G1X iii advice

Looking for some advice. I want a small camera as an always-at-the-ready camera for ski touring, mountaineering etc. Some landscapes, some action, some environmental portraiture. I often have a bigger camera in my pack, but it’s not easily accessible and I miss a lot of shots. In the past I’ve used a Fuji Xe4 w/ 27mm pancake and fuji XF 10, but I’d prefer a zoom for flexibility. I’ve also used the XE4 with Fuji’s 15-45 which is a little big for what I want (the main problem is the thickness), but sets the bar for IQ, focal range etc. I was also looking at the LX100 ii, but I do have concerns with dust ingress and continuous AF. I just bought a used sony rx100V for the purpose, but really dislike the handling and the 1” sensor is certainly a compromise. Still undecided, I may flip it.

Questions – how does the G1X iii IQ compare with something like the Fuji with the 15-45 kit lens? I hear some say the G1X iii lens is soft and other say it’s fine. Some of what I ‘ve read seems to claim it’s no better IQ than the G7X or G5X – except for dynamic range.

The weather sealing, zoom range, controls & handling, AF capability all seem to fit the bill for what I want. However, I cannot find in any stores – is it discontinued? Is it worth tracking down a used one somewhere?. I’m guessing it wasn’t a big seller because it’s really expensive for a somewhat niche camera. Thanks for any advice, Clive

Clive99 wrote:

Looking for some advice. I want a small camera as an always-at-the-ready camera for ski touring, mountaineering etc. Some landscapes, some action, some environmental portraiture. I often have a bigger camera in my pack, but it’s not easily accessible and I miss a lot of shots. In the past I’ve used a Fuji Xe4 w/ 27mm pancake and fuji XF 10, but I’d prefer a zoom for flexibility. I’ve also used the XE4 with Fuji’s 15-45 which is a little big for what I want (the main problem is the thickness), but sets the bar for IQ, focal range etc. I was also looking at the LX100 ii, but I do have concerns with dust ingress and continuous AF. I just bought a used sony rx100V for the purpose, but really dislike the handling and the 1” sensor is certainly a compromise. Still undecided, I may flip it.

Questions – how does the G1X iii IQ compare with something like the Fuji with the 15-45 kit lens? I hear some say the G1X iii lens is soft and other say it’s fine. Some of what I ‘ve read seems to claim it’s no better IQ than the G7X or G5X – except for dynamic range.

Haven’t tried the XF 15-45 but Fuji generally have better performance at high iso. But take it by itself, without comparing, the G1X III is no slouch and outputs very satisfying results, either at high iso or in general sharpness. So the lens is not soft at all. Maybe not optimally sharp when you reach MFD. combined with DXO and its deep prime engine, I can shoot at iso 12800 worry free. The leaf shutter gives a very silent shutter sound and permits to shoot at 1/2000 of a second flash sync. The built in ND filter is very useful as well for long exposures in daylight and such.

The weather sealing, zoom range, controls & handling, AF capability all seem to fit the bill for what I want. However, I cannot find in any stores – is it discontinued? Is it worth tracking down a used one somewhere?. I’m guessing it wasn’t a big seller because it’s really expensive for a somewhat niche camera. Thanks for any advice, Clive

It’s not discontinued as far as I know. It’s definitely worth it to find a clean used one. There’s nothing like it really. Large sensor compact cameras usually come with a prime lens. There’s still the LX100 that you mentioned that I did own and did see particles slipping into the lens elements. Sold it because that’s a serious downer for a camera I intend to keep for a long time. The G1X has been with me to hikes, to beaches, the streets. It’s just a great camera in my opinion.

Thanks for your feedback! Beautiful shots! Could you post one or two in full resolution (RAW if possible). Many thanks. I'm pretty much sold on the G1X3 now.

Thanks for your advice. I'm convinced. Just found one on clearance sale and snapped it up. These things are getting really hard to find. It may not be officially discontinued, but I don't think Canon is building any new ones.

Chris 222 wrote:

Swerky wrote:

Clive99 wrote:

Looking for some advice. I want a small camera as an always-at-the-ready camera for ski touring, mountaineering etc. Some landscapes, some action, some environmental portraiture. I often have a bigger camera in my pack, but it’s not easily accessible and I miss a lot of shots. In the past I’ve used a Fuji Xe4 w/ 27mm pancake and fuji XF 10, but I’d prefer a zoom for flexibility. I’ve also used the XE4 with Fuji’s 15-45 which is a little big for what I want (the main problem is the thickness), but sets the bar for IQ, focal range etc. I was also looking at the LX100 ii, but I do have concerns with dust ingress and continuous AF. I just bought a used sony rx100V for the purpose, but really dislike the handling and the 1” sensor is certainly a compromise. Still undecided, I may flip it.

Questions – how does the G1X iii IQ compare with something like the Fuji with the 15-45 kit lens? I hear some say the G1X iii lens is soft and other say it’s fine. Some of what I ‘ve read seems to claim it’s no better IQ than the G7X or G5X – except for dynamic range.

Haven’t tried the XF 15-45 but Fuji generally have better performance at high iso. But take it by itself, without comparing, the G1X III is no slouch and outputs very satisfying results, either at high iso or in general sharpness. So the lens is not soft at all. Maybe not optimally sharp when you reach MFD. combined with DXO and its deep prime engine, I can shoot at iso 12800 worry free. The leaf shutter gives a very silent shutter sound and permits to shoot at 1/2000 of a second flash sync.

The entire shutter mechanism has basically the same design and build as the ones found on the big FF Canon cams. It is very quiet indeed, but I have also found it to have the best "feel" of any cams I've used going back a long time. It's just a joy to use.

The built in ND filter is very useful as well for long exposures in daylight and such.

+1.

The weather sealing, zoom range, controls & handling, AF capability all seem to fit the bill for what I want. However, I cannot find in any stores – is it discontinued? Is it worth tracking down a used one somewhere?. I’m guessing it wasn’t a big seller because it’s really expensive for a somewhat niche camera. Thanks for any advice, Clive

It’s not discontinued as far as I know. It’s definitely worth it to find a clean used one. There’s nothing like it really. Large sensor compact cameras usually come with a prime lens. There’s still the LX100 that you mentioned that I did own and did see particles slipping into the lens elements. Sold it because that’s a serious downer for a camera I intend to keep for a long time. The G1X has been with me to hikes, to beaches, the streets. It’s just a great camera in my opinion.

Same experience here. Canon did make one blunder with the G1X3 battery, which could easily have been twice the size. Luckily spare batts cost only around 20 bucks.

Indeed. Two batteries are all I need for a day's shooting, if it's only stills. Don't shoot video. I guess its quality lies also in that it is pocketable to some extent. An eventual successor would still be desirable if the size increases a bit with a larger capacity battery and longer lens.

Update - Just got my G1X III today.  I'm impressed! Very nice to use. Did a quick comparison with my Fuji XE4 + 16-80 zoom and my RX100V.  Very similar performance to the Fuji, even a little sharper in the corners at wide angle. Both are miles ahead of the RX100. Better IQ shows up in textures and especially at the longer end of the range. I've read several claims that the sony has a sharper lens. Certainly not true for the ones i've tested.  Really like this camera. My only gripe is that the eye cup is so big that it makes it hard to get this camera in and out of a small pouch quickly.  Anybody try removing the rubber eyecup?  I get that this makes it nice to use and block out the light, but it protrudes significantly.

Clive99 wrote:

Anybody try removing the rubber eyecup? I get that this makes it nice to use and block out the light, but it protrudes significantly.

It protrudes, but makes it nice to use and blocks out the light.

I use even bigger eyecup to block out light completely, or at least as much as possible.

I use even bigger eyecup to block out light completely, or at least as much as possible.

Which one is that, just out of curiosity? Got a link?

Hi Chris,

here is info about it https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/63414467

Very beautiful set and it confirms what I generally see from the G1X III. Very good IQ for landscape, good AF but maybe not that great for low light shots (depends on the stabilization though) and portraits. Personally I am looking for a used one to try,