Canon PowerShot G5 X Review
Key Features
- 20.2MP 1″-type BSI CMOS sensor
- DIGIC 6 processor
- F1.8-2.8, 24-100mm equiv. lens
- Optical image stabilization
- Built-in ND filter
- 3″ fully articulating touchscreen LCD
- 2.36M-dot electronic viewfinder
- 1080/60p video
- Wi-Fi with NFC
The PowerShot G5 X is one of the latest members of Canon’s 1″-type sensor family, which began with the G7 X in 2014. It takes what made that camera appealing – namely its sensor, lens, and direct controls, and puts them into a body that adds an electronic viewfinder, fully articulating touchscreen LCD, hot shoe, and additional control dial – all without a large increase in size.
The G5 X’s 20.2MP 1″-type BSI CMOS sensor – designed by Sony and first used in its RX100 II and III – performs very well and, given that the image pipeline on the G5 X is the same as its predecessor’s, should continue to do so. The 24-100mm F1.8-2.8 optically stabilized lens is also the same as on the G7 X, so there shouldn’t be any surprises there, either.
From a feature standpoint, the G5 X is essentially the same as the G7 X. You’ve got your manual exposure controls, customizable buttons and dials, built-in neutral density filter, Raw support, 6 fps continuous shooting (JPEG only), a fun star trail mode, 1080/60p video recording and Wi-Fi with NFC.
Sadly, two of the G7 X’s most disappointing traits have carried over to the G5 X, namely sluggish Raw shooting performance and lackluster battery life.
Meet the Family
 |
| From left to right: the PowerShot G1 X Mark II, G3 X, G5 X, G7 X, and G9 X |
There are now five members in Canon’s premium compact’ family: the G1 X Mark II, G3 X, G5 X, G7 X and G9 X. The G1 X Mark II is the flagship model, using a considerably larger 1.5″-type sensor instead of the 1″-types used by the rest of the group.
The G7 X is Canon’s original 1″-type sensor camera, and the models that have followed are a variation on the same theme. The G3 X is the long zoom model, the G5 X is for the EVF crowd, and the G9 X is an ultra-compact model with a shorter, slower lens.
Here’s a quick table to help you sort out the differences between the five models:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
That’ll do it for comparisons – let’s dive into the world of the PowerShot G5 X now.
