G5x hard to use in very bright daylight + MF question

pbug56 wrote:

Hi,

Love my G5x, over time learning to use more of its capabilities, but I've run into 2 obstacles;

1. Very hard to use in bright daylight. My old G11 (needing repairs) was very easy to use in bright daylight because the eye level viewfinder was pure optical, something very hard to get any more. The G5x - the flat panel just washes out even set to full brightness, and I cannot find any way to turn up the brightness on the EVF.

Press and hold the info bottom dial button to toggle extra brightness on and off for the rear panel if that helps. It seems to also turn up the EVF a bit.

Easier to do with canons with a separate info button.

The eyecup doesn't help - it just doesn't block light out and I can't find a replacement that would.

2. Manual focus. Easy to engage, painful to use. Sure, you can use the touch screen, but you'll miss 20 shots while you do it. Sometimes the dial around the button that includes the MF selection) lets you adjust manual focus. The super enlargement that it does is a nice idea but awful to use - you can't see what you are aiming at. There seem to be no other focus aids, no way to see if you are in focus.

Are you using peaking? Tab 4 on the camera menu. The most painless way to manually focus I find out of all of them.

And sometimes turning that knob has no affect at all. In the meantime, the knob up front, along with the ring around the lens barrel have very little function, but as far as I can tell, neither can be programmed to handle MF duties.

The knob up front seems to work on mine but being a click is not ideal. There seems to be a bug where if using the cursor button to push right up to infinity it seems to stick there for a bit and needs a few pokes on the onscreen down cursor to get it down again.

Any ideas how to deal with this?

Thanks,

Ron

Chaplain Mark wrote:

pbug56 wrote:

Hi,

Love my G5x, over time learning to use more of its capabilities, but I've run into 2 obstacles;

Taking your statement of camera model at face value, I'm commenting on the G5X, not the G5X ii.

1. Very hard to use in bright daylight. My old G11 (needing repairs) was very easy to use in bright daylight because the eye level viewfinder was pure optical, something very hard to get any more. The G5x - the flat panel just washes out even set to full brightness, and I cannot find any way to turn up the brightness on the EVF. The eyecup doesn't help - it just doesn't block light out and I can't find a replacement that would.

The flat panel on my G5X is usable in bright daylight for framing and composition, but not for manual focus.

I've never had an issue with the EVF washing out in bright daylight such as you described....are you not bringing the eyecup all the way to your eye, or are you attempting to sight through the viewfinder while wearing glasses?

2. Manual focus. Easy to engage, painful to use.

Very true, unfortunately.

Sure, you can use the touch screen, but you'll miss 20 shots while you do it.

Again, the touch screen is not the sighting device of choice for manual focus....

Sometimes the dial around the button that includes the MF selection) lets you adjust manual focus. The super enlargement that it does is a nice idea but awful to use - you can't see what you are aiming at. There seem to be no other focus aids, no way to see if you are in focus.

Have you not invoked Focus Peaking?

Put this in my reply. Sorry did not read yours properly.

And sometimes turning that knob has no affect at all. In the meantime, the knob up front, along with the ring around the lens barrel have very little function, but as far as I can tell, neither can be programmed to handle MF duties.

I'm not sure at the moment about button and dial customization re: manual focus, but the focus-by wire aspect of the G5X is quite slow and awkward, as you have stated.

The manual focus options on the G5X are not productive or practical for any hurried shooting, only for slow, deliberate and non-time sensitive shooting.

Very true.

Any ideas how to deal with this?

Use focus peaking in the EVF, and don't expect quick action.

I love my G5X, but manual focus is not a strong suit on this camera.

Not for the faint hearted.

At least the dial throws are not as excessive as some of the other Canons. I seem to remember a review on the original G7X where they just had to keeping turning the dial a multitude of turns to do anything and I have had Canons like that.

I suppose at least if you know of a bug in a Canon you will not waste time and energy hoping there will be a firmware fix for it.

Thanks,

Ron

NextShowForSure wrote:

Chaplain Mark wrote:

pbug56 wrote:

Hi,

Love my G5x, over time learning to use more of its capabilities, but I've run into 2 obstacles;

Taking your statement of camera model at face value, I'm commenting on the G5X, not the G5X ii.

1. Very hard to use in bright daylight. My old G11 (needing repairs) was very easy to use in bright daylight because the eye level viewfinder was pure optical, something very hard to get any more. The G5x - the flat panel just washes out even set to full brightness, and I cannot find any way to turn up the brightness on the EVF. The eyecup doesn't help - it just doesn't block light out and I can't find a replacement that would.

The flat panel on my G5X is usable in bright daylight for framing and composition, but not for manual focus.

I've never had an issue with the EVF washing out in bright daylight such as you described....are you not bringing the eyecup all the way to your eye, or are you attempting to sight through the viewfinder while wearing glasses?

As a spectacles wearer I often have to shade EVFs with my hand or wearing a peaked cap can help. At least the EVF switches automatically which can be a problem with glasses.

telefunk wrote:

2. Manual focus. Easy to engage, painful to use. Sure, you can use the touch screen, but you'll miss 20 shots while you do it. Sometimes the dial around the button that includes the MF selection) lets you adjust manual focus. The super enlargement that it does is a nice idea but awful to use - you can't see what you are aiming at. There seem to be no other focus aids, no way to see if you are in focus. And sometimes turning that knob has no affect at all. In the meantime, the knob up front, along with the ring around the lens barrel have very little function, but as far as I can tell, neither can be programmed to handle MF duties.

Any ideas how to deal with this?

Sorry to say: no. Canon MF implementation on their small cameras is excruciatingly slow.

Not their best feature. Amusing the comparison between the Sony RX100 and original G7X on camera store about 3:55 in to the clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E6Mxxe_kG4

Any Canon user need a thick skin with Chris Niccols talking about any Powershot as he seems to jump a bit too eagerly in to immediately crush any positive things Jordan sees in the G7X but on focusing it is difficult to disagree with him.