Canon PowerShot G series compacts rev up for vlogging
The dramatically redesigned G5 X Mark II and updated G7 X Mark III add features like 4K, slo-mo and more.
No more bump -- or hot shoe -- for the G5 X Mark II
Canon's catering to its vlogging fans with a souped-up-for-video update to its popular G7 X Mark II, the G7 X Mark III, and turns its EVF-equipped big brother, the G5 X Mark II, into a a bit of a copycat.
The cameras are slated to ship in August, at $750 for the G7 X III and $900 for the G5 X II. Those prices are higher than their predecessors. We don't have pricing or availability for other regions, but those convert directly to about £600/£720 and AU$1,075/AU$1,290, respectively.
Read: Best vlogging cameras and accessories for YouTube
The G7 X Mark III keeps the old design, but now comes in a snazzy new two-tone option.
By switching to a new sensor type, a stacked CMOS, and upping to the latest version of its processor, Digic 8, Canon has been able to significantly improve its continuous-shooting speeds (to around 8fps with autofocus and 20fps without it) as well as add several new video capabilities to its repertoire: 4K 30fps video-capture, 120fps 1,920 x 1,080 slow motion, and HDR movie.
The G7 X III also gains the ability to stream to YouTube Live over Wi-Fi -- including vertical video -- though you have to go through Canon Image Gateway to do so, and the Wi-Fi remains a pokey 2.4GHz WiFi 4 connection. The biggest physical change to the camera is a new mic jack, a key upgrade for video use.
The pop-up viewfinder takes after the design of Sony's RX 100 series.
More typical upgrades come to the G5 X for its second generation, most notably some shrinkage. It bears little resemblance to its predecessor and looks a lot more like the G7 models; the centered electronic viewfinder bump is gone, replaced by a popup version of the same EVF off to the side.
It swaps the flash which used to reside there for a popup version as well, with the ancillary result of losing the hot shoe. Those changes make it a little more pocketable -- although it only loses 0.6 in/15mm off the top and 1.3 oz/37g -- but a little less enthusiast-friendly, too.
It does get a slight lens extension, though, bumping from a 24-100mm to a 24-120mm zoom, without sacrificing aperture: it remains a fast f1.8-2.8 lens. And some folks will probably welcome the return of the panorama-shooting feature.
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