Product ReviewsCanon PowerShot G1 X 14.3MP Digital Camera - Black

The Best for IQ in a Relatively Compact Camera

Want high end DSLR image quality in a relatively compact camera? This is about as close as you can come. Pixel peeping yields stunning results. I liked it so well I bought two. Build quality and features are excellent. A very likeable camera. Be sure to get the leaf opening lens cap and install it AFTER removing the outer lens ring.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: shutterblade

Fantastic Tool!

This is a great camera for me. I am not a professional, just an enthusiastic amateur. I spent two weeks scouring reviews and spec sheets, visiting camera stores, and talking to people before I decided on this camera. What I was looking for was a camera that would maximize picture quality and hopefully still be portable and affordable. Some of the smaller "point and shoot" cameras take beautiful photos, but the controls are all in menus and I wanted the basic controls to be physical dials and buttons on the camera. So, as part of the process, I began narrowing down to the Fujifilm pair (X100 and X10). I ruled out any cameras with interchangeable lenses (mirrorless) because they are not as portable, well-balanced in the hand, and they did not seem as well-built. I was tempted toward the X100 because it is well-built and takes beautiful photos, but the fixed focal length was a deterrent. I ruled out the X10 because of the way it handles RAW images (poorly as per the reviews) and the build quality seems a little cheap. The one review comment that tells of a drawback to the G1X is the poor macro focusing ability. This seemed a small sacrifice to me, since the rest of the focal range is so good. The lens rating of 2.8 is not as good as the 2.0 on the X10, but I believe that the photos it will take are still stunning and I could live without the better bokeh in that case.

So then I got the camera. Bought it from an eBay seller who had taken it out of the box and used it for about 200 pictures, so I was able to get it for $535 delivered to me. WHAT a camera! I love it. It is solid and hefty (like my Nikons of old) and yet not too big to carry around. Whereas an SLR would have taken photos just as good (and not argualbly much better) this camera doesn't scream "look at me I am taking pictures" the way an SLR does -- allows me to be a little more low key in that case. But the large sensor gives a tremendous advantage over other cameras this size (except mirrorless which almost have the same size sensor) because I can take a photo and not concern myself with perfect composition -- when I crop it later, I still get a great image even as it is resized to a more usable size because there is so much data left in the cropped image. I love that.

I have taken a few hundred images with the camera and am still learning about it and about photography in general. I am using the Canon software together with Pixelmator (for Mac) to process the photos after I take them and I love the results.Read full review...

Good image quality in this price range camera.

Good product compromises with image quality, size and price.

It has all pro camera functions (M, Av, Tv), it also has two custom settings and it is very convenient for switching to different purpose for shooting.

it has lot of buttons that let you easily to adjust WB, ISO, MF/AF, Flash, while you are shooting.

It is very easy to use and convenient to adjust functions you want.

The con is the dynamic range is a bit narrow. When shooting under big contrast light source, it would cause some part white out or too dark.Read full review...

Best Not Dslr

Excellent camera. the best non-dslr on the market with a near dslr sensor. The short comings to this camera are exaggerated and silly nit picking. True the camera has very poor macro capability, but when shooting in manual mode you can get reasonably close to the subject. IQ counts the most and the G1X excels at this. A bargain to be had with a 1.5 inch sensor!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: bobtuner

In summary, excellent camera for my purposes, a quality piece of equipment.

Finding a quality camera that would be easy to carry around instead of my DSLR units was my mission! I wanted something that would mostly be used for portraits, spur of the moment shots of family and friends, and maybe a little landscape shooting while out on my cycle. Well, to that end, I struck gold. This camera provides stunningly good images considering it is not a DSLR, though its sensor is very close in size to its DSLR siblings. Image stabilization is good, shoots quite well in low light and actually produces very nice photos with it's built in flash. White balance seems pretty accurate regardless of the light you are shooting in and the auto white balance is good and you can feel comfortable using it in most situations. This camera is not really meant to shoot sports or fast action, at least not if that is your primary purpose. It will do ok in a pinch but I'd lean towards some other models if that is what you are most interested in. If you are after quality images, low noise, a solid impressive body, excellent optics, and quite a bit of user control then this is an excellent choice.

One thing that isn't the best by any measure is the viewfinder, not the screen you look at but rather the viewfinder that you put your eye up to and look through. It's not that good, but then again, I personally don't use it so it doesn't bother me. If you need to use it, I would suggest you get to a camera store and check it out to make sure your comfortable with it.Read full review...

The great quality of compact camera.

I'm a canon & nikon user.After spent long time searching for high end camera with the compact size for replacing my Dslr camera , I decided to choose G1X.
Fortunately I win G1X with very good price in eBay. For the picture quality is outstanding in low light, excellent in shape with strong body quality. But this camera only best for low speed only. For the high speed I could not get good results in many sport events. Hopefully Canon able to improve the weakness point in the next series.
For the body size is slightly big but doesn't matter for me. The control is complete and easy for operated.

So for traveling and normal requirement purpose but produced great picture, I recommend this camera instead of brought Dslr with several of lenses.Read full review...

DSLR Quality In One Hand

It doesn't take long to realize that this is not a point & shoot camera. The weight is substantial, the outer shell is metal and every aspect of this camera says take me along. I had been wanting a G series camera and found this one for sale on Ebay. This one was never abused and frankly, I would estimate that it was purchased, taken on a trip and out away upon return. They are available in this condition for under $300 on Ebay and they will out perform every point & shoot, provide DSLR picture quality, all without having to drag around 30lbs of DSLR gear. The only shortcoming is that the focal range of the lens is limited (you can't zoom into a blemish from 20') but it is more than adequate for family, landscapes, sports and everyday use and even shoots 1080 HD video. This camera lives up to my expectations very well.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: *r2f*

Excellent point & shoot with great lens, low noise, and excellent color

This is an excellent camera for stills, landscape and family. It has many configurable features that improve its shot to shot times. Color is very good to excellent as is the noise reduction and sharpness. Large sensor that helps with higher iso setting to reduce noise levels. This is the best camera for general purpose carry since my sony R1. I have had many canon, nikon, and sony DSLRs but in the 28-112 range this is hands down generally better results than most dslr's with kit lens.Read full review...

I really like this camera !

Great camera which is a joy to use. Super sharp images with correct exposure. Lots of handy user controls - dials, buttons, menu - give the user a lot of control over what is, essentially, an automatic point and shoot camera. This camera has an excellent lens which rivals DSLR lenses in sharpness and lack of distortion products. Some caveats, as no camera is perfect. It has somewhat limited battery life. 300-350 images if you do not take too many flash shot, or use an external flash. It is also fairly slow to write images to disc, so it is NOT GOOD for SPORTS or super fast action where you want to take several shots in a row. It does have burst shooting, but not its strongest or best suit. Also, decent macro, but again not its best suit. And yet I really enjoy using this camera because it is heavy with an all metal body and skin and it just plain takes great photos. This is a good camera for those who take their time and shoot deliberately and with care and attention to detail - and it will reward you for it. I find it is very good in low light and rivaled my Canon 80D in dark museums, such as the Air Force Museum in Dayton OH where it was nearly the equal of the much larger, DSLR. To get one. Take your time and make great photos. Probably one of the best all -in -one travel cameras, especially with a medium size external flash, an extra battery, and you can use an inexpensive filter adapter to add a polarizing or neutral density filter and have it all. Great camera. And that is just MY take. TTRead full review...

Verified purchase: No

Powershot G1x great compact camera

This camera was purchased as an alternative to a DSLR of which I own several at a lower price than interchangeable m4/3 systems, Although bigger and heavier than the Powershot 'G' series, the sensor is 6 times larger (20% smaller than APS-C most DSLRs), having the advantage of a much large sensor in a compact body. The images are useable up to iso 3200-6400 with some smearing of the details but much better than most point and shoot systems. Raw plus jpegs can be taken at the same time. Image color is quite good and metering accurate ecept for the occassional backlit subject. Flash is adequate and can be adjusted for less output.

On the con side, the focus is quite slow at capturing the exact moment despite the IS being active. Manaul focus is available, but minimum focus (including macro) is not that close. In fact I wouldn't call it macro mode. The other negative is accessories. An adapter is needed to fit any filter in front of the lens, also no dedicated telephoto accessory beyond 112mm equivalent is made by Canon. The longest shutter speed is 60 seconds but no 'B' mode is available.

Despite the cons, this is a very good camera with a lot of features/overrides and great image quality.Read full review...