With the 'Mark II' version of the PowerShot G1 X, Canon has addressed many of the shortcomings of its predecessor. For a start, the G1 X II has a faster lens that covers a wider focal range and can shoot much closer to a subject. It also promises a faster, more sophisticated AF system, improved continuous shooting, dual control dials around the lens, and Wi-Fi with NFC. The LCD has also been redesigned: it now tilts upward 180° and downward 45° - instead of flipping out to the side - and touch functionality has been added, as well. The camera is also significantly smaller than its forebear, now looking more like an over-grown S-series, rather than an out-sized G12. Something that got sacrificed in all this was the optical viewfinder, but fear not, you can buy a tilting XGA EVF for $300.
Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II key features
- 12.8 megapixel 1.5"-type CMOS sensor
- Digic 6 processor
- 24-120mm equivalent F2.0-3.9 lens with optical IS
- Dual (customizable) control rings
- Tilting 3", 1.04M dot touchscreen LCD
- 5.2 fps continuous shooting
- Maintains same angle-of-view at 4:3 and 3:2
- Wi-Fi with NFC with remote control via smartphone
- 1080/30p video recording
- Optional XGA electronic viewfinder
Accessories
There's no shortage of extras available for the G1 X Mark II. The most notable are the electronic viewfinder and custom grip.
There will be some people who decry the loss of the G1 X's built-in viewfinder but, given how small and imprecise it was, we feel the option to include of a considerably better finder (or not, if you don't want to spend the extra), is a reasonable alternative. It does, of course, mean that you need to spend more money to get a camera with a viewfinder, but that effective price increase over the G1 X also gains the faster, more versatile lens, smaller form factor and all the camera's other improvements.
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| Standard grip | Custom grip |
Other accessories include an underwater housing (WP-DC53), 58mm filter adapter (FA-DC58E), lens hood (LH-DC80), and remote shutter release (RS-60E3).
Body & Design
Controls are tightly packed on the rear of the camera, with a typical Canon PowerShot G-series layout. The dial that surrounds the four-way controller is one of three on the camera, with the other two being around the lens. The functions of each can be customized, with the available options listed at the bottom of this page.
In your hand
The G1 X II's large sensor and fast, wide-ranging lens make for a large camera. Despite that, Canon has designed the camera in such a way that it can be operated with one hand - though the front dials encourage a two-handed approach. |
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| Nearly all of the G1 X II's buttons are on the rear of the camera, to the right of the LCD. That makes things pretty cluttered, though the thumb rest should keep you from accidentally bumping something. The grip isn't terribly large but it works well enough. Those with large hands may prefer the optional 'custom grip' shown earlier. | |
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Compared to PowerShot G1 X
The design of the G1 X II has changed considerably compared to its predecessor. Gone is the 'two level' top plate - used to house the optical finder - which gives the G1 X II a more traditional rectangular shape. The grip on the G1 X II is smaller than on the original, though the optional 'custom grip' closes the gap. Also note that the front dial on the G1 X is gone on the G1 X II, replaced instead by an additional dial around the lens. |
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The back of the cameras hasn't changed too much, aside from the obvious removal of the optical viewfinder. While the controls were tight on the G1 X, they're even more crowded on the G1 X II.
Tilting touchscreen LCD
While the G1 X Mark II's 3" LCD can't flip out to the side and rotate like on its predecessors, it does have some tricks up its sleeve, one of which you won't find on any other enthusiast compact. |
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| The LCD can be tilted in the usual up and down positions. Note how the camera can stay flat even while the LCD is tilted downward. | |
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| The LCD can be tilted all the way to 180 degrees, allowing for 'selfies'. | |
Touchscreen features include the usual suspects. You can touch to focus and take a shot, navigate through menus, and flip through photos you've taken. The touchscreen is responsive and the actions (especially in playback mode) feel very smartphone-like.
Body elements
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Aside from its 1.5"-type sensor, the other 'big deal' on
the G1 X II is its 24-120mm equivalent F2.0-3.9 lens. This is a
significant improvement over the 28-112mm F2.8-5.8 lens on the G1 X, at
least in terms of spec. The lens isn't threaded, but Canon's FA-DC58E adapter, which allows you to use 58mm filters. |
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The controls on the rear of the G1 X should look familiar
to anyone who's picked up a G-series camera in recent years. A scroll
dial surrounds the four-way controller and by default serves as the
subdial for adjusting exposure. Pressing 'up' on the four-way controller opens up the Wi-Fi menu, a feature which will be described later in the review. |
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At the top-right of the camera's rear plate are buttons
for Wi-Fi, movie recording, and 'Shortcut'. The Shortcut button function
can be defined to your liking - see below for a list. The phone-like button is a quick way to connecting to a previously paired smartphone or tablet. |
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On the G1 X, there was an exposure compensation dial under the mode dial. On its successor, there's just a mode dial. In addition to the usual exposure modes, there are also Smart Auto (which selects a scene mode for you), Hybrid Auto (shoots a short movie with each still), and several 'creative' modes. |
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The G1 X II's pop-up flash, whcih is released manually, has a maximum range of 6.8m at wide-angle and 3.5m at telephoto. |
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Deep within the recesses of the hot shoe are connectors for the optional electronic viewfinder. At this point, that's the only accessory that takes advantage of this connector. |
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On the left side of the G1 X II is the flash release, speaker, and 'contact area' for tapping NFC devices. |
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The I/O ports on the camera include remote control in, USB + composite out, and micro-HDMI. The G1 X does not have microphone or headphone jacks. |
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Under a plastic door you'll find the battery and memory
card compartment. The NB-12L lithium-ion battery packs 6.8Wh of energy,
which translates into a disappointing 240 shots per charge. Due to the proximity of the tripod mount, you cannot access this compartment when the camera is attached to one. |
Controls
Although its slimmed-down styling can make it look like the G1 X Mark II has fewer control points than the G1 X, it actually has one more. A greater number of its controls are also customizable, with the most prominent being the two dials that wrap around its lens. There are also two customizable buttons - the Shortcut button and the red [Rec] button. In addition, the camera's Function menu (which has been on Canon PowerShots for what seems like an eternity) can be adjusted to your liking.Dial customization
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| The twin dials around the lens can be customized, sometimes to the point of overkill. | You can adjust the dial and button settings in the 'Function Assignment' menu item. |
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Function Menu
The G1 X II's function (shortcut) menu can also be customized, and it's about time. You can do this via the 'Func' Menu Layout which sits in the shooting settings menu. |
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| The function menu is a staple of Canon PowerShot cameras. | Here you can choose what goes in the function menu. |
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| • DR correction • Shadow correct • White balance • My colors • Bracketing • Drive mode • Self-timer |
• Light metering • ND filter • Aspect ratio • Image type • Recording pixels • Compression • Movie quality |
This persistence of the Func menu is useful if you're trying to re-take the same shot with different settings, since the Func menu pops back up after the first shot, allowing you to make a quick change for the second shot. However, it can also slow down general use of the camera: if you don't actively close the Func menu, then the control dials and several buttons are tied up with menu navigation, causing an extra delay you don't usually get with other cameras.
Main Menu
The menu system on the PowerShot G1 X Mark II is unchanged from recent Canon PowerShots, and that's just fine. The menus look good, operate smoothly, and offer 'Hints and Tips' for folks who may not know what all those items mean. |
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| The main menu is attractive, responsive, and easy to navigate. Note the help display at the bottom of the screen. | Your most commonly used menu items can be placed in 'My Menu'. |
Auto ISO
The G1 X II has a customizable Auto ISO feature that allows you to set the maximum sensitivity the camera will use, and how quickly it will increase the shutter speed. The max sensitivity ranges from ISO 400 - 12800. The 'rate of change' - available in all modes except Manual (M), doesn't let you set the minimum shutter speed, instead giving you the options 'slow', 'standard, and 'fast'. Sadly, the camera does not permit adjustment of exposure compensation when using Auto ISO in manual mode.Touch Features
The PowerShot G1 X Mark II is the first Canon G-series camera to have a touchscreen display. There aren't really any surprises here, as the G1 X II's features are no different from those found on other touch-enabled cameras we've tried.You can touch to focus or take a picture. Menus can be operated by dragging and tapping your finger. You can enlarge an image in playback mode by double tapping, and then use your finger to 'drag' the image around. Moving through images takes but a flick, and you can scroll them them faster by increasing your swiping speed.
Wi-Fi Features
The G1 X Mark II has virtually every Wi-Fi feature one could desire. The G1X II allows the following actions:- Remote control from a smartphone
- Transfer of images to smartphone
- Transfer photos to a social network or over email (via a Wi-Fi network)
- Automatic upload to Canon's cloud service or Google Drive (via a Wi-Fi network)
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| Functions in the remote capture section of the CameraWindow app are limited to what you see here. |
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When you first enter the Wi-Fi menu, you are presented with a screen with five icons. The icons represent target devices: a camera, smartphone, PC, printer, or cloud service. Setting most of those up is easy enough - you can use an existing network or have the camera be its own hotspot.
The most frustrating part of the Wi-Fi experience is setting up cloud services, which is required before you send photos anywhere else. This involves signing up for Canon's Image Gateway service, authenticating your camera (which adds Canon's cloud service to the camera), and then setting up each of the social/photo sharing networks (Facebook, Flickr, Google Drive, etc.) one at a time.
Source
DP Reviews Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II Reviews -Apr, 2014
Engadget Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II Reviews (8.0/10) -Apr, 2014
CNET Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II Reviews -Apr, 2014
Official Website
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