Canon Launches World’s first APS-C Sensor Compact Digital Zoom Camera

Canon has unveiled its first-ever APS-C sensor compact zoom camera, the 24.3-megapixel PowerShot G1 X Mark III. It borrows the image sensor from company’s much-famed 80D DSLR. The G1X Mark III comes with a built-in 24-72mm, f2.8-5.6 zoom lens and boasts of Dual-pixel autofocus.

The G1X Mark III is powered by a DIGIC 7 image processor also found on the M5 and M6 mirrorless cameras. This new camera will go on sale in November with a price tag of $1299 which is quite steep when compared to closest rivals like Sony’s RX 100 V and Panasonic’s LX10. However, for those wanting a bigger sensor, the G1 X Mark III is currently the only APS-C compact zoom camera that money could buy right now.

It borrows the G5X’s slightly smaller metal and plastic frame. It is about 150 grams lighter than its predecessor the G1X Mark II. The G1X Mark III boasts of an all-new 2.36-million OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) and an articulating 3-inch LCD touchscreen, which flips out and around 270 degrees. It also offers an option to drag your thumb across to pick an AF point as you look through the viewfinder.

Talking about the lenses on this one, it sports a smaller and slower 24-72 mm f/2.8-5.6 as opposed to the G1X Mark II’s versatile 24-120mm f/2.0-3.9 zoom lens. The company claims that with a larger sensor on board and the Dual-pixel autofocus, the f/2.8-5.6 lens will still be capable of shallow depth-of-field, and is a bit faster than its DSLR or mirror-less kit lenses. In terms of the slim and compact form factor, it seems a sacrifice well made as a bigger lens would have made it bulkier.

This camera can now shoot at 7 fps with continuous AF tracking or 9 fps with fixed tracking which is still lagging behind from the 24 fps capability of the Sony RX100 V. It also has five-axis optical stabilization and a new type of DSLR like shutter release. On the video recording front, the G1 X Mark III is limited to 1080p 60fps video, while rivals such as the RX100 V and LX10 that can shoot 4K/30 fps. So, if you are V-Logger wishing for a 4K compact camera, this is not what you should be looking for.

Other features include a new panoramic mode that can stitch up to seven photos together, either horizontally or vertically. It features Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth, making for easy pairing and data transfers and a new time-lapse mode that can automatically determine intervals and exposure.