The Olympic Peninsula is a year-round destination, as its lakes, rivers and temperate rain forests attract hikers and wildlife enthusiasts even in the winter months. It's just the kind of place you'd expect to find someone like Kyle Johnson, a freelance photographer and avid fly fisherman. Hoping to give the local Steelhead population a run for its money and to try out the Canon PowerShot G5 X in the wild, DPR staffer Carey Rose joined Kyle at Lake Quinalt for our latest field test.
Great video. I spent a lot of my youth growing up in Washington state and know the Olympic Peninsula well. Yeah, more of a "fishing" video instead of a specs onslaught but so what.
I'd be very interested in finding out roughly how much post processing went into the images. Were they cropped? Were lens profile corrections applied?...Just a rough idea how much editing took place?
For my images, I took the Raw files into Adobe Camera Raw because they have a pretty good amount of latitude. Almost never did any cropping, and adjustments were limited to white balance, a bit of exposure, whites, blacks, highlights, shadows.
Hope that helps. If there's a specific image you're curious about, I can pull up the specific adjustments and amounts if you like.
@Mike - I never bumped up sharpness with these images, though I usually do with other gigs. Wait time was pretty good, even though they're 20MP, that's kind of getting on the low-end these days. It's when I'm processing 12MP files that I'm really spoiled for speed :)
Thanks, good to know there was enough sharpness/resolution.! So taking and processing RAW was ok. The pics and vid look great and thanks for doing this field trip. Ergonomically, it seemed hard for me to imagine an RX100 III being as easy to shoot in this outing, especially in the boat using the vari-angle screen out to the side for stability etc.
Beautifully filmed, and a Great "IN-REAL-LIFE" review. I much prefer this kind of IRL review over just listing specs. I think the fixed-compact has mature to a point that it is challenging the NEEDS of having a DSLR or Mirrorless iLC. I think for 90% of the population, this kind of 1" fix camera makes more sense than interchangeable. My only annoyance is the PRICE TAG, pricing more expensive than an entry-level M43 camera like E-PL6 for $299.
If Canon can price this camera toward $300 ~ $400, its a no brainer
I couldn't agree more. This kind of review from Canon is not the first time and always more interesting than listing specs.
Fixed lens compact zoom cameras sure have a place, especially for weekend photographer/travel photography etc. I have several Canon compact cameras. They are very compact, less hassle to bring than DSLR. Ive got nothing to loose when I bring my compacts to expedition, weekend trips etc.
Canon optics on compact lens are always satisfying, with its zoom versatility of compact cameras and great lens, my photos are mostly better than others who took picture with DSLR (esp. in daylight, outdoor). The key is they have to limit lens range from 28 to 210 mm. Beyond that, I think it's only a gimmick. With my compact lens, I beat other photographers with the zoom range I have.
In the long run, I think it's inevitable that large-sensor fixed-lens compacts will cut into ILC sales. As a practical matter, many people who buy an ILC will never go beyond the kit lens.
I agree with most except the price comment. You need to consider that a good lens like the ones built into these compacts are worth more than the body portion of the camera and so it's reasonable for the RRP to be at least twice that of a cheaper M43 body.
Sorry for the delay - I've just uploaded a number of samples from this trip into the existing G5 X samples gallery, and added a link to it in the article.
This video is very good, but beware, it is as much or more about fishing as it is about the camera. All the information in the video that pertains to the camera could have been shown in a video in 3-4 minutes, rather than the 8.
I would love to know how the camera was protected from the rain and water.
We didn't give the Canons too much protection - if it was a light drizzle, I was careful and just tried to make sure the lens barrel wasn't wet when it retracted. In downpours, I kept it in a mostly waterproof pocket.
It has everything I want, even the price would be ok, BUT I want a sharp lens. At least my trusty RX100 is tack sharp at 28mm which I use most of the time anyway. But at the widest end my camera needs to be sharp and the g5x doesn't seem to be according to the review.
I tried the G5 X hands on. Looked at the images at home. The lens is really bad. Not just wide aperture and wide zoom. It's pretty bad everywhere. Never really sharpens up. Seems to be a quality control issue as I have seen some sharp shots. But you are taking your chances if you buy one. From what I saw on G5 X I used, the images were less impressive than Olympus XZ-2 which I also own (having 1/1.7" sensor vs 1" sensor) The lens on G5X is sub-par.
Despite some of the negatives in the "inching forward" review, the G5 X seemed to perform really well here in terms of PQ.
It looks an ideal travel cam for someone like me (who is also a Canon DSLR user), but the inevitability of a G5 X II with digic 7 that fixes several of those negatives gives me reasons to want to hold off for now - unless they rapidly reduce the price of the current model...
"This is sponsored content, created with the support of Canon" since when did this start happening? Is this only being mentioned now as a result of the Lord & Taylor vs. FTC legal dispute?
These field tests have in my opinion always been infomercials. I congratulate dpreview for its move towards transparency.
Transparency would have been welcome during last years Sony tsunami and the following Fuji shower. Was I the only one to lose faith in dpreview in that period?
i very much doubt any of the content you're referring to is sponsored unless is was a video field test, and was clearly signposted as being sponsored content.
Simon, I'm sure you know better than I the various means of sponsorship available to marketers. I remember a writer of another blog saying Sony offered an RX1r ii as a thankyou gift for an article. Did any DpReview staff or writers aquire Sony 'gifts' in this period?
A certain low light autofocus test (but not limited too) that'd have made Ken Rockwell proud comes to mind
The ongoing Field Test video series is DPReview's first foray into sponsored content. And no, DPReview staff do not receive "gifts" from brands. I am curious about your lowlight test reference nonetheless, care to link to it?
Transparency is a good thing. As a result of the Lord & Taylor vs. FTC legal settlement, for those doing business in the U.S., transparency in content marketing is now also a legally-required thing, particularly for big players (like Amazon!) that the FTC has the resources to address.
That aside, for any media company that derives significant income from a party over which it passes judgement, (regardless of "stated policies") that company's employees will always have to ask "if we say x about business y will we still receive $z dollars from them?"
For me, I couldn't watch this video after I saw that it was content marketing. And I now feel like I have to audit everything I read on this website to see whether or not it is a content marketing piece. Which makes it more difficult for me to enjoy. Of course, I have no idea if I am or am not representative of the greater visitor/user base at DPR.
I'd be interested in learning more about why you cannot watch the video once you know that it is sponsored content. At a high level I understand the gut-response to words like "sponsored" or "marketing".
But the reality for us is that we had a relatively simple goal, to make incremental content about photographers and gear that we otherwise could not afford to make. So we sat down and asked ourselves what format would make sense, and settled on this video series, where we pair a camera with a photographer, and go off to use the gear in interesting situations.
We feel good about the video series because we do not consult with the camera companies at any stage. Our editors choose a camera they want to highlight, an interesting match for a photographer and a location, and we go off and shoot. There's no additional layer of complexity or mystery.
So in the end, we are able to make videos that we'd love to be able to make anyways, and the feedback from our users has been extremely positive.
Good stuff Scott except I am sure DPReview has ample resources for a modest video shoot like this. There was a time when entities like yours would purchase any cameras that they review.
@Gesture, I wish this were true, but DPReview's business model is based on selling online advertising. And banner advertising in general is dying a slow death. It will always be there, but the rates advertisers are willing to pay have been going down for years. This is a big reason for the rise in sponsored content. If you look across the web at different types of publishers, the ones thriving are the ones able to find a way to make sponsored content that their readers enjoy.
Anyways, our entire annual budget, beyond paying our staff, goes to freelance writers. Video production rates vary, but generally you will see about $1000/minute as the absolute lowest rate, and generally most production teams will not take projects below $5000-10,000, and this does not factor in travel expenses, paying the talent, etc.... So a 10-15 minute mini-documentary is a costly affair, much beyond our budget.
"I am sure DPReview has ample resources for a modest video shoot like this. There was a time when entities like yours would purchase any cameras that they review."
Scott has explained this above, but just for the record - DPReview has never bought the products that we review (with one exception that I can remember, when we were let down by a manufacturer). To the best of my knowledge, almost no review sites do either.
@Scott, You asked "I'd be interested in learning more about why you cannot watch the video once you know that it is sponsored content" -- My response would largely match your high-level understanding of "gut-response to words like 'sponsored' or 'marketing'". Additionally, I cringe when those words weren't mentioned before I decided to click on the article -- I feel baited. There's only so many hours in a day for all of us and I'm sure in our personal lives many of us tend to prioritize the product info that we are confident is giving us the most full, candid story.
As someone very involved with digital media myself, I empathize greatly with creating diff content for diff users/visitors. As you state, "feedback from our users has been extremely positive", so that hopefully keeps a site we all love thriving.
A 'question mark' (perhaps you've already considered??), is whether to label sponsored-content as such, up-front on the homepage (The Atlantic's Quartz does this for example).
@Scott, as a 'heads up', this goes well beyond my or your own personal opinions -- your team will want to be caught up on this:
"[Native advertising] disclosures should be placed prominently on the main page of a publisher’s site where consumers will notice them and easily identify the content to which the disclosure applies" - Matt Savare, Lowenstein Sandler LLP (AdExchanger article 3/17/2016) "In evaluating whether consumers would recognize [native ads]... the [FTC] will consider... customary expectations based on consumers' prior experience with the media....if a natively formatted ad appearing as a news story is inserted into the content stream of a publisher site...reasonable consumers are unlikely to recognize it". - FTC memo linked in the aforementioned AdExchanger article.
Really nice video and surprisingly excellent stills & video. Beautiful part of the world, I hope it remains unspoiled. Thanks for all these videos, nice to get introduced to parts of the world we may never visit- and highly entertaining also.
G5X is 749,90 Euros in Finland at the moment and you can buy EOS 750D KIT 18-55 IS STM or EOS 760D body with 779,90 € from the same shop. Thats why i think G5X is too expensive.
Nice video indeed, beautiful part of the world. Great to see a camera just being used at it should be, in the great outdoors and let's hope discussion isn't dragged down by Canon haters.
What was used to shoot the video of the G5X in use?
I'd like to learn that kind of casting some day. Since I have trouble casting bass bugs on a fly rod, I don't know how I'd do with flies and strike indicators (bobbers?) of that size. Wow! Very nice fish.
Nice video, and very nice bunch of guys. I even learned something about river fishing.
The G5X would have been better with weather sealing especially on a trip like this. A splash of water could be lethal to the camera. Canon released the G7X mk ll with Digic 7 which cured all the performance issues of the G7X, especially with slow continuous burst in RAW. The G5X seems to me to be a stopgap for Canon. The G5X mk ll will get the Digic 7 upgrade. If it were up to me I would get the G7X mk ll with its speed over the G5X, which is more expensive, with its EVF.
@EddyGil Love and enjoy what you have. There's always something better coming over the horizon. Why wait, time is precious, when you can get out and make some images? It's all good. Cheers!
The top of bridge cams delivered very very nice some 10 years ago. In nowadays deliver better and better. I am not a Canon fan, but I have to admit that they have produced some astonishing products in the segment with a refinement and a touch that their FF flagships usually lack. Anyway BSI sensor seems to be a knocker and I think that if it had to deliver 12-14 Mp the results would be far better and if it had to deliver 8 (which are enough for most users out there) some entry level cams along with their kit lenses would be in a seriously discomfort zone...
I enjoyed your artistic review....love the gloominess (that is why I live on the eastside of the Cascades). The camera seemed to do well with its weather proofing?
I got nervous for the camera watching the video in the river scenes. The G5X has no weather sealing. A big splash of water or some heavy rain and it could be game over. I would remove the battery and hope for the best while it dries out.
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