Beloved by pros and amateurs alike, the Canon PowerShot series has earned its popularity. Sometimes you just don't want to lug the DSLR out, but you want more flexibility than a basic point-and-shoot can give you; and, maybe micro 4/3 just isn't where you're at. The PowerShot G1 X Digital Camera speaks to your desires, while keeping things simple.
Shoot in the basic auto mode, letting the G1 X do the leg work for you, or choose all your settings in the manual mode - allowing your creativity to run wild. Whatever you're feeling like, the G1 X builds on the good name of its predecessors, giving you an easy to carry around camera with numerous features to keep you satisfied and shooting all day long. You won't be bored or frustrated, instead you'll have a myriad of options, capable of keeping things fresh with every shot.
The shooting and photo effects in the G1 X stretch the photographer's creativity. A brief sampling of modes includes: Custom, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Handheld Night Scene, Program (and all his friends: Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority, the aforementioned manual, etc.), Super Vivid, Nostalgic, Toy Camera Effect, Monochrome, Poster Effect, and then some.
Another interesting feature is the Movie Digest which allows you to create a video of highlights from a day of shooting. When Movie Digest is on the camera will automatically record a short video clip (up to 4 seconds) every time you shoot a still image. The entire day's worth of clips will be automatically combined into a single video. Of course, the High Dynamic Range shooting mode takes a number of shots to ensure you'll get a photo that works - one underexposed, one overexposed, and one normal. All three are combined for an image that is balanced and evenly detailed with flattering shadows and highlights.
More than putting a bevy of options at your fingertips though, the G1 X also puts forth respectable image quality with an enhanced 14.3Mp 1.5" CMOS image sensor. That's over 4Mp more the company's previous permutation in the series. Other improvements include an ISO range that now reaches to 12,800, and 1080p HD video - up from 720p in the past. The camera also gives you a dedicated movie button for one-push video capture. Still in place you'll find the 28mm (35mm equivalent) lens, this time with 4x optical zoom and a 16x combined zoom option. Additionally, the camera also sports a slightly bigger LCD screen, at 3.0". The Vari-Angle option remains a hallmark of the series as does the optical viewfinder.
One could delve into a rabbit hole explaining all the twists and turns and avenues to explore with the G1 X. However, if one were to sum up the basic premise of the camera it would be that the G1 X gives you room to move in just about every direction might want to explore. Manual mode? Got it. Want to shoot 1080p video with audio? Got that too. An HDR addict? You can indulge here. What's more, while the camera has a built-in flash it also allows the user to add on optional Canon Speedlites to the hotshoe for more advanced low-light capture, among the many other features on this remarkable camera.
Normal Corrects for a wide range of camera movement when shooting stills
Panning Panning motion is detected so that IS does not interfere with desired camera movement
Macro (Hybrid) Corrects for shift-type camera shake, which typically occurs in macro (close-up) shooting
Dynamic Effective for video shooting at wide-angle focal lengths, eliminating the unwanted shaking that typically occurs while walking
Powered Compensates for hand movement when shooting video at the telephoto end of the zoom range, where camera shake is magnified
Tripod When tripod use is detected, the Image Stabilizer is stopped because it is not needed
Program The camera automatically and intelligently selects the aperture/shutter speed combination based on the shooting conditions
Movie Digest Records a video clip before capturing a still image and then combines one day's worth of clips into a videoShutter-Priority You select the shutter speed and the camera automatically selects the appropriate aperture
Aperture-Priority You set the aperture, controlling depth-of-field. The camera automatically selects the shutter speed
Manual You have complete control of exposure, selecting both aperture and shutter speed manually
Custom Define and store your own settings to achieve the effects you prefer
Portrait Brings the subject into focus while beautifully blurring the background
Landscape Increases depth-of-field for sharp and sweeping landscape shots
Kids and Pets The camera reduces focus time so you won't miss those special shots
Sports The camera uses high shutter speeds to capture fast-moving subjects
Handheld Night Scene Take clear and steady pictures at night without the use of a tripod
Super Vivid Super Vivid intensifies existing hues, saturating the scene with bright colors
Color Accent Choose to retain a single color in your image while other colors turn monochrome
Color Swap Select a color and replace it with a color you specify for special effects
High Dynamic Range The camera combines three different exposures to get one evenly lit image
Nostalgic Create the look and feel of old photographs using sepia tones and black-and-white
Beach Get clear shots of people at a sunny beach without darkened faces
Underwater
Capture underwater images with reduced backscatter effect. Optional underwater case required
Foliage Capture brilliant shots of autumn foliage, greenery, and blossoms
Snow Shoot clear snow scenes without darkened subjects or an unnatural bluish tint
Fireworks Create brilliant images of skyrocketing fireworks
Fisheye Effect Now you can get the fisheye effect - a classic photographic distortion - without a fisheye lens
Miniature Effect Give images a miniature look with an effect that emphasizes perspective by blurring the top and bottom of the image
Toy Camera Effect Simulates photos taken with "toy" or pinhole cameras, darkening the image at the edges to create a vignette
Monochrome Choose from three single-tone effects: black-and-white, sepia, or blue
Poster Effect Poster Effect combines several similar shades into one color, turning subtle gradations into eye-catching, scene-popping contrasts
Movie Capture high-quality video in HD (1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720) or VGA (640 x 480) with audio. Easily delete unwanted clips in playback mode
iFrame Movie The Apple movie format, iFrame, makes it easier and quicker to import and upload videos while retaining high image quality
High-Speed Burst HQ Captures fast-action shots at full resolution, providing continuous shooting when the shutter button is held down
Smart Shutter The camera automatically takes the photo when people smile, wink, or get into the frame
Stitch Assist Easy-to-use guidelines simplify the shooting of aligned multiple frames that can later be combined (using bundled software) to create panoramic photos