Canon PowerShot G1 X Review

The Canon G1 X goes boldly where no PowerShot has gone before. It delivers top-notch images with a big 1.5-inch sensor, but the viewfinder and AF acquisition leave something to be desired.
 
Announced at CES 2012 as the new flagship of Canon's Powershot lineup, the G1 X was "scheduled" to be available in February, but that timeframe has now slipped a bit. For folks anxiously awaiting its arrival, the first week of March now looks like the best possible scenario.
A major cause of the anticipation generated for this new camera is sensor-based - the G1 X carries the largest physically-sized sensor to date in any Powershot digital, a 1.5-inch model sized much closer to a Canon DSLR than its G-series relative, the G12. The 1/1.7-inch sensor in the G12 is one of the largest in all of the compact digital ranks and measures 7.6 x 5.7mm; the G1 X sensor measures 18.7 x 14mm and the APS-C sensor of the Canon 60D 22.3 x 14.9mm.

To put things in perspective, the G1 X sensor has approximately 6.3 times the surface area as that of the G12. In addition, Canon's UK press release notes that the pixel size and structure of the G1 X sensor is the same as the 60D. Resolution is 14.3 megapixels and the sensor design is CMOS, which suggests that high ISO noise performance should reach new levels, at least for a Powershot digital. The native ISO range for the camera is 100 to 12800 ISO.
The camera features a 4x stabilized zoom lens covering the 28 to 112mm focal range in 35mm equivalents and the standard compact digital automatic and scene shooting modes are accompanied by full manual controls. Here's a look at that focal range.

Telephoto
Video capability is 1080 HD with stereo sound and there is a built-in pop-up flash with an electronic viewfinder that accompanies the 3.0-inch LCD monitor, which is articulable. Canon's latest generation DIGIC 5 processor is on board and the camera can record still images in JPEG, RAW, or RAW - JPEG combinations. SD/SDHC/SDXC memory media is compatible; the camera will also accept Eye-Fi memory cards, but Canon will not guarantee the camera will support Eye-Fi functions including wireless transfer.
While Canon's UK press release describes the camera as "Created for professional and serious photographers..." the company has clearly hedged its bets by including a host of point-and-shoot features targeting a more novice-based audience: face detection autofocus, face select autofocus, automatic smile detection shooting, a wink self-timer, a face self-timer and blink detection. Canon includes a battery pack and charger, USB interface cable, lens cap, neck strap, CD-ROM software and basic printed user's manual with each camera (a CD-ROM with the complete manual is also included). MSRP on the camera is $800 - higher than two Rebel DSLRs in Canon's own fleet.
The G1 X measures about 4.6 x 3.17 x 2.55-inches and weighs in at a little over 17 ounces without a battery or memory card, so it won't be doing much traveling on shooting assignments in a shirt pocket. On the other hand, there's that big sensor to consider along with the fact the G1 X comes in smaller and lighter than the tiniest Canon DSLR. Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras have gotten their share of attention lately and with the exception of Canon,

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Canon EOS 5D Mark III Debut: 22.3MP, $3499

It's here! The hotly anticipated Canon 5D Mark III will introduce a new 22.3 megapixel CMOS sensor with a host of updates to the imaging pipeline thanks to a DIGIC 5+ processor and improvements to the AF system trickled down from the 1D X.

5D Mark III: Hardware
The 5D III gets a 3.2-inch 1,040,000-dot LCD and a locking mode dial like the 60D's. Some of the controls have been shifted around the camera's back panel, and an image rating button has been added. Photos can be rated from 0 to 5 stars, and the information will be carried through to post-processing in Photoshop. The 5D III will have a 100% coverage viewfinder with 0.71x magnification and a 22mm eyepoint. A dual-axis electronic level is available for viewing using the LCD or OVF. It's also equipped with a 150,000 cycle shutter and dual SD/CF card slots.
Significant Updates to Sensor, Metering, Processor
A Canon-engineered full frame 22.3 megapixel CMOS sensor graces the 5D Mark III, complete with 8-channel readout, a native ISO range of 100-25,600 (expandable up to 102,400) and a new chip architecture using gapless microlenses at each photosite. Canon claims new transistors within the chip itself will provide better noise reduction to both JPEG and RAW shooters, and also promises reduction in moiré.

The Canon 1D X's powerful 61-point auto focus system and AI Servo III algorithm are carried down to the 5D III, a major jump from the 5D II's 9 point system. Of those 61 points, 21 are cross-type effective to an f/5.6 aperture and 5 are diagonal cross-type points. AF functions are now available via a designated AF menu tab. The 5D Mark II's 35-zone metering system has been upgraded to a 63-zone sensor that utilizes color and focus information to determine proper exposure. Many features have been added to the 5D III that were not available to 5D II shooters. Most of those are thanks to a new, faster DIGIC 5+ processor, including up to 6 fps burst shooting.
A comparative playback function that will display two images side-by-side on the LCDReduced resolution RAW modes (10.5 and 5.5 megapixels), geared toward high-volume shooters like those photographing weddingsIn-camera RAW processingIn-camera HDR (covering a range of 3 stops in either direction) and multiple exposure modes
Not surprisingly, great care has been taken in developing the 5D Mark III's movie capabilities. Full 1080 video is available at 24p, 25p and 30p. This time, 720p video is available at 60 and 50p; VGA is available at 30p and 25p. Two flavors of H.264 compression are available: ALL-I intraframe compression and IPB interframe. Timecode embedding is available, and both headphone and microphone jacks are available for monitoring and recording audio.

Bonus Round: Accessories
Introduced with the 5D III is a new WFT-E7A wireless transmitter with 802.11 a/b/g/n support. A new GP-E2 GPS receiver able to log latitude, longitude, elevation and Universal Time Code. A built-in compass will keep tabs on which direction you're shooting, even when the camera is used an the vertical position. A new BG-E11 battery grip is offered, powered by either six AA's or two LP-E6 rechargeable batteries.
A new Speedlite 600EX-RT is introduced alongside the 5D Mark III. It has an integrated wireless transmitter with two-way Master-Slave communication. Also offered is a new ST-E3-RT Wireless Speedlite Transmitter. It will control up to five groups of flash units from a distance of up to 98.4 feet from the camera.

Pricing and Availability The Canon EOS 5D Mark III will be sold, body-only, for $3499 and is expected to ship at the end of March. Bundled with an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens for $4299. On the accessory side, the WFT-E7A wireless transmitter and GP-E2 GPS receiver will ship in April for $849.99 and $390, respectively. The Speedlite 600EX-RT and Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT will be available in late March for $629.99 and $470 respectively. Look for the BG-E11 battery grip at the end of April for $470.


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Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS First Look Review

Spring is definitely here (at least in the Ohio River Valley) and there is no better time to test a new camera than during the

prettiest of the four seasons. The new Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS replaces last year's very popular 300 HS compact. On the surface, the two cameras don't appear to be much different, but Canon has made a few interesting and useful changes under the hood. The most significant difference between the two cameras is the dramatic leap in resolution - from 12 megapixels (300 HS) to 16 megapixels (110 HS) otherwise the 110 HS is a relatively straightforward, mostly cosmetic, update of one of Canon's most popular shirt pocket digicams. The 110 HS has a decent assortment of the latest bells and whistles and features a full complement of consumer-tested hardware.
The 110 HS's 5x f/2.7-5.9 optical zoom provides a (35mm equivalent) range of 24-120mm and is the same wide-angle to a short telephoto optic that graced its predecessor. The 110 HS's large 3.0-inch LCD dominates the back of this tiny camera and boasts 461k-dot resolution, which is more than adequate for a camera in this class and twice the resolution of earlier generations of ELPH LCDs.
The 110 HS also includes a slightly improved version of the same Intelligent IS image stabilization system first seen on the 300 HS, which provides six distinct IS modes to cover different shooting scenarios like handheld macro shots, panning to follow the action as it unfolds, and shooting with the camera mounted on a tripod. Improvements seem to be limited mostly to the greater range of correction when shooting video. The 110 HS's sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to a maximum of ISO 3200, unchanged from the 300 HS and the 110 HS's dependable and very accurate white balance system is identical to the one used in the 300 HS, as well.

Changes include a new face recognition mode called "face ID" which permits the camera to remember up to twelve specific people with up to five different facial shots saved in-camera for each selected subject. Once the function is programmed the shooter can enter the name and birth date of his or her friend/loved one and the 110 HS will automatically lock focus on that individual in a group shot. The face ID function can also be programmed to prioritize focus on one of three age groups - baby/infant, child, or adult.
If all that isn't enough the 110 HS's Smart Auto mode (which is actually an automatic scene recognition mode) now features 58 distinct scene types. Here's an example (from Canon) although I didn't get an opportunity to try it - if you want to shoot cute pictures of your sleeping baby, the 110 HS will automatically determine that the baby is sleeping, optimize facial focus, disable the flash and the AF assist lamp, optimize exposure, sensitivity, and WB for the ambient lighting, and turn off all camera sounds to avoid waking the slumbering infant. Absolutely perfect for capturing those "brag" shots to post on Facebook or send to the doting grandparents.
Digital cameras today must not only be competent still picture takers, they must also be competent video cameras.

Canon didn't drop the ball on this one - the 110 HS may be small in stature, but it doesn't skimp on large scale usability. Like its predecessor, the 110 HS can record at up to Full HD (1920 x 1080p at 24fps) resolution with stereo audio and the capability to use the 5x optical zoom during video capture.
In addition, for those who want to document their photographic adventures, the 110 HS features an upgraded version of Canon's nifty Movie Digest function, which automatically saves a short video clip (up to four seconds) from just before the shooter snaps each picture. The 110 HS automatically combines those short clips to create a sequential video record of the days shooting. Movie digest files are limited to 720p, but that is a substantial improvement over the VGA movie digest clips captured by the 300 HS.
Initial impressions (and about 200 images so far) indicate that the 110 HS is a first-rate general use camera with the additional benefit of being small enough to slip in a shirt pocket. The 110 HS is an attractive compact that should nicely meet the needs of anyone who wants to take good pictures, but isn't interested in becoming a photographer.
The 110 HS retails for about $250 and is available in traditional black, upscale silver, and neonish shades of red, blue, green, and pink. The Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS will provide casual shooters, family photographers, and travel junkies with all the camera they are likely to need, but falls short in terms of the creative flexibility more serious photographers want.
Potential 110 HS purchasers should also be aware that the 310 HS is available for only $10 more and features an almost identical design, very similar features, and an 8x zoom. Image quality seems to be about average for cameras in this class, but I'll discuss that in more detail in my full review.
Sample Images

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