Canon PowerShot G5 X Review - Photography Blog

Introduction

The Canon PowerShot G5 X is a new premium compact camera with a large CMOS image sensor and a fast lens. The metal-bodied G5 X has a 1.0-type back-illuminated 20.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor, an f/1.8-2.8, 4.2x lens with 9-blade aperture, full manual controls, shooting mode and exposure compensation dials, built-in OLED EVF with 2,360K dots, 3-inch tilting LCD touchscreen with 1.04million dots, pop-up flash and hot-shoe, DIGIC 6 processor, wi-fi and NFC connectivity, ISO range of 100-12800, full HD movie recording, 14-bit RAW image capture, 31 AF points, focus peaking function, 5.9fps burst shooting, and a lens control ring. The Canon Powershot G5 X is available in black priced at £629.99/€899.99/$749.99.

Ease of Use

Measuring 112.4 x 76.4 x 44.2 mm and weighing 377g including the battery and memory card, the Canon PowerShot G5 X features a metal body with a solid feel and sturdy construction. The G5 X feels very well made indeed, with 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 Canon PowerShot G5 X is most at home stored in a deep coat pocket or a small camera bag.

The Canon PowerShot G5 X features a large multi-aspect, 20.2 megapixel CMOS 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. The 1-inch sensor 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.

The G5 X has a very handy exposure compensation dial on top, although setting the ISO speed is a rather convoluted affair. The G5 X also has an excellent OLED optical viewfinder with 2,360K dot resolution, which in practice was a pleasure to use. One grumble is that, annoyingly for such a creatively rich camera, the full user guide is still 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. Canon have also now decided to only provide their software via download from their website.

Front of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

The Canon PowerShot G5 X's unassuming-looking front plate is dominated by the 4.2x, 24-100mm zoom lens, with a bulb for the built-in self-timer/AF assist lamp flanking it on the right. Note that there's no thread included for fitting filters. The G5 X has a front control dial, as featured on EOS DSLR cameras, which makes changing the aperture and full Manual shooting mode very straight-forward.

You use a combination of the 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. We found the rear navigation wheel on the rear a bit too thin to use precisely and quickly. In addition, the lens ring can be assigned to various different settings, including ISO speed, focus and aperture/shutter speed.

There's a small handgrip on the Canon PowerShot G5 X with a rubberised surface, which makes it easy to steady the camera, along with a textured small pad at the back for your right thumb to rest on.

Rear of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

From left to right the G5 X's top-plate houses the shooting mode dial, a small pop-up flash, a springy raised nipple-style shutter release button surrounded by a rocker switch for operating the optically stabilised 4.2x zoom, and behind this a small, recessed 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 Canon PowerShot G5 X is quick to power up in a second or so, 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 24mm, making it very useful for those landscapes group portraits or getting the required shot in confined spaces. The G5 X's lens has very bright apertures of f/1.8 at the wide-angle end of the zoom range and f/2.8 at full telephoto, plus a 9-blade aperture for better bokeh effects. 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.

Tilting LCD Screen

The G5 X has a very good continuous shooting mode, which in conjunction with Tracking AF makes it well-suited to both slow and fast moving subjects. The Canon PowerShot G5 X can capture JPEG shots at 5.9fps with the focus point locked at the first frame, or you can shoot continuously at 3.2fps with AF tracking.

The shooting mode dial features settings for Auto capture, Hybrid Auto, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Manual, along with a user customisable setting, a smattering of scene modes (8 in all), Creative Effects and Creative Shot modes, and finally a video mode, activated via the one-touch movie record button on the rear of of the camera. The Canon PowerShot can shoot 1080p HD video quality at 1920x1080 pixels at 60fps, 30fps, 25fps or 24fps, you can adjust the aperture, shutter speed and ISO, and there's manual focus peaking too. The G5 X also boasts stereo sound courtesy of tiny microphones positioned above the lens barrel, and you can use the creative filters and the optical zoom when filming.

The 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 G5 X on a tripod or stable surface to avoid camera-shake.

The Canon PowerShot G5 X in-hand

We appreciated the flexibility presented by the swivelling LCD screen in terms of trying out unusual and formerly awkward framing. The LCD is a 3 inch monitor with 3:2 aspect ratio and a high resolution of 1.04 million dots.

The Canon PowerShot G5 X has a touch focus/shoot option which is on by default. To switch it off, change the Touch Shutter option in the main menu. This then becomes a touch focus screen which will lock onto the subject wherever you touched, with a press of the Display button centering the AF point. 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 G5 X is a button for quickly connecting to a previously paired smartphone or tablet. The G5 X's wi-fi capabilities allow you to share images during playback via the Up button on the navigation pad. Simply enter a nickname for the camera and five more icons then appear, connecting the G5 X to another camera, a smartphone, a computer, a printer and the Internet respectively. Setup is relatively straight-forward for each scenario, although you'll need a basic understanding of the protocols involved. Note that you need to install the dedicated and free Canon CameraWindow app to connect the G5 X to an iOS or Android device.

Top of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

The G5 X's wi-fi functionality is also employed to tag your images with GPS data recorded by your smartphone ( latitude, longitude, altitude and shooting time) via the Canon CameraWindow app, which effectively replaces a more conventional built-in GPS system. We actually prefer having GPS built-in to the camera rather than having to sync it with an additional device, so in this regard the G5 X doesn't compare well with rivals that offer this feature, although it does side-step the issue of negatively affecting battery life. The G5 X also features NFC (Near Field Communication) technology (the same technology that's used for mobile payments), which allows you to connect it to a compatible Internet enabled device or another NFC-enabled camera by simply tapping them together.

Returning to the rear, we find the AEL and Focus Area buttons, with the Playback and Menu buttons below. 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 Setup menu where sound options and LCD brightness can be tweaked, and the third being a 'My Menu' option for commonly used functions.

Above 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, choosing from the on-board flash settings, toggling between the One Shot and Continuous AF modes, and activating normal or 5cm macro focus modes. The G5 X's 31-point AF system focuses very quickly for a compact camera in either good light or bad and at both ends of the zoom range, with a slight delay of around 0.15 second.

Side of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

At its centre is the Q//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.

On the right hand flank of the camera - viewed from the back - we find covered ports for a remote socket, HDMI out and a 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 poor, though, at around only 200 shots from a full charge.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 20 megapixel SuperFine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 8Mb.

The Canon PowerShot G5 X produces images of very good quality. It recorded noise-free images at ISO 125-800, with some noise at ISO 1600. ISO 3200 and 6400 show more obvious noise but still remain perfectly usable, although the fastest setting of ISO 12800 is best avoided.

The Canon PowerShot G5 X handled chromatic aberrations well, with some purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations and generally at the edges of the frame. The built-in flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and good overall exposure, although there's noticeable vignetting at 24mm. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and the Bulb mode being long enough for 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 good, allowing you to focus as close as 5cm away from the subject. The images were a little soft straight out of the Canon PowerShot G5 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.

The extensive range of My Color modes and Creative Filters make it easy to spice up your images, while the Dynamic Range and Shadow Correction modes help to extract more detail from the shadow and highlight areas.

Noise

There are 8 ISO settings available on the Canon PowerShot G5 X. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting for both JPEG and RAW formats.

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

The Canon PowerShot G5 X's 4.2x zoom lens offers a fairly versatile focal range, as illustrated by these examples:

24mm	100mm

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)

File Quality

The Canon PowerShot G5 Xhas 2 different JPEG image quality settings available, with SuperFine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

SuperFine (6.87Mb) (100% Crop)	Fine (4.36Mb) (100% Crop)
RAW (23.5Mb) (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations

The Canon PowerShot G5 X handled chromatic aberrations very well during the review, with a little fringing present around the edges of objects in high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.

Chromatic Aberrations 1 (100% Crop)	Chromatic Aberrations 2 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Canon PowerShot G5 X has a good macro mode that allows you to focus on a subject that is 5cm away from the camera. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card).

Macro	Macro (100% Crop)

Flash

The flash settings on the Canon Powershot G5 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 (24mm)	Flash On - Wide Angle (24mm)
Flash Off - Telephoto (100mm)	Flash On - Telephoto (100mm)

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 G5 X's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds and there's a Bulb mode too, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 30 seconds at ISO 125.

Night	Night (100% Crop)

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 G5 X on a tripod or stable surface to avoid camera-shake.

Off	Auto
200%

Shadow Correction

The Shadow Correction mode improves the shadow areas of the image without impacting on the highlights.

Off	Auto

My Colors

The My Colors function menu option contains a 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
Background Defocus	Soft Focus
Monochrome	Super Vivid
Poster Effect

Sample Images

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

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1/1600s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/2000s · f/4 · ISO 12516.18mm Download Original

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1/2000s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/2000s · f/4 · ISO 12515.79mm Download Original

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1/1250s · f/4 · ISO 12515.6mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/4 · ISO 20015.6mm Download Original

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1/1000s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/1000s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 12521.39mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/4.5 · ISO 50036.8mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/1.8 · ISO 8008.8mm Download Original

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1/1250s · f/1.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/400s · f/4 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/2.8 · ISO 125025.64mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/2.8 · ISO 100020.21mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2.8 · ISO 16036.8mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2.8 · ISO 320036.8mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/2.8 · ISO 10008.8mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/2.8 · ISO 6408.8mm Download Original

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1/40s · f/2.5 · ISO 640014.22mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/2.5 · ISO 12511.47mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 1608.8mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/5.6 · ISO 2008.8mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 64020.21mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 12525.23mm Download Original

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1/500s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/640s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/640s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/1250s · f/5.6 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/1250s · f/5 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/5 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 40032.25mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/2.8 · ISO 320015.6mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 12508.8mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 16016.38mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 400016.38mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 500010.58mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 100010.58mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 3208.8mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 2008.8mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 20015.42mm Download Original

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1/500s · f/2.8 · ISO 12521.7mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 16021.7mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/2.5 · ISO 12517.22mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 12513.61mm Download Original

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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 2008.8mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 4008.8mm Download Original

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1/80s · f/8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/400s · f/8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/8 · ISO 40036.8mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/8 · ISO 12518.14mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/2.5 · ISO 16010.58mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/2.8 · ISO 400023.71mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/2.5 · ISO 32008.8mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/2.5 · ISO 40008.8mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/2.5 · ISO 500016.18mm Download Original

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1/500s · f/2.8 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/1.8 · ISO 5008.8mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/1.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/1000s · f/1.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/2.8 · ISO 12512.9mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 12515.42mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 1608.8mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 2008.8mm Download Original

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1/400s · f/2.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/400s · f/2.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/800s · f/4 · ISO 12510.96mm Download Original

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1/640s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/500s · f/3.5 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/800s · f/3.5 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/5.6 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 25016.58mm Download Original

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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 12511.98mm Download Original

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1/800s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/5.6 · ISO 20025.64mm Download Original

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1/640s · f/5.6 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/800s · f/5.6 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/640s · f/5.6 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/5.6 · ISO 40027.86mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/2.8 · ISO 12527.86mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 12536.8mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download Original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 16023.36mm Download Original

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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 32013.91mm Download Original

Sample RAW Images

The Canon PowerShot G5 X enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Canon RAW (CR2) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

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1/1600s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/2000s · f/4 · ISO 12516.18mm Download original

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1/2000s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/2000s · f/4 · ISO 12515.79mm Download original

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1/1250s · f/4 · ISO 12515.6mm Download original

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1/320s · f/4 · ISO 20015.6mm Download original

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1/1000s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/1000s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 12521.39mm Download original

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1/200s · f/4.5 · ISO 50036.8mm Download original

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1/60s · f/1.8 · ISO 8008.8mm Download original

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1/1250s · f/1.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/400s · f/4 · ISO 12536.8mm Download original

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1/250s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/160s · f/2.8 · ISO 125025.64mm Download original

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1/125s · f/2.8 · ISO 100020.21mm Download original

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1/200s · f/2.8 · ISO 16036.8mm Download original

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1/200s · f/2.8 · ISO 320036.8mm Download original

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1/60s · f/2.8 · ISO 10008.8mm Download original

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1/60s · f/2.8 · ISO 6408.8mm Download original

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1/40s · f/2.5 · ISO 640014.22mm Download original

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1/250s · f/2.5 · ISO 12511.47mm Download original

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1/160s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/200s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 1608.8mm Download original

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1/320s · f/5.6 · ISO 2008.8mm Download original

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1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 64020.21mm Download original

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1/320s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 12536.8mm Download original

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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 12525.23mm Download original

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1/500s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/640s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/640s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/1250s · f/5.6 · ISO 12536.8mm Download original

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1/1250s · f/5 · ISO 12536.8mm Download original

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1/200s · f/5 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/200s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 40032.25mm Download original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 12536.8mm Download original

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1/100s · f/2.8 · ISO 320015.6mm Download original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 12508.8mm Download original

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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 16016.38mm Download original

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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 400016.38mm Download original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 500010.58mm Download original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 100010.58mm Download original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 3208.8mm Download original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 2008.8mm Download original

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1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 20015.42mm Download original

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1/500s · f/2.8 · ISO 12521.7mm Download original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 16021.7mm Download original

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1/320s · f/2.5 · ISO 12517.22mm Download original

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1/160s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/160s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 12513.61mm Download original

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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 2008.8mm Download original

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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 4008.8mm Download original

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1/80s · f/8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/400s · f/8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/200s · f/8 · ISO 40036.8mm Download original

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1/250s · f/8 · ISO 12518.14mm Download original

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1/60s · f/2.5 · ISO 16010.58mm Download original

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1/160s · f/2.8 · ISO 400023.71mm Download original

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1/60s · f/2.5 · ISO 32008.8mm Download original

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1/60s · f/2.5 · ISO 40008.8mm Download original

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1/100s · f/2.5 · ISO 500016.18mm Download original

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1/500s · f/2.8 · ISO 12536.8mm Download original

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1/60s · f/1.8 · ISO 5008.8mm Download original

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1/160s · f/1.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/1000s · f/1.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/100s · f/2.8 · ISO 12512.9mm Download original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 12515.42mm Download original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 1608.8mm Download original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 2008.8mm Download original

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1/400s · f/2.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/400s · f/2.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/800s · f/4 · ISO 12510.96mm Download original

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1/640s · f/4 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/500s · f/3.5 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/160s · f/5.6 · ISO 40027.86mm Download original

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1/250s · f/2.8 · ISO 12527.86mm Download original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 12536.8mm Download original

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1/200s · f/2.8 · ISO 1258.8mm Download original

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1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 16023.36mm Download original

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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 32013.91mm Download original

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 50 frames per second. Please note that this 11 second movie is 47.6Mb in size.

Download the sample movie Download the sample movie

Product Images

Front of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Front of the Canon PowerShot G5 X / Lens Extended

Front of the Canon PowerShot G5 X / Pop-up Flash

Side of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Side of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Side of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Side of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Side of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Side of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Rear of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Rear of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Rear of the Canon PowerShot G5 X / Image Displayed

Rear of the Canon PowerShot G5 X / Turned On

Rear of the Canon PowerShot G5 X / Turned On

Rear of the Canon PowerShot G5 X / Main Menu

Rear of the Canon PowerShot G5 X / Quick Menu

Tilting LCD Screen

Tilting LCD Screen

Top of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Bottom of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Side of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Side of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Front of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Front of the Canon PowerShot G5 X

Memory Card Slot

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Canon PowerShot G5 X is an excellent compact camera for enthusiast photographers, offering a very good built-in viewfinder, a fast lens, a wealth of options for shooting both stills and video, excellent image quality, speedy auto-focusing, intuitive and configurable handling, and solid construction. The 4.2x zoom lens may limit its appeal somewhat, as will the lack of 4K video recording, but for us, the new G5 X is the best-balanced model out of the G3 X, G5 X and G9 X range.

As with its siblings, the G5 X's image quality is excellent for a compact camera thanks to the 1-inch 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 G5 X, with its fast f/1.8-2.8 lens creating very nice bokeh at both ends of the zoom range when shooting wide-open. Sure, it still 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 too many compacts.

In terms of build quality and handling, the Canon PowerShot G5 X again gets most things right, offering a reassuringly well-built chassis and a plethora of customisable controls, including the lens control ring. command dial and exposure compensation dial, while the swivelling touchscreen LCD, pop-up flash and 31-point AF system are all great features.

In summary, the PowerShot G5 X is the best prosumer pocket camera that Canon have released of late, with lots of strengths and only a few weaknesses, making it a serious player in the serious compact market...

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

Main Rivals

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

Canon PowerShot G3 X

The Canon PowerShot G3 X is a prosumer super-zoom camera with a 1-inch image sensor and 25x zoom lens. The G3 X also offers built-in wi-fi/NFC connectivity, 1080p HD video at 60fps with stereo sound, a 3.2 inch tilting touchscreen LCD, lens control ring, RAW files and a full range of manual shooting modes. Read our Canon PowerShot G3 X review to find out if this is the best superzoom camera that money can buy...

Canon PowerShot G7 X

The Canon PowerShot G7 X is a prosumer compact camera with a 1-inch image sensor and fast 4.2x zoom lens. The G7 X also offers built-in wi-fi/NFC connectivity, 1080p HD video at 60fps with stereo sound, a 3 inch tilting touchscreen LCD, lens control ring, RAW files and a full range of manual shooting modes. Read our Canon PowerShot G7 X review to find out if it can beat the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III...

Canon PowerShot G9 X

The Canon PowerShot G9 X is a pocketable compact camera with a 1-inch image sensor and 3x zoom lens. The G9 X also offers built-in wi-fi/NFC connectivity, 1080p HD video at 60fps with stereo sound, a 3 inch touchscreen LCD, RAW file support and a full range of manual shooting modes. Read the World's first online Canon PowerShot G9 X review now..

Fujifilm XQ2

The Fujifilm XQ2 is an affordable premium compact camera offering a large 12 megapixel 2/3-type sensor, fast 4x optical zoom lens, high-res 3-inch screen, 12fps burst shooting, wi-fi and 1080p movie recording at 60fps. Read our Fujifilm XQ2 review complete with full-size sample JPEG and raw images, videos and more...

Leica D-Lux (Typ 109)

The Leica D-Lux (Typ 109) is a new premium compact camera that features a large Micro Four Thirds sensor, 4K video recording, fast 24-75mm lens and a class-leading electronic viewfinder, all in a camera that you can fit in a jacket pocket. Read our in-depth Leica D-Lux (Typ 109) review with sample JPEG, RAW and video files...

Olympus XZ-2

The new Olympus XZ-2 is a serious compact that's aimed at the enthusiast and professional user looking for a small yet capable camera. A 12 megapixel 1/1.7 inch CMOS sensor, fast f/1.8 maximum aperture, high-res 3-inch tilting touch-screen LCD, and a full range of manual shooting modes should be enough to grab your attention. Read our expert Olympus XZ-2 review, complete with full-size JPEG, RAW and movie samples.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 is a premium compact camera like no other. The LX100 features a large Micro Four Thirds sensor, 4K video recording, fast 24-75mm lens, class-leading electronic viewfinder, all in a camera that you can fit in a jacket pocket. Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 review with sample JPEG, RAW and video files to find out just what this exciting new camera is capable of...

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV is the latest version of Sony's flagship pocket camera for enthusiasts, now offering 4K video recording, a new image sensor and an electronic shutter. Is this the ultimate compact camera? Read our Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV review to find out...

Review Roundup

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

stuff.tv »

One of two recently-launched additions to Canon’s collection of high-end compact cameras, the PowerShot G5 X is the first G series snapper to come with an OLED electronic viewfinder, which it teams up with a touchscreen, a large sensor, a wide aperture lens and metal construction. Read the full review »

Specifications

IMAGE SENSOR

Type

1.0 type back-illuminated CMOS

Effective Pixels

Approx. 20.2M (Aspect ratio 3:2) [14]

Effective / Total Pixels

Approx. 20.9M

Colour Filter Type

Primary Colour

IMAGE PROCESSOR

Type

DIGIC 6 with iSAPS technology

LENS

Focal Length

8.8 – 36.8 mm (35 mm equivalent: 24 – 100 mm)

Zoom

Optical 4.2x ZoomPlus 8.4x Digital Approx. 4x (with Digital Tele-Converter approx. 1.6x or 2.0x [1]) Combined approx. 17x

Maximum f/number

f/1.8 - f/2.8

Construction

11 elements in 9 groups (1 double sided aspherical lens, 1 single sided aspherical UA lens, 1 single sided aspherical lens and 1 UD lens)

Image Stabilisation

Yes (lens-shift type), approx. 3-stop [13]. Intelligent IS with 5-axis Advanced Dynamic IS

FOCUSING

Type

TTL

AF System/ Points

AiAF (31-point, Face Detection or Touch AF with Object and Face Select and Track), 1-point AF (any position is available or fixed centre)

AF Modes

Single, Continuous, Servo AF/AE [6], Touch AF

AF Point Selection

Size (Normal, Small)

AF Lock

Yes, via customisable buttons

AF Assist Beam

Yes

Manual Focus

Yes, plus MF Peaking

Focus Bracketing

Yes

Closest Focusing Distance

5 cm (Wide) from front of lens 40 cm (Tele) from front of lens

EXPOSURE CONTROL

Metering modes

Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot (centre or linked to Touch AF frame)

AE Lock

Yes, via customisable buttons

Exposure Compensation

+/- 3 EV in 1/3 stop increments Manual and automatic dynamic range correction Automatic shadow correction ND Filter (3-stop) On/ Auto/ Off [16]

AEB

1/3 – 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments

ISO sensitivity

125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200, 4000, 5000, 6400, 8000, 10000, 12800 [15] AUTO ISO: 125 - 12800 (possible to set Max. ISO speed and rate of change)

SHUTTER

Speed

1 – 1/2000 sec. (factory default) 1/8 - 1/2000 sec. (Movie Mode) BULB, 30 – 1/2000 sec. (total range – varies by shooting mode)

WHITE BALANCE

Type

TTL

Settings

Auto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Underwater, Custom 1, Custom 2 Multi-area WB correction available in Smart Auto White Balance Compensation Colour adjustment in Star mode

COLOUR MATRIX

Type

sRGB

Viewfinder

EVF (0.39 type), Approx. 2,360K dots, OLED

Viewfinder / Coverage

Approx. 100%

Eyepoint / Dioptre Correction

Approx. 22 mm (from eyepiece lens centre) -3.0 to +1 m-1 (dioptre)

LCD MONITOR

Monitor

Vari-angle 7.5 cm (3.0”) Touchscreen LCD (TFT). 3:2 aspect ratio. Approx. 1,040,000 dots. Capacitive type

Coverage

Approx. 100%

Brightness

Adjustable to one of five levels. Quick-bright LCD

FLASH

Modes

Auto, Manual Flash On / Off, Slow Synchro

Slow Sync Speed

Yes. Fastest speed 1/2000 sec.

Red-Eye Reduction

Yes

Flash Exposure Compensation

+/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments. Face Detection FE, Safety FE, Smart Flash Exposure

Flash Exposure Lock

Yes

Manual Power Adjustment

3 levels with internal flash (up to 19 levels with external EX Speedlites 270EX II, 320EX, 430EX, 430EX II. 22 levels with 430EX III-RT, 580EX II and 600EX-RT [2])

Second Curtain Synchronisation

Yes

Built-in Flash Range

50 cm – 7.0 m (W) / 50 cm – 4.0 m (T)

External Flash

E-TTL with EX series Speedlites [2] Canon High Power Flash HF-DC2

SHOOTING

Modes

Smart Auto (58 scenes detected), Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Custom, Hybrid Auto, Creative Shot, SCN (Portrait, Self-Portrait, Star (Star Nightscape, Star Trails, Star Portrait, Star Time-Lapse Movie), Handheld Night Scene, Fireworks, High Dynamic Range, Nostalgic, Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Background Defocus, Soft Focus, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect), Movie

Modes in Movie

Smart Auto (21 scenes detected), Standard, Program AE, Manual, Portrait, Nostalgic, Miniature Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Fireworks, Short Clip, iFrame Movie

Photo Effects

My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color)

Drive modes

Single, Auto Drive, Continuous, Continuous with AF, Self-Timer

Continuous Shooting

Approx. 5.9 shots/sec [12] with AF: Approx. 4.4 shots/sec (all speeds are until memory card becomes full) [3][4]

RECORDING PIXELS / COMPRESSION

Image Size

3:2 - (RAW, L) 5472 x 3648, (M1) 4320 x 2880, (M2) 2304 x 1536, (S) 720 x 480 4:3 - (RAW, L) 4864 x 3648, (M1) 3840 x 2880, (M2) 2048 x 1536, (S) 640 x 480 16:9 - (RAW, L) 5472 x 3080, (M1) 4320 x 2432, (M2) 1920 x 1080, (S) 720 x 408 1:1 - (RAW, L) 3648 x 3648, (M1) 2880 x 2880, (M2) 1536 x 1536, (S) 480 x 480 Resize available in playback (M2, S) for JPEG images

Compression

RAW, Superfine, Fine

Movies

(Full HD) 1920 x 1080, 59.94 / 50 / 29.97 / 25 / 23.98 fps (HD) 1280 x 720, 29.97 / 25 fps (L) 640 x 480, 29.97 / 25 fps Star Time-Lapse Movie (Full HD) 29.97 / 25 / 14.99 / 12.5 fps Miniature Effect (HD, L) 6 / 3 / 1.5 fps Hybrid Auto (HD) 29.97 / 25 fps iFrame Movie (Full HD) 29.97 / 25 fps

Movie Length

(Full HD & HD) Up to 4 GB or 29 min. 59 sec. [7] (L) Up to 4 GB or 1 hour [4] (Star Time-Lapse Movie) up to 128 sec

FILE TYPES

Still Image Type

JPEG compression (Exif 2.3 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system and DPOF ver. 1.1 compliant), RAW (14bit, Canon original RAW 2nd edition), RAW+JPEG

Movies

MP4 [Video: MPEG-4 AVC / H.264, Audio: MPEG-4 AAC-LC (stereo)] iFrame

DIRECT PRINT

Canon Printers

Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and Canon Inkjet Printers supporting PictBridge

PictBridge

Yes (via USB or Wireless LAN)

OTHER FEATURES

GPS

GPS via Mobile (linked to a compatible smartphone)

Red-Eye Correction

Yes, during shooting and playback

My Camera / My Menu

My Menu customisation available

Intelligent Orientation Sensor

Yes

Histogram

Yes, live histogram

Playback zoom

Yes, enabled in 10 steps

Self Timer

Approx. 2 or 10 sec., Custom

Menu Languages

English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, Chinese (traditional), Japanese, Korean, Thai, Arabic, Romanian, Farsi, Hindi, Malay, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Hebrew

INTERFACE

Computer

Hi-Speed USB (MTP, PTP) DIGITAL connector

Other

HDMI Micro Connector Remote Switch Connector

Computer/Other

Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11b/g/n), (2.4 GHz only), with Dynamic NFC support [11]

MEMORY CARD

Type

SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS Speed Class 1 compatible)

SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM

PC & Macintosh

Windows 10 / 8 / 8.1 / 7 SP1 [18] Mac OS X 10.9 / 10.10 For Wi-Fi connection to a PC: Windows 10 / 8 / 8.1 / 7 SP1 Mac OS X 10.9 / 10.10 For Image Transfer Utility: Windows 10 / 8 / 8.1 / 7 SP1 Mac OS X 10.9 / 10.10

SOFTWARE

Other

CameraWindow DC Map Utility Image Transfer Utility Camera Connect available on iOS and Android devices

Image Manipulation

Digital Photo Professional for RAW development

POWER SOURCE

Batteries

Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-13L (battery and charger supplied)

Battery life

Approx. 210 shots Aprrox. 215 shots with in-built EVF Eco mode approx. 320 shots Approx. 240 min. playback

A/C Power Supply

Optional, AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC110 Charging via USB available with Compact Power Adaptor CA-DC30E [17]

ACCESSORIES

Cases / Straps

Camera Jacket DCC-1850 Neck Strap NS-DC12 PowerShot Accessory Organizer

Flash

Canon Speedlite (including 270EX, 270EX II, 320EX, 430EX, 430EX II, 430EX III-RT, 580EX, 580EX II and 600EX-RT [2]) Speedlite Transmitter (ST-E3-RT, ST-E2) Speedlite bracket SB-E2 Off-Camera Shoe Cord OC-E3 Canon High Power Flash HF-DC2

Remote Controller/ Switch

Remote Switch RS-60E3

Power Supply & Battery Chargers

AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC110, Compact Power Adaptor CA-DC30E, Battery Charger CB-2LHE

Other

Interface cable IFC-600PCU

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Operating Environment

0 – 40 °C, 10 – 90% humidity

Dimensions (WxHxD)

112.4 x 76.4 x 44.2 mm

Weight

Approx. 377 g (including battery and memory card)

Your Comments

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1. Introduction
2. Ease of Use
3. Image Quality
4. Sample Images
5. Product Images
6. Conclusion
7. Main Rivals
8. Review Roundup
9. Specifications
10. Comment

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