T
he role of compact cameras has
been almost completely taken
over by smartphones, mainly
due to convenience. To differentiate
between a camera and a smartphone,
camera manufacturers had to
innovate, and the result is the segment
now known as premium compacts.
These are essentially compact cameras
with larger-than-usual sensors
(mostly 1-inch Type), wider maximum
apertures and sturdy construction.
The Canon PowerShot G5X joins this
segment currently dominated by Sony
RX-series cameras.Design and Build Quality
The Canon PowerShot G5X is built
sturdy with a generous use of metals
in combination with engineering
plastics. The body has a premium look
and feel in every aspect, including
protruding rubber grips and matte
�inished exteriors. The doors and
hinges are of a good standards. The
lens has a two-segment construction
and it does not protrude much during
zooming. The swivel and rotate LCD
brilliantly hides the connecting cables
unlike tilt-only screens seen in some
other cameras. The camera has a
metal tripod receptacle. The tiny �lash✓ Canon PowerShot G5X
✓ Neck strap
✓ Battery charger
✓ Battery pack NB-013LInside the Box
Sensible Release
Canon Power-
Shot G5x ` 49,995 Sujith Gopinath
resides closer to the lens, just ahead of
the accessory shoe so that it does not
cause vignetting.Key Features
The Canon PowerShot G5X is a 20.2
megapixel compact camera with a 1.0-
inch Type (9.6 x 12.8mm) sensor. The
camera features a DIGIC 6 processor.
It houses a 24-100mm equivalent lens
with an optical (lens-shift type) image
stabiliser system. In normal mode, the
lens focusses from 5cm to in�inity at
the wide-angle end and from 40cm to
in�inity at the telephoto end, whereas
in Macro mode, it focusses from 5 to
50cm at the wide-angle end. Focus
modes include Continuous AF, Servo
AF, and Manual Focus. AF frame can
be set to 1-point or Face+Tracking(up to 31 AF points). The camera uses
the usual three metering modes—
Evaluative, Centre-weighted average,
and Spot. ISO sensitivity ranges from
ISO 125 – 12800. You can also choose
Auto option. Shutter speeds range
from 30 to 1/2000second along with
Bulb option. The lens has an aperture
range of f/1.8 to 11 at the wide-angle
end and f/2.8 to 11 at the telephoto
end.The built-in �lash has a range of 50cm
to 7.0m at the wide-angle end and
50cm to 4.0m at the telephoto end,
presumably in Auto ISO mode. Flash
modes available are Auto, On, Slow
Synchro, and Off. The camera also has
a standard accessory shoe (hot-shoe).
Shooting modes include C (Custom),COMPACT
REVIEW
98 http://www.smartphotography.in
Smart PhotographyJanuary 2016