Introduction

Ease of Use

Front of the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II

Somewhat unusually for a “Mark II” version of a camera, the Canon G5 X Mark II is quite a departure from its predecessor. The biggest difference is that the viewfinder is no longer found centrally mounted on the camera’s top-plate, but instead is found to the left, retracted into the body - in fact the camera is very close in size and design to the Sony RX100 range, which also features a pop-up, 0.39-inch, 2.39-million dot viewfinder.

Canon clearly had the aim of making the Canon Powershot G5 X Mark II much more svelte and therefore better able to fit in a pocket. Changing the viewfinder style - as well as removing the fully articulating screen - sees it have much more diminutive dimensions that make it more appealing as a carry around or day trip type of camera.

On the front of the Canon G5 X II is - considering the size of the camera - a reasonably chunky finger grip which makes it feel pretty secure in the hand. Indeed, it feels much nicer than the smooth, flat bodies of the Sony RX100 series which have always felt just a little bit too slippery and perilous.

Rear of the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II

In order to use the viewfinder, first of all you’ll need to push down a switch on the side of the camera, and then pull the eyepiece out from the popped up finder. This is something that older RX100 models used to feature, but have since been changed to a fully ready to go version on the Mark VI and VII models.

Here on the Canon G5 X Mark II it’s a slightly frustrating two-step process that could potentially lead to missed shots on occasion, but there’s nothing to stop you from leaving the finder in its popped out state when in the midst of a shooting session. The viewfinder is on the small side, naturally, but it’s still quite pleasant to use if you prefer composing your images in this way.

Announced at the same time as the G7 X Mark III, it’s fair to say that the G5 X Mark II’s target audience is those who are more concerned with photography than video (while the reverse is true for the G7 X Mark III). Although the G5 X Mark II can shoot uncropped 4K, crucially it is missing a microphone input, so it’s more for casual video recorders than anybody with a serious penchant for the moving image.

On the rear of the Canon G5 X Mark II is a tilting touch-sensitive 1040k-dot LCD screen. It tilts downwards, as well as all the way forwards for framing selfies and videos. You can use the screen to change the focus point as well as making selections in both the quick menus and the main menus. It’s best used in conjunction with the various physical buttons which are found on the body of the G5 X Mark II, which we’ll come to shortly.

Front of the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II

Just like the G7 X Mark III, the Canon G5 X Mark II has a ring around the lens which you can use to adjust various parameters, depending on both the shooting mode and what you assign to it in the main menu. In its default setup, you can use it to adjust aperture, which is a nice touch for traditional photographers. If you prefer though, you can also set it to adjust exposure compensation, ISO, white balance, zoom and more.

By default, the 5x optical zoom is controlled by a rocker switch around the on/off button on the top of the camera. The zoom is quite smooth and fluid, reaching the furthest focal length not too quickly and not too slowly. If you are shooting in JPEG only, you’ll also be able to activate two kinds of digital zoom, but as these are essentially just a crop, it’s probably best to avoid them unless absolutely necessary.

Also on top of the Canon Powershot G5 X Mark II is a mode dial which contains all the various exposure modes the G5 X Mark II offers. There’s a full complement of manual and semi-automatic modes (like aperture priority, shutter priority, manual and so on), as well as fully automatic, scene modes, digital filter modes and a fun mode which captures a short video clip with every shot taken, compiling an overview video of the day’s events.

The Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II's Flip-up Screen

Just underneath the mode dial is a dedicated dial for adjusting exposure compensation - but you can only use this dial in the semi-automatic or manual modes. It’s a shame it can’t be customised to control a different parameter in different modes, but it’s easy enough to ignore the dial if you don’t need it as it’s recessed into the body of the camera.

Where the viewfinder was found on the older G5 X, there’s now an inbuilt flash, which can be popped up by pressing a button on the top of the camera. When you’re done with it, simply push the flash back into place.

Flipping to the back of the Canon G5 X Mark II, all the buttons here can be found on the right hand side, making it easy to make all the necessary adjustments with just your right hand. If you’ve ever used a Canon compact camera before, this should be a pretty familiar layout as not a great deal has changed over the years.

There’s an AE lock button, video record button, a scrolling dial which doubles up as a four way navigational pad, a playback button and a main menu button. A quick menu can be accessed by pressing the central button in the navipad. A couple of the buttons can be customised to control different functions by default, while the scrolling dial can be switched off entirely if you prefer.

The Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II's Pop-up Viewfinder

Each of the directional keys controls a specific function. Press the left key to choose between different focusing modes (macro, normal and manual), press the up key to access the different drive modes (single, high speed continuous, low speed continuous, self-timer), press the right key to access flash modes, while the down key controls the display - for example you can switch on a digital level and a histogram, which can come in very handy.

In the quick menu you’ll find an array of settings which you might like to change relatively frequently. Here are options such as ISO, switching on raw format shooting, enabling the inbuilt ND filter and so on.

The Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II In-hand

In terms of focusing, the Canon G5 X Mark II is pretty good, but it’s safe to say that it can be beaten by the more advanced Sony RX100 VI and VII models (though it’s worth noting that the Sonys are significantly more expensive).

While the Sony cameras offer such useful functions as Eye AF, and very impressive subject tracking, the G5 X Mark II is a little more staid. Using the G5 X Mark II with static - or reasonably static - subjects you are unlikely to have much cause for complaint, but since it doesn’t use Canon’s Dual Pixel AF and relies solely on contrast detection, you might find there are occasions when it doesn’t quite lock on to the subject as quickly as you might like.

Battery life is a little on the limited side with the Canon G5 X Mark II. Battery life is officially rated at 180 shots when using the EVF, or 230 shots if you stick with just the screen. On the plus side, USB charging is now available so you might like to carry a power bank with you if on your travels without access to a wall socket.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 20 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 7Mb.

We’ve always been impressed by the image quality produced by those in Canon’s “G” series compacts, and the Powershot G5 X Mark II builds on that heritage impressively well.

In good light, images are bright, punchy and pack lots of great detail and pleasing levels of saturation. Having an f/1.8 - f/2.8 maximum aperture means you can create attractive shallow depth of field effects, while an inbuilt ND filter ensures that the images aren’t overexposed, even in bright sunlight. Switching to macro focusing also enables you to get nice and close to the subject to fill the frame.

In lower light conditions, the G5 X Mark II puts in a decent performance. Again it really helps having a maximum wide aperture so that you can endeavour to keep the ISO as low as possible. However if you do find yourself needing to use high speeds, such as ISO 3200 and beyond the results are still good - ISO 6400 is where you’ll really start to see some loss of detail, but it’s not too bad if you’re only intending to share online or print at a small size.

The automatic white balance setting does a good job with a range of different lighting conditions, producing mostly accurate colours in most situations. Similarly, the all-purpose metering system generally copes well to produce well-balanced exposures without too much call to adjust exposure compensation most of the time.

Image quality is good throughout the G5 X Mark II’s 5x optical zoom range - it’s best at the wide-angle end, but that’s not particularly unusual. It’s a nicely flexible range, with the ability to shoot at f/2.8 at the telephoto end also helpful when light is on the low side.

Noise

JPEG	RAW
ISO 125 (100% Crop)	ISO 125 (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

24mm

120mm

Flash

Flash Off

Flash On

Wide-angle / Flash Off

Wide-angle / Flash On

Telephoto / Flash Off

Telephoto / Flash On

Macro

Night

Night

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II camera, which were all taken using the 20 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Canon RAW (CR3) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

Product Images

Conclusion

With the introduction of the G5 X Mark II and the G7 X Mark III being at the same time, it’s clear Canon is sending the message that it has something available for every type of consumer. The G5 X Mark II is the better option out of the two if stills photography is your main concern, while vloggers will likely be drawn towards the G7 X Mark III.

There will be a lot of comparisons drawn between the G5 X Mark II and the latest RX100 models, such as the Mark VI and the VII. However, at a retail price of just under £800, it would be fairer to compare it to some of the older Sony models, particularly the RX100 IV which is currently available for around the same price.

In which case, with the Canon you get a longer focal length lens, plus a touch-sensitive screen as well as a similar pop up and pull out type of viewfinder. Therefore, if £800 is your budget, then it’s easy to recommend the Canon over the Sony in this context, no matter how disappointing it is that Canon is releasing cameras which compete with four year old models, rather than standing up against the latest and greatest.

Putting all comparisons aside for the moment and looking at the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II on its own though and it’s a very likeable camera. Its small pocket-friendly size, plus the viewfinder and screen combination make it a very pleasant holiday or travel camera. It’s nice to use, with a good array of buttons and dials, plus a good handgrip for making it feel secure in the hand.

If you like to capture the odd video, having uncropped 4K is good - and while some will be disappointed not to have an external mic input, for family videos and the like, the inbuilt mic is perfectly adequate.

Although there’s a lot to like about this camera, there’s also a few negative points which deserve to be mentioned. Battery life is a little limited, especially for a travel camera, while it could do with more customisation options to change how various buttons work. Autofocusing is decent with static subjects, but as soon as you introduce a bit of movement, then the results aren’t quite so good - especially disappointing for a camera that offers such fast burst shooting.

£800 is quite a lot to spend on a compact camera, it’s true, but if you want something which offers fantastic image quality - above and beyond what even a top-of-the-line smartphone can achieve - but also fits in your pocket, then the G5 X Mark II is easy to recommend. If money is no object, look towards the ridiculously advanced Sony RX100 VI and VII, but be prepared to spend big bucks.

Overall, the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II might not set the world alight with class-leading technology, but it is solid, dependable and very good as a pocketable travel-friendly camera.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	4
Ease-of-use	4
Image quality	4
Value for money	4

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II from around the web.

Specifications

News

Canon have unveiled two new, high-quality compact cameras for enthusiast photographers and vloggers, the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II and PowerShot G7 X Mark III.

The Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II is available to pre-order from 9th July 2019 and on sale in August 2019 priced at £849.99/€999.99.

The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III is also available to pre-order from 9th July 2019 and on sale in August 2019 priced at £699.99/€849.99.

Canon UK Press Release

United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, 09 July 2019 – Canon Europe today bolsters its prestigious PowerShot G series with two new large sensor compact cameras that deliver a harmonious blend of performance and portability. With high speed continuous shooting and 4K movie (no crop), Canon provides content creators, vloggers and photography enthusiasts with a model to take their creativity and technical capabilities to the next level. Building on the quality of Canon’s existing range, the PowerShot G5 X Mark II features a new 5x f/1.8-2.8 lens and pop-up EVF, perfect for passionate photographers in need of a lightweight yet powerful travel camera. Meanwhile, the PowerShot G7 X Mark III boasts a 4.2x f/1.8 – 2.8 zoom lens and 3.5mm microphone input, providing content creators and aspiring vloggers with both incredible image quality and pin-sharp sound. 

High quality imaging in a compact body

Weighing only 340 and 304 grams respectively, both the PowerShot G5 X Mark II and the PowerShot G7 X Mark III employ Canon’s powerful DIGIC 8 image processor for unbeatable shooting performance in a pocket-sized camera. With a 20.1 megapixel 1.0-type stacked sensor, both models achieve sensational image quality and vibrant colours for photos and 4K video footage. Making use of the CR3 RAW format, the latest additions to Canon’s G series have a wide dynamic range fully supported by Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) and other major third-party developing software, giving users greater flexibility during post-production. 

The PowerShot G5 X Mark II is equipped with a superb 5x zoom lens – developed using Canon’s optical excellence expertise – to create crisp imagery for advanced photographers looking for a secondary camera. Along with its incredibly fast f/1.8-2.8 aperture, this model is perfect for low-light shooting scenarios such as capturing cities after dark – helping photographers to shoot further, faster and brighter than ever before. Comparatively, the PowerShot G7 X Mark III has a 4.2x f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens to help vloggers, who film in varying locations and conditions, shoot high-resolution videos, whatever the lighting. The shallow depth of field, produced by the large aperture in the latest additions to Canon’s PowerShot G series, allows photographers to capture subjects with stunningly sharp detail and create a beautiful bokeh effect for professional-looking images. 

Complete creative control from Auto to Manual

For both advanced photography enthusiasts and vloggers looking to build their profile, these new compact cameras provide complete creative control in both Auto and Manual modes. From the first touch, the PowerShot G5 X Mark II and the PowerShot G7 X Mark III feel familiar and easy to use, with a menu design inspired by Canon’s best-in-class EOS cameras. With DSLR-like levels of control and personalisation with these models, users can enhance their technical abilities while on the go. A control ring provides users with direct access to crucial settings for a more hands-on approach and simpler operation. The PowerShot G5 X Mark II’s corner mounted pop-up OLED Electronic View Finder (EVF) with 100 per cent coverage and 2.36m dots allows for easier creative compositions, while the tilting touchscreen provides excellent visibility of shots from a wide variety of angles. For vloggers, the touchscreen feature on the PowerShot G7 X Mark III guarantees the ability to capture videos and photos of themselves in perfect focus – positioned correctly in the frame, for flawless looking content.

The PowerShot G5 X Mark II and the PowerShot G7 X Mark III both provide autofocus with confidence. A useful AF+MF feature has also been incorporated to allow for the focus to be manually adjusted, even after the autofocus has been achieved, to precisely capture subjects. A built-in ND filter promises stunning images with bold colours even when capturing in bright light.

To ensure users never miss a moment whilst travelling or on a city break, both cameras provide fast autofocus and incredible shooting speeds of 20fps in continuous mode. Both models also have a 30fps RAW Burst mode guaranteeing that even the most spontaneous moments can be captured. These unique capabilities make the PowerShot G5 X Mark II and the PowerShot G7 X Mark III essential for travel photographers and vloggers in need of a lightweight yet reliable camera.

Future-proof your content in 4K

Users of both cameras can create smooth, shake-free videos when filming on the go – whether they’re walking on uneven terrain or travelling in a vehicle, thanks to the in-camera digital image stabilisation. The HDR movie function minimises the loss of detail and the enhanced dynamic range enables video enthusiasts to unleash their creativity and capture natural-looking footage. These new compact cameras will future-proof both video and still imagery, thanks to super 4K movie quality, for vloggers and photographers looking to upskill their videography capabilities. Frame rates up to 120fps in Full HD mode create a beautifully smooth slow-motion footage ideal for vloggers B-roll, while a vertical shooting mode produces footage purposefully designed for social media. Automatic settings are also available for movie capture in both the PowerShot G5 X Mark II and the PowerShot G7 X Mark III to produce balanced exposure and high image quality – ideal for those developing their skills and defining their style. Manual control of shutter speed, aperture and ISO are still available to offer video enthusiasts the opportunity to develop their technical skills. 

Stay connected on the go 

The compact nature and improved connectivity of these models makes them the perfect companion for vloggers and photographers on the go. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth®  connectivity allow users to capture spontaneous moments and send them to their computer, phone or social media instantly; while a live streaming function on the PowerShot G7 X Mark III enables vloggers the ability to share live content with their social media followers for real-time engagement. When connected to a compatible smart device, the PowerShot G5 X Mark II and the PowerShot G7 X Mark III can receive GPS coordinate information for images automatically, helping to simplify the process when tagging images on social media.  A clean HDMI output for streaming and external recording, using the cameras in conjunction with an external device, simplifies production workflows for users of both cameras.

Pricing & Availability

The Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II is available to pre-order from 9th July 2019 and on sale in August 2019, with the following RSPs:

• PowerShot G5 X Mark II: £849.99/€999.99

• PowerShot G5 X Mark II with Battery Kit: £899.99/€1,049.99

The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III is available to pre-order from 9th July 2019 and on sale in August 2019 with the following RSPs:

• PowerShot G7 X Mark III: £699.99/€849.99

• PowerShot G7 X Mark III with Battery Kit: £769.99/€899.99

Combined Key Features of the PowerShot G5 X Mark II and the PowerShot G7 X Mark III:

• New 20.1MP 1.0-Type stacked sensor

• DIGIC 8

• 4K movie (no crop)

• 120 fps Full HD movie

• 20fps in continuous mode and 30ftp RAW Burst mode 

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® connectivity

• Jacket pocket size and weight

PowerShot G5 X Mark II Key Features:

• New 5x f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens

• Pop-up EVF

PowerShot G7 X Mark III Key Features:

• 4.2x f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens

• Live streaming

• Microphone input

Image Gallery

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Hands On

Want to see exactly what the new Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II premium compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II camera.

Hands-on photos of the new Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II premium compact camera.

Image Gallery

Click on a thumbnail to see the full version.

Preview Images

​Ahead of our full review, here are some sample images taken with the new Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II premium compact camera.

A gallery of sample images and movies taken with the Canon PowerShot G5 X II compact camera.

Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II Sample Images

Sample RAW Images

The Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Canon RAW (CR3) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

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