Canon G1 X Review

Name: Canon PowerShot G1 X
Brand: Canon

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Main Features

14MP - 1.5-inch CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 12800

28-112 mm F2.8-5.8 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3.00" Fully Articulated Screen

Optical (tunnel) viewfinder

2.0fps continuous shooting

534g. 117 x 81 x 65 mm

Replaced by Canon G1 X II

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Canon G1 X Overview

First introduced in March 2012 , Canon PowerShot G1 X is a 14.0MP Large Sensor Compact camera with a 1.5-inch (18.7 x 14 mm ) sized CMOS sensor, built-in Image Stabilization, Fully articulated screen and 4.0x zoom 28-112 mm F2.8-5.8 lens. Canon later replaced G1 X with G1 X MII. Follow the link to read our in-depth comparison of these cameras:
Compare Canon PowerShot G1 X vs Canon G1 X II

Canon G1 X Review - Click for Table of Contents

Overview
Pros and Cons
Sensor and Photography Features
Physical Specs
LCD and Viewfinder
Connectivity, Storage and Battery
Video
Other Features
Lens
Photography Type Scores
Recommended Accessories
Alternatives
Popular Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Detailed Specifications

Canon G1 X is a member of Canon's Large Sensor Compact class cameras. Below you can see the latest models in this class and how their main specs have changed with each new model.

Canon Large Sensor Compact Series History

Model	Release Date	Sensor	Max FPS	Dimensions	Weight
Canon G5 X MII Compare	July 2019	20.0MP - 1″	30.0 fps	111 x 61 x 46mm	340g
Canon G7 X MIII Compare	July 2019	20.0MP - 1'	30.0 fps	105 x 61 x 41mm	304g
Canon G1 X III Compare	October 2017	24.0MP - APS-C	9.0 fps	115 x 78 x 51mm	399g
Canon G9 X II Compare	January 2017	20.0MP - 1'	8.2 fps	98 x 58 x 31mm	206g
Canon G7 X MII Compare	February 2016	20.0MP - 1'	8.0 fps	106 x 61 x 42mm	319g

Check the link below to compare specs of the latest cameras in this series side-by-side:
Canon G5 X MII vs G7 X MIII vs G1 X III vs G9 X II vs G7 X MII

Alternative Model names found for Canon PowerShot G1 X: G1X, G1 X Mark I and G1 X Mark 1.

**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Canon G1 X PROs and CONs Review

Now let's get in to more details of our Canon G1 X review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

PROs

Image Stabilization

Articulating Screen

External Flash Shoe

Full HD Video

Optical Built-in Viewfinder

RAW Shooting

Face Detection Focusing

12.800 Max ISO

920k dots LCD Resolution

1/4000s High Shutter Speed

Manual Focusing

Manual Exposure

Fast 2.80 Lens at Wide

Good Low Light ISO - 644

AE Bracketing

3.0-stops Built-in ND Filter

Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD Screen

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CONs

No Wireless Connection

No Touch Screen

Low Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP

Only 9 Focus Points

Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps

Low Battery Life: 250 shots

Heavy Body: 534

No Environmental Sealing

Slow Lens at Tele: f5.80

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Canon G1 X Physical Specs

Canon G1 X weighs 534 g (1.18 lb / 18.84 oz) and has external dimensions of 117 x 81 x 65 mm (4.61 x 3.19 x 2.56″). Considering that the average weight of Large Sensor Compact type cameras is 402g, Canon G1 X is a significantly heavy camera for its class. With a thickness of 65mm, it has an average thickness.

Weight Comparison

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

Canon G1 X

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Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

Canon G1 X

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Average

Max

Here is the front and top view image of Canon G1 X with the dimensions:

Front and Top View External Dimensions and Size of Canon G1 X Camera Body

In order to give you a better idea about the real life size of Canon G1 X, we have added an image of how it looks next to a credit card and an AA type battery.

Physical size of the Canon G1 X Body Compared to a Credit Card and an AA Battery

Below you can find the comparison of the weight and thickness of Canon G1 X with its main competitors:

Canon G1 X Size Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Weight	vs G1 X	Thickness	vs G1 X
Canon G1 X II Compare	553g	19g heavier	66mm	1mm thicker
Canon G16 Compare	356g	178g lighter	40mm	25mm thinner
Canon G15 Compare	352g	182g lighter	40mm	25mm thinner
Canon G12 Compare	401g	133g lighter	48mm	17mm thinner
Panasonic LX100 Compare	393g	141g lighter	55mm	10mm thinner
Canon G1 X III Compare	399g	135g lighter	51mm	14mm thinner
Canon G11 Compare	375g	159g lighter	48mm	17mm thinner
Sony RX100 Compare	240g	294g lighter	36mm	29mm thinner

Weather Sealing

Canon G1 X doesn't have any environmental sealings on its body so you got to be extra careful to protect it against water and dust. If you shoot under these conditions very often, consider checking Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

Canon G1 X Lens

Canon G1 X features a 28-112 mm F2.8-5.8 4x zoom lens. Lens has a good wide angle capability starting at 28mm, and 112mm on the tele end means that the medium telephoto angle is also well covered, only lacking the reach for wildlife and sports.

Wide Coverage

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

G1 X

Widest - Sony ZV-1 II

Average

Telezoom

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

G1 X

Longest - Panasonic ZS200

Average

With a max aperture of f2.80, this lens is fast on wide end, but max aperture of f5.80 at tele end makes is really slow at longer focal lengths.

Max Aperture at Wide

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

G1 X

Fastest - Panasonic LX10

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

G1 X

Fastest - Leica X (Typ 113)

Average

G1 X is equipped with Optical image stabilization system which is very handy especially at lower shutter speeds. Canon G1 X's lens also has a Manual Focus Mode.

Canon G1 X Sensor and Photography Features

Canon G1 X has a 14.0MP 1.5-inch (18.7 x 14 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 5 processor. You can shoot at maximum resolution of 4352 x 3264 pixels with aspect ratios of 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. G1 X has a native ISO range of 100 - 12800 and it can save files in RAW format which gives you a wider room for post processing.

Canon G1 X is the highest resolution 1.5 inch Sensor camera in our database. The closest competitor in this class is Canon G1 X II with its 13.0MP sensor. Check the comparison of Canon G1 X vs Canon G1 X II or take a look at Highest resolution Compact cameras list.

Canon G1 X DxOMark Sensor Scores

DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. Canon G1 X sensor has been tested by DxO Mark and got an overall score of 60 for its image quality. You can find the details of their analysis of Canon G1 X here.

Let's look at how the size of the Canon G1 X's 1.5-inch sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

Comparison image of Canon G1 X Sensor Size with other standard sensors

Canon G1 X LCD and Viewfinder

Canon G1 X has a Fully Articulated 3.00-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 920k dots. Articulated screens are more video oriented compared to only tilting or fixed screens. On the other hand, photography oriented users generally prefer tilting screens. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.

For those of you who loves shooting selfies, self or group photos, Canon G1 X will make your life easier with its Selfie friendly screen. Another group of users who will take advantage of G1 X's LCD screen are Vloggers and any video creators who are working in a single-person setup.

G1 X has a built-in Optical (tunnel) viewfinder, making it easier to shoot in direct sunlight and in other situations where it might be difficult to view the LCD monitor.

Canon G1 X Connectivity, Storage and Battery

You can connect G1 X to compatible devices via its HDMI port or USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port.

Canon G1 X Battery

Canon G1 X is powered by NB-10L battery which provides a battery life of 250 shots according to CIPA standards. Considering that the average battery life of Large Sensor Compact type cameras is 304 shots, Canon G1 X has a short battery life for its class so we strongly recommend G1 X owners to invest in some extra batteries.

Battery Life Comparison in Large Sensor Compact Cameras

Canon G1 X

Min

Average

Max

Leica X Vario with its 450 shots is the model with longest battery life among Large Sensor Compact cameras. Check the comparison of Canon G1 X vs Leica X Vario or take a look at Longest Battery Life Compact cameras list.

Canon G1 X Features Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Max Video	Battery Life	Wi-fi	Bluetooth	NFC
Canon G1 X II Compare	1920 x 1080	240shots	Yes	No	Yes
Canon G16 Compare	1920 x 1080	360shots	Yes	No	No
Canon G15 Compare	1920 x 1080	350shots	No	No	No
Canon G12 Compare	1280 x 720	370shots	No	No	No
Panasonic LX100 Compare	3840 x 2160	300shots	Yes	No	Yes
Canon G1 X III Compare	1920 x 1080	200shots	Yes	Yes	Yes
Canon G11 Compare	640 x 480	shots	No	No	No
Sony RX100 Compare	1920 x 1080	330shots	No	No	Yes

Canon G1 X Video Features

With Canon G1 X, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 24 fps and save in and H.264 formats. Full HD resolution of Canon G1 X will be adequate in most of the situations. But if you are after the highest resolution videos available, see our list of Top Cameras with 4K (Ultra-HD) Video.

Microphones, Speaker and Headphone Connections

Canon PowerShot G1 X has a built-in Stereo microphone and a Stereo speaker. On the other hand, Canon G1 X doesn't have any connections for external microphones and headphones. If you need a Large Sensor Compact camera with external microphone connectivity, consider or in a similar price range.

Canon G1 X Other Features

Max Shutter speed

Canon G1 X can shoot continuously at max speed of 2 fps and has max shutter speed of 1/4000 sec.

Flash

G1 X has a built-in flash, and it also has a flash shoe to mount your external flashes too.

Focusing

Canon G1 X features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system. The AF system has 9 points to choose from.

Canon G1 X also features Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.

What type of Photography is Canon G1 X Good for?

In this section, we review and score Canon G1 X in 5 different photography areas.

Canon G1 X for Portrait Photography

Canon G1 X has a score of 57 for Portrait Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Portrait is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Portrait Photography list.

Large 1.5″ (18.7 x 14 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Optical Built-in Viewfinder

Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling

Read the details of how we scored Canon G1 X for Portrait Photography

Canon G1 X for Street Photography

Canon G1 X has a score of 86 for Street Photography which makes it an EXCELLENT candidate for this type of photography.

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Image Stabilization

Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
RAW shooting capability
Small Body
Large 1.5″ (18.7 x 14 mm) sensor

Read the details of how we scored Canon G1 X for Street Photography

Canon G1 X for Sports Photography

Canon G1 X has a score of 42 for Sports Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Sports is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Sports Photography list.

Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Manual Exposure Mode
Manual Focus Mode
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
External Flash Shoe
Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability

Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 250 shots
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
112 mm Tele Lens
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.80

Read the details of how we scored Canon G1 X for Sports Photography

Canon G1 X for Daily Photography

Canon G1 X has a score of 70 for Daily Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Daily Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Compact Cameras for Daily Photography list.

Compact Body
Large 1.5″ (18.7 x 14 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability

4.0X Optical Zoom
534g
Body Thickness 65mm

Read the details of how we scored Canon G1 X for Daily Photography

Canon G1 X for Landscape Photography

Canon G1 X has a score of 37 for Landscape Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Landscape Photography list and consider these alternatives over theG1 X.

Manual Exposure Mode
Manual Focus Mode
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
RAW shooting capability

Large 1.5″ (18.7 x 14 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
No Environmental Sealings

Read the details of how we scored Canon G1 X for Landscape Photography

Canon G1 X Alternatives

In this section, we analyse how Canon G1 X compares with other Large Sensor Compact cameras within a similar price range.

Read a more detailed analysis of Canon G1 X alternatives.

Popular Comparisons of Canon G1 X

Here are the eight most popular comparisons of the Canon G1 X amongst Camera Decision readers.

Canon G1 X Alternatives in Cameras

It would also be interesting to compare the Canon G1 X with Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked cameras in Canon G1 X's price range.

Canon G1 X Conclusion and Scores

Currently, Canon G1 X has an Overall Score of 60/100 which is based on our evaluation of 69 different technical parameters. Our scores are dynamically updated whenever a new camera is added to our database or when we change our ranking algorithm and the maximum score is always 100. Canon PowerShot G1 X is ranked #39 out of 64 in Large Sensor Compact cameras (Top 20 Compact), and ranked #366 out of 1275 in all Cameras (Top 20 Overall).

#366 out of 1275 in Top Ranking Cameras
#39 out of 64 in Top Ranking Compact Cameras
#41 out of 66 in Top Ranking Large Sensor Compact Cameras
#2 out of 3 in Top Ranking 1.5 inch Sensor Sensor Cameras
#154 out of 204 in Top Ranking Cameras with Selfie friendly Screen
#1 out of 3 in Lightest Compact Cameras with 1.5 inch Sensor sensor(534g)
#118 out of 157 in Top Ranking Cameras with Fully Articulated Screen
One of only 39 Cameras to have a Built-in ND Filter
Geek Score: 1

Canon G1 X

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Main Scores

Imaging

Features

Value for Money

Portability

Overall Score

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Frequently Asked Questions about Canon G1 X

Does the Canon G1 X have Image Stabilization?
Does the Canon G1 X have RAW support?
Does the Canon G1 X have Weather Sealing?
Does the Canon G1 X have built-in GPS?
What is the Max ISO of Canon G1 X?
What is the Sensor Size of Canon G1 X?
is the Canon G1 X a Full Frame (FF) camera?
Does the Canon G1 X have Touch Screen?
Does the Canon G1 X have built-in Wireless?
What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Canon G1 X?
What is the Weight of Canon G1 X?
What are the Dimensions of Canon G1 X?

Canon PowerShot G1 X Detailed Specifications

General
Brand	Canon
Model	Canon PowerShot G1 X
Successor Model	Canon G1 X II
Announced	2012-03-29
Body Type	Large sensor compact
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	28-112 mm (4x)
Max Aperture	F2.8-5.8
Macro Focus Range	20cm
Screen
Screen Type	Fully Articulated
Screen Technology	TFT PureColor II LCD
Screen Size	3.00"
Screen Resolution	920k dots
Live View
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (tunnel)
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a
Photography Features
Min Shutter Speed	60s
Max Mechanical Shutter Speed	1/4000s
Max Continuous Shooting	2.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation	Yes
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	7.00 m (via hot shoe EX series Speedlites, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX)
Flash Modes	Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in
External Flash
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	60
DxO Color Depth	21.7
DxO Dynamic Range	10.8
DxO Low Light ISO	644
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Sensor
Sensor Type	CMOS
Sensor Size	1.5-inch
Sensor Dimensions	18.7 x 14 mm
Sensor Area	261.80mm²
Sensor Resolution	14 megapixels
Max Image Resolution	4352 x 3264
Max Native ISO	12,800
Min Native ISO	100
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	9
Number of Cross Focus Points	Unknown
Video Features
Video Resolutions	1920 x 1080 (24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None
HDMI
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight	534g
Physical Dimensions	117 x 81 x 65mm
Battery Life	250 shots
Battery Type	Battery Pack
Battery Model	NB-10L
Other Features
Self Timer	Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom)
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None
Storage Type	SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage Slots	1
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