No newer compact w. zoom finds grace to my eyes vs my old G1x Mk i

DocetLector wrote:

As I said in another thread:

I had the G1x mkI for 2 years and was never really happy with it. Despite a very good IQ due to the relatively big sensor the camera falls short in having a sluggish autofocus performance, a very slow lens with limited focal range and I had to switch very often to macro mode beause of poor close focussing ability and missed many shots. And the OVF is very small and dark without any any exposure informations and the camera has a fixed rear screen. Canon really missed a chance with this camera!

All valid as your experiences of course, except for the comment about the screen, which is fully articulating!

But it all very much depends on what your expectations were. The focal length and max aperture range were easy to check before buying, and the limited close-focusing abilities were widely noted in reviews, as were the limitations of the optical finder.

In my view, much of the criticism this camera has had over the years was largely the result of being mis-marketed as a general purpose do-everything compact. What it really is, is a relatively compact camera which excels at landscape and other static-type scenes, which gave you better image quality over a bigger zoom range than many ILC/kit lens combinations, in a smaller package. It's all about the sensor quality/lens quality and range/size ratio.

What many people (and reviewers) failed to recognise is just how good the lens is. It may be slow-ish, but the quality is very good even wide open, and was far better than most kit lenses at the time of release, whilst also having a wider zoom range than most and keeping the camera package small when collapsed. These things alone made the camera a worthwhile proposition for many kinds of work.

I don't find the AF slow at all - it never gets in the way. Accuracy and dependability seem to get forgotten about a lot these days, and I have found it to be highly dependable.

The close-focusing, well, don't get the camera if you do a lot of close-up work. If you don't do close-ups it's fine. I wouldn't expect a 300mm sports lens to do macro either.

I agree with the OP, that the capabilities of the G1X have never quite been matched or surpassed in the compact camera arena. The Mk III improved on it in most ways, but still lacked in a few. The original is a great bargain at current prices if you do the kind of work it excels at.