Camera test 50
Photography News | Issue 69 | photographynews.co.uk
Canon Powershot G5XMark II Canon’s latest premium compact features a neat and tidy design, a one-inch stacked 20.1-megapixel sensor and a handy 24-120mm equivalent zoom
Specs
Price
£849
Sensor 1in stacked CMOS, 20.1-megapixels Sensor format 13.2x8.8mm, 5472x3648pixels in 3:2 format ISO range 125-12,800 (25,600 extended) Lens 8.8-44mm (24-120mmequivalent in 35mm format), f/1.8-2.8 Image stabiliser Yes, optical, 4EV benefit Shutter range 30secs to 1/2000sec and B Electronic shutter 30secs to 1/25,600sec Flash sync 1/2000sec Drivemodes Up to 8fps with AF, 20fps without AF Metering system Evaluative, centre-weighted, spot Exposuremodes PASM, auto and custom Exposure compensation +/-3EV in 0.3EV steps Monitor 3in tilting LCD touchscreen, 1040k dots Viewfinder OLED, 0.39in, 2,360k dots, 100%view Focus points 31-point, face detection and tracking, in single, continuous, servo and touch AF Video 4K 3840x2160 at 29.97/25fps Full HD 1920x1080 at 119.9 /100/59.94/50/29.97/25fps, MP4 format, HD 1280 x 720 at 50fps Connectivity USB-C, HDMI type-D, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Storagemedia 1xSD card, SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS Speed Class 1 compatible) Dimensions (wxhxd) 110.9x60.9x46mm Weight 340g (including battery andmemory card) Contact canon.co.uk
Words and images by Kingsley Singleton
In the face of ever more affordable DSLRs and compact system cameras – and more and more capable smartphones – is there still a market for large-sensored compact cameras? The likes of Canon, Panasonic, Fujifilm and Sony seem to think so – andCanonhas just refreshed its range with the Canon G5XMark II. I took it onaweek’s trial, including a trip to the Isle of Skye, to seewhether it’s a viable all-in-onemodel for enthusiasts. The G5X Mark II has a 20.1-megapixel one-inch stacked CMOS sensor, a 5x optical zoom taking you froma 35mmequivalent of 24-120mm,andthedesignincludesan EVF. Other features include amassive 20fps burst mode, even inRaw. The G5XMark II certainly handles well. It’s a neat and tidy body with a retractable lens, and while its predecessor had a centrally placed electronic viewfinder (EVF), jutting out of the top plate, the Mark II gets a rangefinder-style pop-up EVF sitting on the top left of the body where you might normally expect the flash to be. Combined with its retractable lens, the new design makes for a neat little build, and it’s just about pocket friendly, though angular and boxy compared to some other models. There’s no weather sealing claimed, which is a bit disappointing. The G5X Mark II doesn’t sacrifice handlingforportability.It’sveryquick and comfortable to use, thanks in part to its grippy-feel, raised handgrip and thumb pad, which have a rubberised finish. Because of its small size, the number of inputs is minimal, but you get a nice level of manual input with
the rear control dial surrounding the D-pad, an exposure compensation dial sittingaround themainmodedial and, on the front, an aperture-style control ring on the lens barrel. It loses the front commanddial fromtheG5X, which is a shame as that was useful. In the default set-up, the latter sets aperture in aperture-priority, shutter speed in shutter-priority, and in full manual it sets aperture, while the rear control ring sets shutter speed. There’s no dedicated dial for ISO and white balance, and while they can be mapped to buttons, I found using the touchscreen for them quick and easy. More button customisation would be good, such as being able to set the exposure comp dial to shutter speed in manual mode. The G5X Mark II uses the same menus as EOS DSLRs, so they’re simple to navigate. The EVF deserves some description. Once flipped up, it’s activated by pulling the screen towards you. It’s a welcome addition, though at 0.39 inches, it’s quite small and means your eye has to be well aligned for a perfect view. The quality is good though, with a 2.36million dot organic LED panel, and an adjustable refresh rate of 60 or 120fps. It made composing in bright light easier than on the main screen, but could do with a clip shade or larger eye cup. The main three-inch touchscreen has a resolution of 1.04 million dots, and its touch input felt, to me, more accurate than many. It angles down to 45° for high-angle shooting and upwards through 180°, at which point it inverts the display, letting you shoot selfies. It’s a vital feature for vloggers, but probably less so for enthusiasts.
Above Despite the 1in sensor size, we still got some shallow depth-of- field from the G5X Mark II, here shooting at f/3.2 at the 120mm equivalent
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