​Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II: big camera, big lens​ ​, minor disappointment​
​Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II: big camera, big lens​ ​, minor disappointment​
2:38

​Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II: big camera, big lens​ ​, minor disappointment​

Cameras
[mmm]. Canon made some major changes to the PowerShot G1 X before throwing the Mark II moniker on it. The improvements include a great new 5x zoom lens with a much better f2 to 3.9 maximum aperture, and a selfie-friendly tilting touch screen. But the not so improvements include a drop-in effective resolution, for it's 1.5-inch sensor, and exchanging the built-in optical view finder for a rather pricey electronic one. I'm Lori Grunin. And, this is the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II. The design of the Mark II sports a more typical look than it's predecessor. And overall, I like it for casual shooting. The touch screen is responsive, big and bright, and pretty easy to use in sunlight. The highlight, though, is the lens, as much for its design as for its specs. It has two rings. One clicky one to which you can assign a lot of different functions, including Step Zoom. And one smoothly turning one to which you can assign a couple of functions. Both have context sensitive uses. It includes a built-in lens cover as well, which I really like. It also has a higher popping up tilting flash. Unfortunately, I really don't like the slender grip. Which doesn't feel sufficient given the camera's weight. It weighs as much as a DSLR body but the grip is a fraction of the size. Canon offers a bigger optional grip but given the high price and size of the camera, well, making it extra cost feels a bit chintzy. Same goes for the optional view finder which will run you about $300 and doesn't even seem to be available everywhere yet. The performance is a bit problematic as well. The auto-focus system is slow, possible because the lens doesn't move all that fast. I occasionally missed shots because it simply took to long to fix on the subject. And in dim light, I got the can't focus icon more often than I'd like. And I couldn't always figure out why. But continuous shooting is reasonable, though. 3.1 frames per second with autofocus. The image quality is very good, though not great as you'd expect for such an expensive camera. Still, depending upon the scene content, you can probably use the full size images up to about ISO 3200. Video's unimpressive with lots of edge artifacts and you have no manual controls. Fine for sharing small clips with friends, though. The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II is a fine camera with a very nice lens with some great design points. But the performance lags and the image quality doesn't quite earn excellent marks. I'm Lori Grunin and this is the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II.

Up Next

Panasonic Introduces New Lumix S5 Mark II and Mark II X Cameras
lumix-s5-mark-ii-and-mark-ii-x-revealed-00-02-06-08-still001

Up Next

Panasonic Introduces New Lumix S5 Mark II and Mark II X Cameras

GoPro Hero 11 Black Hands-on: Super-sized Sensor for All Your Socials
gopro1

GoPro Hero 11 Black Hands-on: Super-sized Sensor for All Your Socials

GoPro Hero 10 Black Creator Edition Makes Vlogging So Much Better
gopro-hero-10-creator-edition-2

GoPro Hero 10 Black Creator Edition Makes Vlogging So Much Better

GoPro Hero 10 Black ramps up resolution, frame rates to 5.3K60, 4K120
yt-firstlook-gopro-hero-10-b

GoPro Hero 10 Black ramps up resolution, frame rates to 5.3K60, 4K120

Insta360 Go 2 review: A lot of fun, a lot of confusion
nic-insta360-2021-v2

Insta360 Go 2 review: A lot of fun, a lot of confusion

GoPro's Hero 9 Black bulks up on power and performance but not price
goprohero9-fl

GoPro's Hero 9 Black bulks up on power and performance but not price

Digitizing my old Hi8 tape collection
20200701-172136

Digitizing my old Hi8 tape collection

iPhone SE or Galaxy A51: Battle of the $400 phone cameras
se-vs-galaxya51-v2

iPhone SE or Galaxy A51: Battle of the $400 phone cameras

The Mevo Start is a compact cam aimed at HD event streaming
mevo-start-thumb-3

The Mevo Start is a compact cam aimed at HD event streaming

Snap Spectacles 3 bring AR to sunglasses
spectacles-3-5

Snap Spectacles 3 bring AR to sunglasses

Tech Shows

The Apple Core
apple-core-w

The Apple Core

Alphabet City
alphabet-city-w

Alphabet City

CNET Top 5
cnet-top-5-w

CNET Top 5

The Daily Charge
dc-site-1color-logo.png

The Daily Charge

What the Future
what-the-future-w

What the Future

Tech Today
tech-today-w

Tech Today

Latest News All latest news

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories
screenshot-2024-03-22-at-17-41-16.png

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies
240321-site-nvidia-project-groot-vs-tesla-optimus-v1

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like
240321-site-apple-and-gemini-ai

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit
240321-site-doj-sues-apple-for-antitrust-on-iphone-v2

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit

Microsoft Surface Pro 10, Surface Laptop 6 Are Here
240320-site-microsoft-surface-pros-first-look-v2

Microsoft Surface Pro 10, Surface Laptop 6 Are Here

Everything Announced at Microsoft Copilot and Surface Event
yt-microsoftai-supercut-clean

Everything Announced at Microsoft Copilot and Surface Event

Most Popular All most popular

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
innovation

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
circlesearchpic

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
asus-preces-00-00-25-11-still003

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
samsung-galaxy-ring-clean

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
240111-site-best-of-ces-2024-1

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024

Latest Products All latest products

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
240320-site-nuro-r3-first-look-v1

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
240229-site-best-of-show-at-mwc

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
240225-site-lenovo-translucent-laptop-concept-v3

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
240225-site-motorola-rollable-concept

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
adobe-lightroom-00-02-58-03-still006-1

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro

Latest How To All how to videos

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
240311-site-windows-11-hidden-tips-and-tricks-v2

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
VisionOS 1.0.3

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
tiktok-on-vision-pro-clean

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
superbowl-tv-settings-thumb1

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
240202-site-spatial-computing-on-meta-quest-3

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro