Introduction

Ease of Use

Outwardly the new Canon PowerShot V1 looks similar to its spiritual predecessor, the six-year-old G7 X Mark III, with most of the differences between the two models being under the hood rather than external.

Measuring 118.3 x 68.0 x 52.5 mm and weighing 426g, the Canon V1 is significantly larger and heavier than the G7 X III camera that it effectively succeeds in Canon's line-up of premium compact cameras. By comparison the G7X III measures 105 x 60.9 x 41.4mm and weighs 304g.

So it won't fit into a trouser or shirt pocket, being much more at home in a deep coat pocket or small camera bag. It has an all-metal body that feels solid in use, with all of the various external controls offer just the right amount of stiffness and resistance.

The V1 features an unusual 1.4-inch, 22 megapixel sensor that captures images either in the 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 or 1:1 aspect ratios whilst maintaining the same angle of view, even when shooting RAW images. It's essentially the same as the popular Micro Four Thirds format, just in 3:2 aspect ratio rather than 4:3.

The sensor inside the V1 is larger than the 1-inch sensor used in the G7 X Mark III, so it should on paper at least provide better image quality.

This camera doesn't have an optical viewfinder, though, and there's no way to add an electronic one either, instead relying on the rear LCD screen for image composition.

It has also lost its predecessor's very handy exposure compensation dial on top, which has been replaced by an admittedly handy switch that toggles between the stills and video modes.

The unassuming-looking front plate is dominated by the 3.1x zoom lens, with a small bulb for the built-in self-timer/AF assist lamp flanking it on the top-left. Note that there's no thread included for fitting filters to the lens. 

The V1 still doesn't have a front control dial, as featured on its EOS DSLR and mirrorless cameras and some high-end compacts, which makes changing the aperture and shutter speed a little more difficult.

Instead you use a combination of the lens control ring and the rear navigation wheel to change the aperture and shutter speed, each of which can be configured to suit your particular way of working. The lens ring can be assigned to one of nine different settings, accessed via the Ring Function menu option. 

We found the rear navigation wheel on the rear a bit too thin to use precisely and quickly, which is a shame as by default it changes the aperture/shutter speed with the lens control ring changing exposure compensation.

There's a generously sized handgrip on the front of the camera, which makes it easy to steady it in conjunction with the prominent textured pad at the back where your right thumb naturally rests.

Looking down on top of the camera from left to right, the top-plate houses the Multi-function shoe, built-in microphone that can be protected from wind by using the supplied muffler accessory, a small recessed on/off button, a springy raised nipple-style shutter release button surrounded by a rocker switch for operating the optically stabilised 3.1x zoom (16-50mm equivalent on a 35mm camera), one-touch movie record button and the shooting mode dial.

The latter control features settings for Intelligent Auto, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Manual, along with three user customisable settings, a smattering of scene modes (8 in all), and various Creative Filters.

Note that unlike the G7X III, the V1 no longer provides a folding pop-up flash, which is a shame on a camera of this type, especially as the Multi-function shoe lacks the pins for traditional flashguns.

The fact that the lens is image stabilised, says Canon, provides a five-stop advantage when shooting handheld, while the Dual Sensing 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 camera is quick to power up in less than a second, the rear LCD blinking into life with the optical zoom lens simultaneously extending from storage within the body to its maximum wide-angle setting. It starts at the equivalent of 16mm, making it very useful for selfies, landscape group portraits or getting the required shot in confined spaces.

The lens has bright enough apertures of f/2.8 at the wide-angle end of the zoom range and f/4.5 at full telephoto, although the G7X III offered F1.8 and F2.8 at either end of its longer, but not so wide, 24-100mm range. The V1 does have a larger sensor though which helps compensate for the slower apertures in terms of noise levels.

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 or to Auto if you want the camera to take control, and a horizontal Electronic Level and RGB histogram can be enabled to help with composition and exposure.

The V1 has a better continuous shooting mode than its predecessor. It can capture both JPEG and Raw images up to a whopping 30fps with no crop and full AF/AE tracking using the electronic shutter or 15fps with the mechanical shutter, compared to the G7X III which only offered 8.3fps with AF/AE tracking or cropped 30fps without.

The Canon PowerShot is now capable of 4K/60/50p movie recording thanks to the inclusion of Dual Pixel CMOS AF, although a pretty aggressive 1.4x crop is applied and you can't use digital stabilisation in this mode.

The 4K/30/25/24p video quality is thankfully shot without any crop, and there's also 1080p recording available at 120/60/50/30/25fps, depending on the region setting.

Note that the 120/100fps Full HD movies are accessed via the High Frame Rate Movie menu option and the camera can't stabilise the footage or record sound during recording in that mode.

The in-camera digital Dynamic Image Stabilisation system for movies offers three settings - off, on and enhanced - to compensate for shake during movie recording, which helps a lot when hand-holding the camera, say, for vlogging.

Other key video features include Canon Log 3 for easier colour grading, a simple UVC/UAC live streaming function, 9:16 vertical movie support, a clean HDMI output and the very welcome inclusion of a 3.5mm microphone input on the right-hand side of the camera, all of which make this one of the best-appointed cameras in Canon's massive range for vloggers.

We appreciated the greater flexibility afforded by the new vari-angle LCD screen in terms of trying out unusual and awkward framing. It can now be pulled out to the side and rotated through 270° for easier selfies and vlogging. The actual LCD panel is exactly the same as on the G7 X II, a 3 inch monitor with 3:2 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1040K dots.

The Canon V1 has a touch focus/shoot option which is on by default. To switch it off, you change the Touch Shutter option in the main menu or onscreen. This then becomes a touch focus screen which will lock onto the subject wherever you touch, with a press of the onscreen icon at the top centering the AF point again.

In playback the touchscreen can be used to change the magnification of an image by spreading and pinching two fingers, and switch between images by swiping from side to side, just like on a smartphone. You can also adjust the LCD's touch sensitivity to your liking with Standard and High settings available.

On the rear of the camera, alongside the very handy AE-Lock button is the M-Fn button which has replaced the one-touch movie record button (more logically relocated to the top panel next to the shutter button).

The new Multi Function (M-Fn) button provides quick access to ISO speed, focus point, focus mode, white balance and exposure compensation, which in conjunction with the Q/Set button and the touchscreen interface makes it easy to operate all of the camera's main photographic functions.

Underneath this pair of controls is the four-way selection or control pad, with, at points north, east, south and west another means of selecting the exposure level and deleting images in playback, choosing from the self-timer and burst shooting modes, setting the Info display mode, and activating the AF or MF focus modes.

Thanks to the new sensor the V1 now has Dual Pixel CMOS AF II technology on board, which means that it focuses much more quickly and confidently than its predecessor in either good light or bad and at both ends of the zoom range. It features built-in recognition for humans and animals, although stops short of offering the full suite of AI-driven modes of higher-end Canon cameras.

In the middle of the scroll wheel is the Q/Set button that is again consistent with other Canon compact models. Press this button when in any of the capture modes and left/right toolbars that will be familiar to Canon users appear on the screen, offering a toolbar at the bottom with further options 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 playing back your images and accessing the main menu. A press of the Menu button brings up an EOS-like menu system that matches the ones found on the company's DSLR and mirrorless cameras, making the V1 easier to navigate for those power users and still friendly enough for the less experienced.

On the right hand flank of the camera - viewed from the back - we find three covered ports for the MIC, headphones, and Micro HDMI out and USB-C 2.0 connections. You can charge the Canon PowerShot V1 via the USB port, power it out in the field using a power bank, outlet, or computer whilst shooting and use it as a webcam in 1080p quality only.

On the left is a large vented grill for the built-in fan that helps to keep the camera cool whilst recording longer length videos - in 4K/30p mode you record until either the memory card is filled or the battery/power bank runs out.

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 required for image storage. Battery life is much better than the G7 X III at around 400 photos or 1 hour 10 minutes of video from a full charge.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 22 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 9Mb.

Noise

The expanded ISO sensitivity can be set between ISO 100 and ISO 51200 in full-stop increments. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and RAW on the right.

JPEG	RAW
ISO 100	ISO 100
ISO 200	ISO 200
ISO 400	ISO 400
ISO 800	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 1600
ISO 3200	ISO 3200
ISO 6400	ISO 6400
ISO 12800	ISO 12800
ISO 25600	ISO 25600
ISO 51200	ISO 51200

File Quality

The Canon PowerShot V1 has two different file quality options - Raw and JPEG. Here are some 100% crops which show the differences.

JPEG (6.2Mb)	RAW (24.6Mb)

Focal Range

The Canon PowerShot V1's 3.1x zoom lens offers a versatile focal range of 16-50mm, as illustrated by these examples:

16mm

50mm

Chromatic Aberrations

The Canon PowerShot V1 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.

16mm

50mm

Vignetting

When shooting JPEGs, with the lens set to its maximum aperture of f/2.8, there is some obvious light fall-off in the corners, requiring you to stop down by at least 2 f-stops to prevent it.

There's a much larger amount of vignetting evident in the RAW files, though, which requires a higher degree of correction in post-production.

16mm - JPEG

16mm - RAW

50mm - JPEG

50mm - RAW

Distortion

The Canon V1 exhibits some barrel and pincushion distortion, as you can see in the photos below, which will you need to correct in post-processing.

16mm - JPEG

16mm - RAW

50mm - JPEG

50mm - RAW

Macro

The Canon PowerShot V1 has a good macro mode that allows you to focus on a subject that is 5cm away from the camera at 16mm and 15cm away at 50mm.

16mm

50mm

16mm

50mm

50mm

50mm

Bokeh

Bokeh is a word used for the out-of-focus areas of a photograph, and is usually described in qualitative terms, such as smooth / creamy / harsh etc.

With a maximum aperture of f/2.8, the PowerShot V1 creates quite nice bokeh in our view. We do realise, however, that bokeh evaluation is subjective, so we've included lots of examples below for your perusal.

16mm

50mm

16mm

50mm

HDR

The Canon V1's HDR Mode captures three different exposures and combines them into one, retaining more shadow and highlight detail, with an Auto mode, and three different strengths.

Off

Auto

1EV

2EV

3EV
 

Picture Styles

Canon's Picture Controls are preset combinations of different sharpness, contrast, saturation and colour tone settings. The PowerShot V1's seven available Picture Controls are shown below in the following series, which demonstrates the differences. There are also three User Defined styes so that you can create your own particular look.

Standard

Portrait

Landscape

Fine Detail

Neutral

Faithful

Monochrome

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Canon PowerShot V1 camera, which were all taken using the 22 megapixel Fine 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 V1 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 Movies & Video

Product Images

Conclusion

It's taken Canon six whole years to replace the popular G7 X III with the 2025 launch of the new V1, which as its V moniker suggests is a more video-focused compact camera than its predecessor.

This is predominantly down to the much wider 16-50mm lens on the V1 which makes it better suited to vlogging than the G7 X III's more photographic oriented 24-100mm range.

It also has a larger sensor than its predecessor that's more akin to a Micro Four Thirds sensor in size, but consequently the lens' maximum apertures of F2.8-4.5 are much slower than the G7's F1.8-2.8, so both noise levels are actually comparable at the various ISO values, as is the effective depth of field.

For vloggers and videographers, though, the switch to a widest focal length of 16mm is very welcome, beating the G7 X III and all of its main rivals. Again that is offset somewhat by the mandatory 1.4x crop and lack of image stabilisation when shooting 4K/60p, although you can still hold the camera at arms length and just about fit yourself in the frame.

Video performance is further enhanced by the much more confident Dual Pixel CMOS AF II auto-focus system which can detect humans and animals, unlimited recording times thanks to the built-in fan, wider dynamic range and the inclusion of Canon Log 3 for greater flexibility in post-production.

The PowerShot V1 is still a solid choice for stills photographers, with the new sensor, more capable AF and stabilization systems, and faster burst shooting offsetting the more limited focal range, larger size/weight, removal of the pop-up flash and continued lack of eye-level viewfinder.

The V1's main rivals are few and far between, most notably the Sony ZV-1 II, DJI Osmo Pocket 3, and the PowerShot G7X Mark III predecessor.

Overall, it's been worth the considerable wait for the new Canon V1 compact camera, especially for vloggers and content creators looking for an all-in-one solution that won't break the bank.

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

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Canon PowerShot V1.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Canon PowerShot V1 from around the web.

Specifications

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