Introduction

Ease of Use

Measuring 116.7 x 80.5 x 64.7 mm and weighing 534g, the G1 X is quite a lot bigger and heavier than the G12 model, but it still retains a very similar control layout that will feel instantly familiar to recent G-series owners. Featuring a metal body with a solid feel, tank-like construction, the G1 X feels very well made indeed, with a layout that while busy avoids looking too cluttered and external controls that offer just the right amount of stiffness and resistance and are large enough to be easily and quickly accessed in the heat of the action. The G1 X won't fit into a trouser or shirt pocket, being much more at home in a deep coat pocket or a small camera bag.

The main reason for the G1 X's increase in bulk is that it's Canon’s first compact camera to feature a large, 4:3 aspect, 14.3 megapixel CMOS sensor. Measuring 18.7mm x 14mm, it's almost the same height as the APS-C sensor used in manuy DSLR cameras, with the G1 X actually featuring the same pixel size and structure as the EOS 600D camera. This should add up to better image quality especially in low-light, greater depth-of-field, and greater dynamic range, all the things that your typical compact cameras struggles to deliver.

Photographers who love getting hands-on with their cameras will relish as we did being able to turn the G1 X's top plate rangefinder-like dials to select the exposure compensation and capture options from the shooting mode dial. The G12's ISO dial has been sacrificed, though, to make room for the new pop-up flash, replaced instead by a less satisfactory button on the rear, which makes choosing the ISO speed a 3-stage process. Another grumble is that, annoyingly for a creatively rich camera, the full user guide is provided on CD only. In what comes across as a cursory gesture, only a very slim printed quick start guide is included in the box.

Front	Rear

The unassuming-looking front plate is dominated by the 4x zoom lens with filter thread for the attachment of supplementary extras, the optical viewfinder directly above and a bulb for the built-in self-timer/AF assist lamp flanking them on the left. An optional lens filter adapter which extends with the lens when using the zoom to offer full coverage throughout the zoom range allows the attachment of 58mm filters. The G1 X has a very useful front control dial, as featured on EOS DSLR cameras, which makes changing the aperture and consequently the full Manual shooting mode very easy. There's a gently sloped padded ridge by way of a handgrip to the left hand side of the G1 X - if viewed lens on - and a similarly textured small pad at the back for the thumb to grip.

From left to right the G1 X's top-plate houses the new pop-up flash and a switch for manually releasing it, along with a hotshoe for an accessory flash (in addition to the built in bulb), a penny sized wheel for adjusting exposure (+/- 3EV), plus a smaller wheel for setting the shooting mode that's mounted on top of the exposure compensation wheel, resembling the upper tier of a wedding cake.

The shooting mode dial features settings for Auto capture, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Manual, along with two user customisable settings, a smattering of scene modes (15 in all), a Creative Effects mode and finally a video mode. The upgrade to 1080p HD video quality at 1920x1080 pixels at 24fps is a big improvement on the G12's 720p quality. The G1 X also boasts stereo sound courtesy of tiny microphones positioned either side of the flash hotshoe and you can use the creative filters during recording to spice up your footage. The 4x optical zoom can now be used when filming, another improvement on the G12 which only offered a digital zoom during movie recording.

The new Creative Filters shooting mode contains 10 different options to help spice up your images. The High Dynamic Range mode is probably the most useful, automatically taking three exposures of the same scene at different settings, then combining them in-camera to create a single image with greater dynamic range. Note that you need to mount the G1 X on a tripod or stable surface to avoid camera-shake.

Side	Front

Continuing our hands-on tour of the Canon PowerShot G1 X's top plate, just to right of the exposure compensation and shooting mode dials, we find a springy raised nipple-style shutter release button surrounded by a rocker switch for operating the optically stabilised 4x zoom (28-112mm equivalent on a 35mm camera), and behind this again the on/off button. The fact that the lens is image stabilised, says Canon, provides a four-stop advantage when shooting handheld, while the Intelligent IS system analyses the focal length, focal distance and type of camera movement and applies the most appropriate mode from seven possible settings, and the Hybrid IS system makes shooting macros easier than before by counteracting both shift and angular movements.

The G1 X is quick to power up in a second or so, the rear LCD blinking into life with HS System visual and the 4x optical zoom lens simultaneously extending from storage within the body to its maximum wide-angle setting. Here, as with the G12, it's the equivalent of 28mm, making it very useful for those landscapes group portraits or getting the required shot in confined spaces. The G1 X has a respectably bright aperture of f/2.8 at the wide-angle end the zoom range, although f/5.8 at full telephoto is less impressive, it seems a necessary consequence of the physically bigger image sensor. As a further aid to landscape fans, a 3-stop neutral density filter option is provided among the function menu options, to be turned on or off as required, and the horizontal Electronic Level and RGB histogram can be enabled to help with composition and exposure.

The G1 X has a moderately impressive continuous shooting mode, which in conjunction with Tracking AF makes it well-suited to both slow and fast moving subjects. In the High-speed Burst HQ mode the G1 X takes 6 full-resolution JPEG shots at 4.5fps to help freeze fast-moving action, or you can shoot continuously at 1.9fps up to the full capacity of the memory card in JPEG format. Note that this drops to just 0.7fps if Continuous AF mode or Live View are selected.

We appreciated the flexibility presented by the adjustable screen in terms of trying out unusual and formerly awkward framing, which as well as being flipped out at right angles and rotated about its axis can be folded screen-in to the body for added protection. This monitor tilts forward through 180° and backwards through 90° in order to achieve those otherwise awkward angle shots when users can't quite get their eyes level with its optical viewfinder, such as when shooting low to the ground or over the heads of a crowd. The LCD has also been upgraded to a larger 3 inch monitor with a higher resolution of 920K dots.

Top	Flip-out LCD Screen

Fittingly enough this screen takes up the largest part of the back plate's real estate, above which is a porthole for the alternative of an optical viewfinder, complete with dioptre adjuster for glasses wearers. Although larger than you'll find on most compacts these days, it's no match at all for that typically found on even an entry level DSLR or a compact system camera, which, with a UK asking price of £699 at the time of writing, the G1 X is directly competing with. It's too small, displays no shooting information at all, and displays part of the lens barrel at the wider-angle lens focal lengths. Still, in being targeted at enthusiasts first and foremost, the best way to view this camera is as a more portable back-up to existing DSLR ownership.

Top left of the LCD is a direct print button that will be familiar to users of the Canon PowerShot range. This more helpfully doubles up in shooting mode as a user assignable shortcut key to the likes of red-eye reduction or auto exposure lock. Falling naturally under the thumb at the Canon PowerShot G1 X's rear is a playback button, to the right of which is the new one-touch movie record button, which as its name suggests instantly begins recording a movie at the current quality and creative settings.

Beneath this again is a pair of dual-purpose buttons. In playback these are the delete button, plus, alongside it, a means of jumping through batches of captured images, variously 10 or 100 at a time. In auto capture mode the left hand button acts as a way of activating face detection, while in program mode it allows the focus point to be shifted from its default central position to one of the user's choosing. The Tracking AF mode allows you to select objects from the centre of the frame and track them if they move or if the frame is recomposed. The G1 X focuses quickly enough for a compact camera in either good light or bad, with a slight delay of around 0.25 second, but it's certainly not as fast as a DSLR or the best of the compact system cameras. The second button sets Spot AE, either to the current AF point or the center of the frame.

Memory Card Slot	Battery Compartment

Underneath this pair of controls is the four-way selection or control pad, with, at points north, east, south and west a means of selecting the ISO speed (the handy Auto ISO feature allows the maximum ISO speed to be set, therefore specifying what ISO range the G1 X will use if you leave it up to its own devices), choosing from the on-board flash settings, selecting the display mode and activating normal, manual or macro focus mode, the latter disappointingly only letting you get as close as 20cms from your subject. At its centre is the Function/Set button that is again consistent with the Canon G-series. Press this button at its centre when in any of the capture modes, and an L-shaped toolbar that will be familiar to Canon users appears on the screen, offering pull out toolbars with further options from the range when you come to rest on a particular setting.

At the bottom right hand corner of the backplate are a further pairing of buttons for the metering options (evaluative, center-weighted and spot) and accessing the main menu. A press of the 'menu' button brings up a trio of folders on screen, the first the shooting menu where the likes of the AF assist beam and blink detection modes can be turned on or off, the second the set up menu where sound options and LCD brightness can be tweaked, and the third being a 'My Menu' option for commonly used functions.

On the right hand flank of the camera - viewed from the back - we find covered ports for HDMI out, an optional remote shutter release cable plus combined USB 2.0/AV out connection. On the bottom is a familiar metal screw thread for a tripod, and a sliding cover for the compartment that houses the lithium-ion battery needed for power and the SD, SDHC or SDXC cards needed for image storage. Battery life is much less impressive than the G12, at around 250 shots from a full charge rather than 370, so you'll need to budget for at least one spare battery.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 14 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 4Mb.

The Canon PowerShot G1 X produces images of excellent quality. It recorded noise-free images at ISO 80-1600, with some noise and slight colour desaturation at ISO 3200. ISO 6400 shows more obvious noise and loss of colour but still remains perfectly usable, and even the fastest setting of ISO 12800 doesn't suffer too badly.

The Canon PowerShot G1 X handled chromatic aberrations well, with limited purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations and generally at the edges of the frame. The lens exhibits a little barrel distortion at the 28mm wide-angle setting, along with softening of detail towards the corners. The built-in flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and good overall exposure, although there's noticeable vignetting at 28mm. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 60 seconds being long enough for most after-dark shots.

Anti-shake works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range. Macro performance is poor, only allowing you to focus as close as 20cm away from the subject. The images were also a little soft straight out of the Canon PowerShot G1 X at the default sharpening setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting.

Noise

There are 8 ISO settings available on the Canon PowerShot G1 X. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting for both JPEG and RAW formats.

JPEG	RAW
ISO 100 (100% Crop)	ISO 100 (100% Crop)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)
ISO 3200 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)
ISO 6400 (100% Crop)	ISO 6400 (100% Crop)
ISO 12800 (100% Crop)	ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

Focal Range

The Canon PowerShot G1 X's 4x zoom lens offers a fairly versatile focal range, as illustrated by these examples:

28mm	112mm

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting. You can change the in-camera sharpening level if you don't like the default look.

Original (100% Crop)	Sharpened (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations

The Canon PowerShot G1 X handled chromatic aberrations well during the review, with fairly limited purple fringing present around the edges of objects in high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.

Example 1 (100% Crop)	Example 2 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Canon PowerShot G1 X has a disappointing macro mode that only allows you to focus on a subject that is 20cm away from the camera. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.

Macro Shot	100% Crop

Flash

The flash settings on the Canon Powershot G1 X are Auto, On, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Slow Synchro and Off. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (28mm)	Flash On - Wide Angle (28mm)
Flash Off - Telephoto (112mm)	Flash On - Telephoto (112mm)

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Red-eye-Reduction settings caused any red-eye.

Flash On	Flash On (100% Crop)
Red-eye Reduction	Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Canon Powershot G1 X's maximum shutter speed is 60 seconds, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 100. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.

Night Shot	Night Shot (100% Crop)

Anti Shake

The Canon Powershot G1 X has an anti-shake mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with anti shake turned off, the second with it turned on. Here are some 100% crops of the images to show the results.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length	Anti-Shake Off (100% Crop)	Anti-Shake On (100% Crop)
1/6th sec / 28mm
1/4th sec / 112mm

Dynamic Range Correction

The Dynamic Range Correction mode automatically takes three exposures of the same scene at different settings, then combines them in-camera to create a single image with greater dynamic range. Note that you need to mount the G1 X on a tripod or stable surface to avoid camera-shake.

Off	Auto
200%	400%

My Colors

The My Colors function menu option contains the now familiar range of colour options for tweaking the look of your images before shooting.

Off	Vivid
Neutral	Sepia
B/W	Positive Film
Lighter Skin Tone	Darker Skin Tone
Vivid Blue	Vivid Green
Vivid Red

Creative Filters

The Creative Filters shooting mode contains 10 different options to help spice up your images.

Off	High Dynamic Range
Nostalgic	Fish_Eye Effect
Miniature Effect	Toy Camera Effect
Monochrome	Super Vivid
Poster Effect	Color Accent
Color Swap

Sample Images

As of February 2025, we are no longer providing full size sample images or videos for download.

Please contact us if you have any feedback on our new policy.

Product Images

Front of the Camera

Front of the Camera / Lens Extended

Front of the Camera / Pop-up Flash

Isometric View

Isometric View

Isometric View

Isometric View

Rear of the Camera

Rear of the Camera

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

Rear of the Camera / Turned On

Rear of the Camera / Function Menu

Rear of the Camera / Main Menu

Flip-out LCD Screen

Flip-out LCD Screen

Top of the Camera

Bottom of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Front of the Camera

Front of the Camera

Memory Card Slot

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Canon Powershot G1 X is a very difficult camera to pigeon-hole. Compared to other premium compact cameras, it's much bigger and heavier but has a much larger image sensor that delivers better images with more depth of field. Compared to a compact system camera, it offers a similar sized image sensor and body but doesn't have interchangeable lenses. Compared to a DSLR, it's much smaller with still respectable image quality, but it's not as responsive and again you can't change the lens. The G1 X is a physically large compact with a fixed zoom lens and image quality that rivals many (but not all) compact system cameras - if that description suits your needs, then the G1 X is just about worth its rather high £699 / €799 / $799.99 price-tag.

Taken on its own merits, there's little wrong with the G1 X and lots to like. Anyone that's already familiar with the Canon G-series will quickly feel at home with this new model, while those new to the system will find the plethora of external controls a real boon to their creativity. We did miss the G12's ISO dial, replaced on the G1 X by a less satisfactory ISO button and a subsequent delve into the menu system, but otherwise the user interface is customisable and extremely polished.

Likewise the G1 X's image quality is outstanding for a compact camera (with the exception of macro shooting), understandable given the large sensor that lies at its heart. If you've ever wanted DSLR-like pictures from a fixed-lens camera, then look no further than the G1 X. Sure, it can't match a DSLR or an APS-C equipped compact system camera at the higher ISO speeds, but ISO 100-1600 is eminently usable with 3200 as a backup, not something that you can say about many compacts. This performance also importantly matches Micro Four Thirds compact system cameras, making the G1 X a real challenger to the systems from Olympus and Panasonic in terms of image quality.

So if you want an all-in-one fixed-lens camera that offers a tried and trusted user interface, excellent image quality, full HD video and a versatile screen, the Canon Powershot G1 X is easy to recommend. Whether it offers enough to justify its high price tag compared to cameras with bigger sensors or interchangeable lenses is entirely up to you.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	4.5
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	5
Value for money	3.5

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Canon PowerShot G1 X from around the web.

Specifications

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