Canon G5X

I spotted this in an email from wex. I've been looking to upgrade my G12 for ages. The biggest problem I've had is that the latest G series don't have a fully articulating screen. The G5x is the first one that has it. It doesnt have as great a zoom range but much more open. Surprisingly, it's a shade thinner than my G12 (4mm) but otherwise the same size.

Shame it looks so ugly.
 
I saw this and was very interested until I saw the zoom range and that stopped me dead. I got a G15 earlier this year to slip in a pocket when I go to gigs and events, however the zoom range wasn't enough for some of the events so I decided to get a G3X as well. I find that really has too much of a zoom range for my needs but it's always handy to have it. The G3X is really good but doesn't have the fully articulating screen which would, IMO, improve it overall and it's too bulky to fit in the pocket of most of my apparel. I think the G5X with something like a 10-12x zoom would be 'my' perfect gig going camera.
 
But the G5X sensor is something like three times the size of the G12 and G15. The ISO range is higher. What I'd need to see are actual image samples for comparison.

Still looks ugly though. And TBH I wanna spend the money on a 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. The problem is that the G12 gets used as a travel camera.
 
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Looks interesting, quite like the fact it has a viewfinder. But why make a camera costing so much and not have a filter adaptor ring? I just cant live without a polariser attached these days. and I couldn't see anywhere its possible to fit on to the G5X
 
Hotshots said:
Looks interesting, quite like the fact it has a viewfinder. But why make a camera costing so much and not have a filter adaptor ring? I just cant live without a polariser attached these days. and I couldn't see anywhere its possible to fit on to the G5X
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I didn't spot that. I have a filter adaptor for my g12, along with +1 nd, +10 nd, and circular polarising filters.
 
Anyone own a Canon G5X?

Am looking for a new compact, the magazine reviews give it a thumbs up, I had a play with it in John Lewis and it feels good to handle. What does it actually shoot like?

Any comments?
 
Can't really comment as I only tried it in shop, but just in terms of handling I found it a big step up from the RX100-III and G7x I tried out at the same time. Trouble is I'm looking for a camera as a 'take everywhere' camera and fear the G5x is a bit big for this, it's not that much smaller than my EM5-II. But having now used this I don't think I'd be satisfied with the G7x or RX100 :facepalm:
 
I have been looking at G5x videos and the usability seems a lot better but will go to John Lewis on the weekend and test with the RX100 and G7x. It is a tad expensive for what it is versus ILC/M43 but the form factor and as an everyday camera it could prove to be a hidden gem.
 
I've got one and it's a cracking camera, great pictures and manual control is so easy. I also like the viewfinder although you gotta watch your hands don't knock the lcd off when not using it. Apart from that can't fault it, but for me I wanted a compact that would also shoot in 3:2 the same as my 5d3.
 
My father has one and I had a quick play at the weekend. Have to say I was very impressed with the image quality and control the camera offers. Really nice bit of kit.
 
Hotshots said:
I've got one and it's a cracking camera, great pictures and manual control is so easy. I also like the viewfinder although you gotta watch your hands don't knock the lcd off when not using it. Apart from that can't fault it, but for me I wanted a compact that would also shoot in 3:2 the same as my 5d3.
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How do you find it day to day for pocketability? Is it something you could envisage having on you all the time, or do you feel it's still a bit too bulky for this?
 
Thanks Hotshots, I now know which way the scales are tipping... I too need something to pick up and grab without carting around D-SLR's :eek:)
 
Hotshots said:
I have it with me all the time, it's not too bulky to carry in jacket pocket but in a trousers pocket probably not. It is fairly light for its size though. I had a G1X before this and that was like carrying a brick.
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Thanks for this. That's what I thought, no problem in a jacket but of course I don't always wear a jacket, especially on hol. Hmmm, decisions decisions ;)
 
SoDoSoPa said:
I have it with me all the time, it's not too bulky to carry in jacket pocket but in a trousers pocket probably not. It is fairly light for its size though. I had a G1X before this and that was like carrying a brick.
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How do you find it compares to the G1x? Specifically in low light situations?

I have the g12 and definitely only fits in jacket pocket
 
After many months of toying with getting a new compact to replace my aging RX100 (which is still a great little machine) I finally picked up a G5x at the weekend. So far I have been pleased with it, it is small enough that I can put it in a jacket pocket or just over my shoulder in a case. The EVF is amazing, I haven't tried a camera with one for some time and am very impressed with how far hey have come.

Anyone else shooting with the G5x? Would be good to see what others are doing with it.
 
first few test shots, liking it so far.

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Well after a few years of procrastinating, I took the plunge. I'd been collecting Amazon vouchers to save up and use on a Canon 17-55mm lens. When the price of that lens rocketed after the announcement of Brexit, I thought twice about buying it and looked at replacing my G12. The lens coating on the G12 has degraded and it's noticeable mostly with photographs with the sun in the background. The G12 was my travel camera, whereas the 70D was reserved for UK use.

In addition, there was a lack of a successor the the G5X to date. I kept waiting for announcements earlier this year but all that came out was the G1X III. The G1X III is a different camera altogether and a couple of youtube hands-on reviews stated the G5X images were better than the G1X3. With it's £1000+ Price tag, I shied away from it.

With £400 in vouchers plus £40 cashback, I went for the G5X. It feels about half the weight and size of the G12. I was worried about the small front dial and how comfortable it might be but I've adapted to it well. The EVF makes it feel more natural to take a photo rather than the hold-the-camera-with-arms-out-like-smartphone pose.

I really need to test the camera out in the field (have a holiday coming up) but already preliminary indoor photos show images with a greater dynamic range and sharpness than the G12. I haven't yet managed to detect any of the worrying flaws that were highlighted from indepth reviews.

I'm pleased with the camera. I've ordered a second battery. There was a lovely OEM leather case for the G12 that fitted the camera well but sadly none for the G5X. I also need a smaller, slimmer wrist strap for the G5X.
 
Well I'm back from holiday and need to update:

Wrist strap:
I ended up buying CORDY CLASSIC LITE from https://www.cordweaver.co.uk - it was something I spotted on here. A helpful chat with Brian from cordweaver led to me buying the Cordy Classic Lite. It fits my wrist well and I love how it closes down to become secure. However, this same feature made a bit difficult to take on/off repeatedly when handing the camera to others. Still better than the WS20 that I had for the G5X.

Camera:
In some ways, very familiar to the look and feel of the G12. I'm right handed so easy to hold in one hand, with wrist strap keeping things secure. Changing aperture and/or shutter speed was easy but changing ISO meant I had to continuously use the touch screen rather than press a physical button or dial. For the most part, I was happy to run around in aperture priority and auto-ISO, and use EV compensation to adjust if required. The camera did seem to have a tendency to overexpose a shot, even outdoors in bright sunshine. I have no idea why.

Touchscreen - I very rarely used the touchscreen but it was quite sensitive, easily moving the focus point when I brought the camera up to my face to use the EVF. My nose would touch the touchscreen and move the focus point. This frequently led to incorrectly focussed images particularly if I gave the camera to someone else to photograph a group with me in it. I also needed to use the touchscreen to change the ISO if I wanted to override the camera's settings. I miss the ISO dial from the G12.

EVF - a revelation. The optical tunnel in the G12 was useless since it gave no idea of what you were focussing at nor what you had composed. It was easy to use to compose images and get an accurate representation of what it would look like. My only minor niggle was the sensor to turn on/off the EVF (and hence turn off/on the rear display) was again sensitive. I would frequently find the rear display to switch off if I brought the camera too close to my body or if my thumb would pass over it when previewing images.

Images - I'm still going through the images in Lightroom (after having to switch from LR5 to LR6 as only the latter supported the G5X). I was frustrated with the inability to apply a lens profile until I realised the camera applied its built-in profile. Wide open, the images are soft. Stopping down the lens improves this. High ISO produces a lot more noise than I was perhaps expecting. One of my first shots on holiday was the wife and I travelling in a car and we took a selfie using the camera. It decided to go for 12800 despite being wide open at f/1.8 and hence produced a very soft but grainy image which isn't easily correctable in lightroom. General images are otherwise great with good shadow detail and some reasonably good image quality when cropped down in LR6.

Battery life - Reports suggested a shorter-than-expected battery life for a camera of this size. Certainly it had a lower CIPA rating than the battery for the G12 but that was twice the size of the battery for the G5X. I bought a second battery but generally found only a few days where it came in useful (mainly when using lots of flash).

Tripod:
I ended up buying the Manfrotto Pixi Evo as a travel tripod for occasional shots. Generally it was easy to set up and use but the G5X's touch screen frequently got in the way and I'd have to close it, attach the tripod and then open it again. Despite extendable legs, there were times when I still felt it was a tiny bit shorter than I wanted but worked okay as a stand-in for a real tripod. I often would use it to perch the camera on something else to give height.
 
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