not talking about 4/3 here obviously – as those are a completely different animal. The 4/3 format is catching on and may at some point replace DSLR use, but so far I have not found that format compelling enough to actually buy one.
So if you are looking for a compact with optimum image quality, your choices are basically the Canon G1x, Fuji X100, Sigma DP2X (or just announced DP1) , Leica X2 and perhaps the Sony RX100 with the smallest sensor of the bunch. I used a friend’s Sony and found it to be ok, although I still consider Sony to be an electronics company – not a camera maker, and so am unwilling to go that route, but the camera is highly rated and very popular. The slightly smaller sensor of the sony (1″ vs 1.5″) allows for a smaller more compact package and less compromises. This may the the perfect combination as far as size and image quality and comes with a really nice Carl Zeiss lens. I opted for the G1X due to the larger sensor size, longer zoom range and better ergonomics. Plus I know what I will get with Canon, and am comfortable using one.
I was not interested in any of the fixed lens cameras, such as the Leica or the Fuji. I just don’t shoot that way, and to pay that much for a camera with only one lens option was unacceptable for me. I also don’t trust the Sigma with the Foveon chip – not because it might not be a great camera – I just have no experience with anything Sigma. Since Nikon and Canon are real camera makers – making their own lenses as well, I know that I can trust them, and since as far as I know Nikon doesn’t offer a large sensor compact, I went with the Canon.
First, this is not really a “pocket” camera per se – and neither are any of the others listed except for the Sony. The G1X is slightly larger than the G12 and the lens doesn’t retract all the way in – so you are left with a pretty chunky camera with a protruding lens. Still, though, it is smaller than a DSLR, has a built in zoom, and functions pretty much like any other point and shoot pocket camera. If size is an issue (and it always is when looking for a compact) then you will need to consider this. As I have mentioned before, there is oftentimes a smaller version of the same camera as far as features and function, usually at a cheaper price (Canon G12 vs S100 for instance). Not in this case however. If you want the DX sized sensor that this camera provides – you will have to live with the size and other limitations, or opt for a camera with a smaller sensor such as the Sony.
The G1x is a bundle of compromises. It seems no matter what you’re looking for in this camera, there is a compromise. It has to be this way – as ultimately all cameras are some kind of compromise between functionality, image quality and price among other things. The key with this camera is knowing up front what the compromises are and working around them. Hopefully I can clarify some of that for you here in the event you’re looking into getting one.
General Overview
Whether or not you decide on this camera will be dependent on what you plan to do with it. I bought mine from a guy on Ebay who used it once – and immediately could see that it wasn’t what he needed. So consider whether the compromises listed here are worth it for you – as there are smaller cameras, with better zoom ranges, longer battery lives, faster lenses and more for less money. So let’s see just what you get with the G1x that might make it worth it for you – or not:
– Large sensor. The main reason for the existence of this camera is the DX size sensor, and this will be the main reason for getting one.
– Excellent image quality! This is a combination of the sensor size, the lens configuration, and the software in the camera that puts it all together. Canon has all of these things down pat, although I have to say that the color needs some tweaking in the end. Not a big deal – as this kind of thing depends on what you like and how you set up the camera.
– Excellent build quality. While a little larger than some of the smaller sensor cameras, the G1X is made really well. It feels great in your hand and has a quality feel to it. I love the metal control dials and how easy they are to feel without looking at them.
– DSLR controls! Along with the DX sensor comes many of the features of a DSLR, like priority shooting modes, focus tracking, exposure compensation, and full manual control, with 60 seconds as the longest exposure (there is no bulb setting). This camera also allows raw shooting and shooting raw/jpeg at the same time (sweet!). What it lacks though, is a DSLR processing chip. It barely keeps up with itself, with a stuttering live view at times. Don’t expect to do anything fast with this camera.
– Hot shoe! This is great for using an external flash or mounting an infrared trigger to fire a strobe remotely. This is one of the reasons I originally bought the Canon G2 – and I used it a lot. Too bad Canon doesn’t have an electronic viewfinder to fit in there…
– Zoom lens. 28-112 (equavalent). I find this much more useful than a fixed lens set up, but be aware that the range is more limited than smaller sensor cameras, and is not as fast in terms of fstop, especially at the long end. 28mm is F2.8 and 112mm is F5.6. One thing to consider though is the more useable digital zoom, due to the larger sensor.
– Macro. NOT! Canon bills a macro feature on this camera – complete with macro setting, but in actual fact – there is none, all the macro setting does is allow you to get close enough for a head shot! This is just one of the compromises that comes with cramming a large sensor into a small camera. I have to laugh, as the Canon manual lists a host of flash accessories for shooting macro shots – with no offer of anything to actually get you close enough for them to be useful! See below for the solution to this.
– Optical viewfinder. Small, with a diopter adjustment. Pretty useless IMO – I would rather have a smaller camera and an additional digital finder that can go into the hot shoe .
– Flip around rear screen. My original G2 came with this – and I didn’t miss it when I got the G9. Useful if you are shooting at a weird angle or doing a video blog where you are shooting yourself and want to see what you are getting, and for keeping your screen from getting scratched up.
– Image Stabilization. I would consider this a significant feature if the camera were a DSLR and used big heavy lenses. On a camera this small – I haven’t found it useful. In fact, I have many out of focus pictures from motion blur at reasonable shutter speeds (like 1/40) even with the IS active. So don’t think that this will allow you to shoot at 1/4 second and get sharp pictures (although you can do this without IS if you know how…).
– Pop up flash. Unlike most point and shoot cameras, the G1X has a pop up flash activated by a small switch on the top plate of the camera. What I like about this is the fact that you have total control over whether the flash will fire or not – even in auto. Unless you pop it up, it won’t work! Instead of it just firing automatically, an icon flashes on the screen for you to pop it up when needed.
– Tons of fluff (see my previous post). Like almost all digital cameras today, with the exception of Leica perhaps, the G1x comes “standard” with a boatload of fluff that you will probably never use. They try to add so many features to sell the camera that they forget that someone might actually know what they’re doing. If you do, then most of that stuff will just annoy you. If you’re fascinated with digital gadgets that do all kinds of useless things – you’ll enjoy reading about all of the features and how to get them to work. Do you really want to edit your movies in the camera? I certainly don’t. I personally hate having to sort out what I need from what is just sales fodder. I have found also that this particular camera seems to have trouble doing what it says it will do when you want it to. Maybe I just got a lemon – but at the very least I have found it difficult to figure out how to get certain functions to work. Part of this is due to some functions only working in certain modes, but many times I have tried to bring up a function, and it takes several tries to get it working. My advice is to print out the four pages from the manual that tabulate which functions work in which modes (the fact that it takes FOUR pages to document this should tell you something!) I have also found that it does a fair amount of “focus hunting,” sometimes even when pointed at distant subjects (you can only imagine trying to get anything in focus in macro mode). I have not had any distant subjects out of focus due to this, but it is a definite problem for close ups.
– Movie mode. Can they make a digital camera these days without a movie mode? No way! And this one works well, especially so with the large sized chip. As others have noted, the zoom in movie mode is really smooth and slow, just like in Hollywood. The only glitch is when crossing from optical zoom to digital, where it hangs up for a split second before continuing on. I wish it would continue through this transition smoothly! Again, this mode limits some of the features available in other modes, but it works well, and you do have some control, like the ability to set the exposure, white balance and Image Stabilization settings before shooting.
The G1X is really a travel/landscape type camera, and not so much for anything else. It won’t keep up with your kids or your dog – although again, if you know what the limitations are – you can work around them and still get great shots of both.
Koda the wonder dog, pouncing on his favorite prey – gophers! G1X – 1/320 sec, F5.8 60mm, ISO 100
The G1X is best suited to those who know what they’re doing and know what they want. DSLR owners are Canon’s target market and they are right on. This is a great travel camera and a great camera for hiking around without all of the fuss of a DSLR. For people like me – who make prints to sell, it’s a dream. To be able to carry a small camera with you that will make a large size, high quality print is a miracle (at least for digital – it was all too common with 35mm film!) I am having an absolute blast playing around with this thing. There are drawbacks – but we can deal with those.
Macro and Filters
As stated before – there is no real macro with this camera. However, there is an adapter for putting 58mm filters on the front. I have to say that Canon deliberately screwed us on this one. An adapter? Why not just thread the front of the lens? Plus – the adapter takes over the bayonet fittings for the lens hood – so you can’t do both. Really? Hello Canon – are you nuts? This was an intentional upgrade left for the G2X no doubt. In any case – get the adapter and a good set of close up lenses and you will regain your macro. Might as well get a 58mm clip on lens hood as well so it can be used with a filter in place. I have a set of really nice Carl Zeiss close up filters that I used on my Hasselblad, and they work great on the G1x (the caveat being focus – see above). I don’t bother with the adapter – I just hold them over the lens.
You’ll note that I did not take this close-up with the G1x – but with something that has real macro – my Iphone! This set of lenses is a Zeiss Proxar 1M and an 0.5M. I use this combined and would recommend an even stronger set. Unfortunately – I do not know what the diopter power of these lenses are, but you can buy sets that go up to as high as +10. For more on close-up lenses and what diopters are available and some different options – check out this article.
Regardless, you will need a closeup lens set to do anything resembling macro with this camera. With this set of lenses, my closest shots are with the telephoto maxed out, and going into the digital zoom to get even closer. With a really strong closeup lens – you should be able to set the camera to the macro mode, set the lens at its widest and get up really close. I like using the telephoto for getting more space between me and my subject, which allows the flash to do some good as well. In all reality though – this is not a good camera for close-ups. Even with the close up lenses, I have found it difficult to get accurate focus, and just not worth it in general. The G9 had great macro capability, and was fast as well.
You will not get this shot with the G1X without special close up lenses- I shot this with the G9 in regular macro mode.
Another useful accessory for this camera is a split neutral density filter. I stopped using these when digital came out since they didn’t seem to work well with the digital sensors for some reason, and never quite blended properly. With the larger sensors and high resolution of today’s cameras however, I have again started to use them. I have a couple of large resin Lee filters left over from shooting 6X7 film. A smaller version would be fine for this camera – something like this. They are clear on one half, and one or two stops of density on the other. They’re great for balancing out the narrow density range of the sensor, and a whole lot better than the hocus pocus software in the camera that claims to retain details in the highlights if you turn it on. You’ll find that manual mode works best with these filters, as the exposure can get whacky when in other modes.
G1X with 1 stop split neutral density filter.
I fit the camera, the close up lenses and the neutral density filter all in a small Eagle Creek bag which fits perfectly over the shoulder – or on a belt and doesn’t interfere when wearing a backpack.
Other Considerations
Some other notes on this camera include some image quality issues. Not in the sense of resolution or noise, but more along the lines of color and contrast. The jpegs straight from the camera tend to be flat and dull until brought into photoshop and adjusted in curves. Once that is done they look great. There are some settings for getting different color output options (Canon refers to this as “My Colors”), such as neutral, positive film and vivid among others. For sure neutral is really flat and dull. The positive film setting also seems flat to me, but is probably the best choice. I use positive film or the vivd setting, although in vivd mode, the blues can turn a candy color that makes skies look a little unnatural. For total control of all of this, shoot raw and tweak in photoshop. As stated earlier, I pretty much run every image through photoshop anyway, so this is just a minor annoyance more than anything, and a matter of preference as well. The beauty of the G1x is the ability to shoot both a raw and a jpeg file simultaneously, thus ensuring that you have something to work with later, even if the exposure or white balance are a little off.
Two annoying things for me on this camera are the lack of a fully retracting lens and the need for a separate lens cap. What a pain to have to keep taking the cap on and off every time you pull out the camera, never mind having the thing dangling there as you try to shoot something. Combine this with the need to flip the screen around each time, and you start having to do too many things to get the camera ready to shoot something, thus slowing down the whole process. As I said before, plan on taking your time with this camera. You could of course just leave the cap off and the screen turned around all of the time to speed things up, and accept the risk of scratching the screen and/or lens at some point. I’m not in that big of a hurry, so I keep it all buttoned up when in the bag.
You will love the characteristics of the larger sensor in the G1x! Shooting at high ISO’s like 1000-1600 are no problem, and there is a lot of room in photoshop in terms of latitude when adjusting images. I remember when I got my first Nikon DSLR – the D1 with the tiny 2.7 megapixel sensor. There was no room to adjust anything in photoshop – the colors and exposure just went whacky. You could do some minor tweaking, but it was obvious from the get go that you had better come back with a perfectly exposed image right out the camera, as there was not enough information in the file to really do much with. Not so the G1x! With a large 14 megapixel sensor, there is plenty of information to work with, and things stay in control.
A couple of other notable things about the G1X are the easy to use manual control dials on the top plate, which allow switching between the different modes, as well as exposure compensation. The other great thing are the two memory modes, C1 and C2, for storing your settings and instantly recalling them. There is also a control wheel on the front which can be customized for controlling various things, depending on which mode you are shooting in, and an assignable button on the back (the “S” button). I generally never use the assignable function – but it’s there if you want to set it up to your liking.
For travel and landscape, this is a great little camera. I am much more likely to take it with me, and use it, than I would my DSLR in many instances. Knowing that I can get a good print from it makes it all the more useful to me, and motivates me to be sure and have it with me. I especially like it for hiking, as I am loath to take all of my heavy Nikon gear unless I have a specific goal in mind. Remember though, that you really don’t need this to get great prints. My G9 was more than adequate for most things – and I have some great prints from both the G9 as well as my old G2. More important than sensor size is a good clean file – which the G1X provides in spades.
Here is a panorama shot with the G1x on the slopes of Mount Shasta. This is a 180 degree stitch of about 5 frames. The final image came to 209 megs! I can make a really big print from a file this size.
Here’s another panorama:
Here are a few more pics taken with the G1X:
If all you need is internet quality photos – any point and shoot will suffice, and there are many with more features at a better price, albeit with a much smaller sensor (which is fine for most application anyway). If you want spectacular image quality from a very compact package with a zoom lens and total image control, and are used to working with a DSLR, this could work well for you, especially if you’re like me and tend to leave the large bag of gear at home rather than lug it around if you’re just out and about. I am always looking for something that I can make a postcard out of (or now with the G1X – a poster!) – so I tend to always keep a compact with me. This camera would also work well for you if you do a lot of video, such as for an online blog for instance, where you need to be able to see what is happening as you are shooting yourself and want very good HD image quality with a really smooth zoom.
I haven’t had the G1X for all that long – so I may update this post as time goes on and I learn more. So far though, these are my findings and I am generally happy with the camera. I should mention also that I would not pay the $799 retail asking price. I paid about $500 for mine used, but in the box. I hear there are some deals out there so do your homework before you buy one! You can can still get the old version from Amazon here:
Canon G1 X 14.3 MP CMOS Digital Camera
I plan on getting an image gallery page set up here soon – which will have many more pics taken with the G1x as well as the G2, the G9, the Coolpix A and the Iphone…
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