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G5X Mark ii - two annoying issues

Started 1 month ago | Discussions
Fudgington Forum Member • Posts: 51
G5X Mark ii - two annoying issues

I have owned a Canon G5X mark ii for nearly a year now and whilst I have been broadly happy with it, there are two things that really annoy me about this camera.

  1. When shooting with spot or 1-point focus points it is really easy to move the focus point mistakenly so it is off centre. Unlike with the G7Xii (which I also own) it does not automatically re-centre itself even when turning the camera off and on. I have missed countless shots because of this. I like using centre point focussing as with tracking you can’t use the electronic level. I have seen no options which work for dealing with this problem. For example some suggest disabling the touch and drag AF settings, which I have done but it doesn’t cure this problem. I also don’t want to turn off the touch screen altogether or switch to manual focus.
  2. There are hardly any customisable options for the otherwise fairly pointless * button on the rear of the camera, unlike the movie button which is fully customisable. Why not give the same options for both buttons? This compares unfavourably with the G7Xii, which has two fully customisable buttons on the rear (Ring Func and Movie).

It seems to me that both these issues could be fixed easily by a firmware update. I assume that’s unlikely now as this camera has been out since 2019 and Canon has probably lost interest in Powershots, but if anyone knows differently I would be glad to hear it. As it is, I find the G7xii to be easier to shoot with, but of course it lacks the viewfinder and reach of the G5Xii. The G5Xii is an expensive camera and it's very frustrating that these fairly obvious design flaws were not addressed by Canon at the outset, especially as they don't appear on the G7Xii!

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ChiJeff5 Regular Member • Posts: 371
Re: G5X Mark ii - two annoying issues

I've recently started using my g5xii more now that my rx10iv broke and I can't see myself spending 1600 on a six year old camera.  Anyway... I too have been so frustrated by that ficus box moving around in me.  Also missed pics because it seems to end up in the edge often.  I went menu diving trying to find a way to disable just that, but no luck.

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Louis_S New Member • Posts: 3
Re: G5X Mark ii - two annoying issues
2

1: Touch the focus point, a small menu icon shows up in the lower left corner. touch it, and the focus point is centered.
2: To customize the * button, go to the yellow menu > 5 > Custom functions > 4 > touch the * icon > touch the * icon again, and you can select: AE Lock/FE Lock, Metering and AF start, AF stop, AE lock (default), FE lock or off.

OP Fudgington Forum Member • Posts: 51
Re: G5X Mark ii - two annoying issues
1

Thank you for your suggestions. I know about the first one, and use it, but it's still frustrating if you forget or are in a hurry. The second point I'm afraid just demonstrates how limited the customisation is compared to the G7xii. This could be fixed by a firmware update, but I won't hold my breath.

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Canon PowerShot S120 Canon G7 X II Canon G5 X II Canon EOS Rebel SL1 Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM +2 more
John McCormack
John McCormack Veteran Member • Posts: 7,101
Re: G5X Mark ii - two annoying issues

I'm considering the G5X II if it ever becomes available again. Are you all saying that you can't disable the touch screen functions? Page 259 of the manual clearly states that you can disable touch functions as follows:  > Wrench Menu > Touch Control > disable.

I personally never use touch AF on any camera. Focus, compose and shoot has worked for me for the past 40+ years (or however long there's been AF.) 

ChiJeff5 Regular Member • Posts: 371
Re: G5X Mark ii - two annoying issues

I think it's all or nothing.  The touch is handy for many things, but the touchy auto focus touch is annoying.

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uktony4563
uktony4563 Regular Member • Posts: 112
Re: G5X Mark ii - two annoying issues
1

Just turn it off and do it the good old fashioned way.

Its a great camera. Don't let it put you off

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OP Fudgington Forum Member • Posts: 51
Re: G5X Mark ii - two annoying issues
1

Yes, unfortunately it is all or nothing. This is still a good camera, but as I said in my original post, this is an annoying issue all the same and one that could easily be fixed in a firmware update if Canon had a mind to.

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requa
requa Contributing Member • Posts: 860
Re: G5X Mark ii - two annoying issues

I try to use a custom setting (C on the mode dial) programmed with my anticipated settings for a given outing, including zoom and placement of the spot focus. This way power cycling the camera will restore as set.

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OP Fudgington Forum Member • Posts: 51
Re: G5X Mark ii - two annoying issues

Sounds like a good workaround, will give it a go!

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Canon PowerShot S120 Canon G7 X II Canon G5 X II Canon EOS Rebel SL1 Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM +2 more
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