CameraDecision
  • CAMERAS
  • LENSES
  • TOOLS
    • Smart Find
    • 1-on-1 Comparison
    • Size Comparison
  • BRANDS
    • Sony Cameras
    • Canon Cameras
    • Nikon Cameras
    • Pentax Cameras
    • Fujifilm Cameras
    • Olympus Cameras
    • Panasonic Cameras
    • Leica Cameras
    • Samsung Cameras
  • BODY TYPE
    • Mirrorless Cameras
    • DSLR Cameras
    • Compact Cameras
    • Bridge Cameras
    • Waterproof Cameras

Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon G1 X Comparison

x
Camera to replace
Change

Nikon 1 J4

18 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon 1 J4
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Change

Canon G1 X

14 MP | 1.5″ (18.7 x 14 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon G1 X
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon G1 X Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon 1 J4, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 18.0MP 1" sensor whereas Canon G1 X, which was introduced in March 2012 is a Large Sensor Compact camera with a 14.0MP 1.5 sensor. As you can see, G1 X is 2 years older than 1 J4. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-10
  • 18MP - 1" CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 60 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 1,200 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 232g. 100 x 60 x 29 mm
  • Replaced Nikon 1 J3 Compare

Canon G1 X Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-03-29
  • 14MP - 1.5 CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • 28-112 mm F2.8-5.8 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3 Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (tunnel) viewfinder
  • 2 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 534g. 117 x 81 x 65 mm

Canon G1 X was replaced by Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II vs Canon PowerShot G1 X
Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II vs Nikon 1 J4

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J4 over Canon PowerShot G1 X
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Max Sensor Resolution
18 MP vs 14 MP 28% more pixels
Number of Focus Points
171 vs 9 162 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution
1.037k dots vs 920k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting
60.0fps vs 2.0fps 58 fps faster
Battery Life
300 shots vs 250 shots 50 more frames with a single charge
Weight
232 g vs 534 g 302 g lighter


Reasons to choose Canon PowerShot G1 X over Nikon 1 J4
Image Stabilization
Optical vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Optical vs None Better framing and control
Flash Coverage
7.0m vs 5.0m 2m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
18.44µm2 vs 6.36µm2 189% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Built-in ND Filter
3.0-stops vs No Use larger aperture under strong light
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

Common Strengths of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon PowerShot G1 X
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Common Weaknesses of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon PowerShot G1 X
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon G1 X: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon 1 J4 has external dimensions of 100 x 60 x 29 mm (3.92 x 2.36 x 1.12″) and weighs 232 g (0.51 lb / 8.18 oz) (including batteries). Canon G1 X has external dimensions of 117 x 81 x 65 mm (4.61 x 3.19 x 2.56″) and weighs 534 g (1.18 lb / 18.84 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X. Nikon 1 J4 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 17mm narrower, 21mm shorter and 36mm thinner than Canon G1 X. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon G1 X has a built-in lens but Nikon 1 J4 doesn't. Once you put a lens on 1 J4, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon G1 X Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X.
Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon G1 X Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon 1 J4 is significantly lighter (302g ) than the Canon G1 X which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on 1 J4, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon 1 J4 nor Canon PowerShot G1 X provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Canon G1 X sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Nikon 1 J4's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to G1 X.
Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon G1 X: Sensor Comparison

Nikon 1 J4 has a 18.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Canon G1 X has a 14.0MP 1.5 (18.7 x 14 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 5 processor.

Below you can see the 1 J4 and G1 X sensor size comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon G1 X Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X Cameras


As seen above, Canon G1 X has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J4. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon 1 J4 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Canon G1 X for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large 1.5″ (18.7 x 14 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Canon G1 X for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large 1.5″ (18.7 x 14 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Canon G1 X for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
Fast Continuous Shooting: 60.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
105 Cross Type Focus sensors
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 250 shots
112 mm Tele Lens
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.80
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Canon G1 X for Daily Photography

GOOD
232g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details
Large 1.5″ (18.7 x 14 mm) sensor
Compact Body
4.0X Optical Zoom
534g
Body Thickness 65mm
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Canon G1 X for Landscape Photography

POOR
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large 1.5″ (18.7 x 14 mm) sensor
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon G1 X: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon 1 J4 and Canon G1 X scores compare:

Nikon 1 J4
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #70 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #327 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Canon G1 X
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #35 out of 61 in Large sensor compact cameras
Ranked #304 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Canon G1 X is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon 1 J4 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon 1 J4. Otherwise, Canon G1 X is the better camera overall.

Nikon 1 J4
Nikon 1 J4
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Canon G1 X
Canon G1 X
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Canon G1 X vs Nikon 1 J4 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon 1 J4 Canon PowerShot G1 X
Brand Nikon Canon
Announced 2014-04-10 2012-03-29
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large sensor compact
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size 1" 1.5
Dimensions 13.2 x 8.8 mm 18.7 x 14 mm
Area 116.16mm2 261.80mm2
Megapixels 18 megapixels 14 megapixels
Max Resolution 5232 x 3488 4352 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity 12,800 ISO 12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 171 9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon 1 fixed lens
Lens Focal Range no lens 28-112 mm (4x)
Max Aperture no lens F2.8-5.8
Macro Focus Range no lens 20cm
Screen
Type Fixed type Fully Articulated
Size 3" 3
Resolution 1,037k dots 920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Optical (tunnel)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter 1/16000s n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.00 m (ISO 100) 7.00 m (via hot shoe EX series Speedlites, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX)
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 60.0 fps 2.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 232g 534g
Dimensions 100 x 60 x 29mm 117 x 81 x 65mm
Battery Life 300 shots 250 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 60
DxO Color Depth not tested 21.7
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 10.8
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 644
Report a correction Report a correction


FOLLOW US


Most Popular Cameras
Nikon Z7
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Sony A6000
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Sony E Mount
Sony A7 III
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Fujifilm X-T3
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Canon R
30 MP | Full frame Sensor | Canon RF Mount
Sony A6400
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Sony E Mount
Nikon D5600
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Nikon F Mount
Nikon D850
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon F Mount
Top Rated Mirrorless Cameras
Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $500
Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $750
Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $1000
Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $1500
Top Rated Compact Cameras
Top Compact Cameras Under $200
Top Compact Cameras Under $500
Top Compact Cameras Under $750
Top Compact Cameras Under $1000
Latest Cameras
Leica SL2-S
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Leica L Mount
Leica Q2 Monochrom
47 MP | Full frame Sensor | 28 mm
Fujifilm X-S10
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Nikon Z7 II
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Nikon Z6 II
25 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Canon M50 II
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Canon EF-M Mount
Sony A7c
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Panasonic S5
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Leica L Mount
Copyright © 2020 by CameraDecision
About Feedback Privacy Cameras

Report a Correction