Amateur Photographer – 20 July 2019

subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 20 July 2019 9

First impressions

G7 X Mark III targets

vloggers and bloggers

AS WELL AS being

a popular general-

purpose pocket camera,

Canon’s G7 X series of

compacts has become

a hit with YouTubers and

vloggers who’d like to carry

a small, capable camera at

all times. Improving where

the G7 X Mark II left off,

the G7 X Mark III shares

many of its core features

with the G5 X Mark II,

including its 1in, 20.1MP

stacked CMOS sensor;

DIGIC 8 image processor;

high-speed burst shooting

at up to 30fps; and touch

All-in-one travel lens

arrives in RF mount

CANON looks to be on track to hit its goal of

releasing six new lenses into its RF-mount lineup this

year, with the RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM being the

latest zoom to be launched. The arrival can’t come soon

enough for Canon EOS RP and EOS R users who’d like

an all-in-one lens for travelling. It features Canon’s Nano

USM technology to provide fast and quiet autofocus and

provides optical image stabilisation that’s effective to

5 stops. It benefi ts from a focus/control ring, zoom lock,

has a minimum focusing distance of 0.5m (wide angle)

and 0.78m (telephoto) and accepts 72mm fi lters and

adapters. Available from September, it’ll cost £899.99.

mode that initiates 30fps burst
shooting in the CR3 Raw format for
up to 70 frames.

Pop-up electronic viewfi nder
The key talking point is the pop-up EVF.
It very much shares a likeness to the one
Sony introduced on the RX100 III in
2014, but features a higher resolution
of 2.36 million dots, no blackout during
continuous shooting and a 120fps
refresh rate for smooth viewing when
photographing or tracking fast-moving
subjects. After the fi nder switch is fl icked
at the side, the eyepiece requires pulling
out before the EVF can be used. The
beauty of this design is that it helps keep
the body slim line and easy to stow in a
jacket pocket. The pop-up fl ash, like
the EVF, sits fl ush to the top plate when
not in use. At the rear the vari-angle
screen of old is replaced by a tilt-angle
touchscreen. This supports touch and
drag AF, and it has an eye-sensor built in
just above it to automatically engage the
EVF when it’s raised to your eye.
To prevent accidental presses of the
movie-record button, this has been
shifted below the thumb rest. On the
topic of video, the camera records 4K

movies at 30fps with no crop of the

sensor and allows users to grab still

images from 4K video using its frame

grab tool. It also has the ability to shoot

high frame rate video with fi xed AF

at up to 120fps in Full HD. Elsewhere,

there’s the option to choose from eight

well-known EOS picture style presets,

it inherits the horizontal and vertical

panorama shot mode from the G1 X

Mark III and the Auto Lighting Optimizer

has been improved by adding a new

‘Strong’ setting that’s intended to reduce

highlight blowout in exceptionally bright

areas. Other improvements have been

made to the Star Mode shooting

performance, which now uses the

electronic shutter rather than

mechanical shutter to reduce vibration.

The refi ned focus-bracketing function

now also lets you set the number of

shots (up to a maximum of 100) as well

as the step width of focus to create

images with a large depth of fi eld.

To make Canon’s PowerShot models

more familiar to existing EOS users,

Canon has changed its compact camera

user interface to a more EOS-like

version. Naturally, the camera also has

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity built-in.

CANON has taken a different direction with its G5 X Mark II and made a conscious
effort to make it more travel friendly and convenient for those who want a camera
that’s easy to carry. The pop-up EVF is a stroke of genius, but you do have to forgo
a hotshoe and it doesn’t facilitate powering the camera up or down. The feel of the
camera in the hand is good, but I did notice the fi nish of the lens control ring is rather
plasticky and doesn’t turn as positively as that on the original G5 X. Those coming
from the G5 X are likely to miss the front-mounted dial, but by removing it the
camera has a sleeker-looking aesthetic. It’s great to see Canon answer the critics
of its sluggish burst speed with faster continuous shooting, but not everyone will
appreciate the shift from fully articulated screen to the less-manoeuvrable tilt-type.
Overall, the G5 X Mark II looks promising. I successfully squeezed it in my trouser
pocket despite it being a camera that’s intended to be carried in a jacket pocket. It
has a closer resemblance to the G7 X series now that it has lost its SLR styling and
sits below Canon’s top-of-the-line premium zoom compact, the G1 X Mark III. With
review samples just a week or two away, you can expect a full review very soon.

AP’s reviews editor

tries the G5 X Mark II’s

new viewfinder

and drag AF on its rear tilt

screen. It lacks a pop-up

EVF, but does have a small

pop-up fl ash and built-in

ND fi lter. Most of the new

features are designed with

vloggers and moviemakers

in mind, offering 4K-movie

output at 30fps, a 3.5mm

microphone input, 120fps

movie shooting at Full HD,

live streaming to YouTube

and the option to record

video in the vertical format

for Instagram. It’ll be

available from early August

in silver as well as black,

and will cost £699.99.

The lens will be sold with the Canon EOS RP for £1,999.

The G7 X Mark III’s zoom covers a 24-100mm focal length