Compact cameras- once on the verge of extinction- are now roaring back into life. Leading the charge are the Fujifilm X100 VI, another darling of the photography world, with its retro looks and attractive film simulations. Meanwhile, DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 is charming the content creators with its smooth gimbal and being able to lock onto a subject like some sorcery, thereby turning shaky mounting into cinematic victory.
Canon re-enters compact cameras now transforming dust into dominance. Forget minor updates, since this vlogging-specific powerhouse when it comes to the leap in time, make the G7X Mark III seem the oldster of six years. By its shootout of its competition, the V1 wields a giant-sized 1.4-inch, 22-megapixel sensor. So let’s think sharp visuals with punchy colors and crunchy details to fill the ambiances. Not just great size- consider optical stabilization to keep your shots steady along with a 4K oversampled video that’ll please every viewer. If you wondered if this focus on video compromised photography, think again: small wonder, this pocket powerhouse is really good-in-short sexy-much in shooting.
Canon
Canon PowerShot V1
Canon’s PowerShot V1 is a versatile hybrid camera with excellent video and image quality thanks to the unusually large sensor.
Pros
- Fast shooting speeds
- Great image quality even in low light
- 10-bit log 4K video
- Optical stabilization
- Built-in fan to stop overheating
Cons
- Rolling shutter
- Display is a bit dim
- Plain looks
- No built-in flash
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$899 at Macy’s
$899 at Macy’s
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With its lens between 16 and 50mm, it has quite a wide-angle view but might seem a little slow compared to the ZV-1 II from Sony. The X100 VI owes its name for elegance and slender profile, while the PowerShot V1 stands for rugged design and utilitarian looks. Well, for the independence that the V1 offers, those little grip areas are hardly worth mentioning: in a nutshell, there is a little super performer that shoots jaw-dropping videos and photos especially when the light is a little shy. One has to really go for the good-and-the-small, and the V1 is a great candidate.
Design and handling
Consider the PowerShot V1 by Canon; it doesn’t wallow in the vintage allure as does Fujifilm. This, then, is practicality incarnate, muscle resisting that touch of retro chic. The camera feels chunky at 2.1 inches thick-about 0.1 of an inch chunkier than the X100 VI sans lens, but still a tad lighter at 15.03 ounces with the battery. The ZV-1 II, though, practically flies by weighing a mere 10.3 ounces coupled with the thin profile of 1.84 inches.
The PowerShot V1 arrives with a familiar silhouette, carrying along the aura of the popular Canon G7X III. But, it is thicker, owing to internal-cooling fan requirements and the innovative power zoom lever. Going away from the G7X III built-in flash scenario, Canon has provided a hotshoe, moving the forward-thinking user toward external lighting scenarios. Displaced is also the record button, which now finds its way on top in a far more reachable way.
The textured grip of the PowerShot V1 allows it to fit nicely and comfortably in your palm, being an absolute gift for vlogging on the go. It does cover a bit of the necessary controls, but I much wished for some quick access through a top dial to tweak my settings. Imagine if it slipped into a pocket with the same ease that Sony’s ZV-1 II offers! The buttons respond well when pressed, but their plastic feel is far from the premium feel on Canon’s mirrorless cameras. After all, a V1 sells itself on utility more than looks; it’s a plow, not a chic break for Fuji.
Steve Dent for Engadget
Never mind those awkward pop-up displays! The PowerShot V1 comes with a completely articulating screen that could turn and twist on all axes to meet your every angle. Low-angle shots? Vlogging masterworks? Nail them all with a crystal-clear view, whatever way the camera is held. Watch the glare of the sun, though! This display would otherwise struggle in direct bright light. And sad thing is, there is no electronic viewfinder to come to the rescue.
Juggernaut of the day! This small one guarantees a worthy 400 images on battery life, or you can plop on some 4K/30p jitterbug for 75 minutes strong on a single charge. Connectivity is the key: professional mic and headphone jacks with microHDMI and USB-C (charging and diaper-fast data transfers). And then there is an UHS-II SD card slot for the ultra-speedy storage.
Vlogging and content creation
The “V” in PowerShot V1 says vlogging loud and clear, so let’s get into it! It has to be that wide, 16-50mm lens that basically guarantees that you are always in the frame, even if a crop is done. Certain easy solo shots come to mind. But, a wide angle-long distance view may be just the thing one would complain about when it comes to tight close-ups or nice B-roll footage!
Pocket-sized powerhouse or just another contender? This little guy is a sheer fight-halfway. The camera can record sharp 4K 30p video on a full sensor, or it can go for 4K 60p recording with a slight 1.4x crop. With the brightness of 10-bit recording using Canon’s C-Log 3 or HDR formats, one can go straight into cinematic color grading, whereas Sony ZV-1 II is stuck at 4K 30p and lacks 10-bit S-Log. But DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 steals the limelight by delivering an uncropped 4K recording up to a buttery 120fps, along with 10-bit D-LogM and HDR. So, the question is, where will this camera stand in a video-centric world?
Bring out your vision in a story. Featuring a super-large sensor, the PowerShot V1 records movies with sharp detailing and Canon-like natural colors, especially on the human skin. C-Log3 with 10-bit is a terrific thing to have post on sunny landscapes and shadow interiors that require to be coaxed with a wide dynamic range. When the sun turns down, the V1 starts to lose shine, as all tiny cameras in the city do, with its incredibly high ISO performance.
Steve Dent for Engadget
The sensor punches above its weight, but there’s a catch: At 4K 30p, the dreaded rolling shutter effect rears its ugly head, bending and warping your footage as if through a funhouse mirror, more so than the ZV-1 II from Sony. But with the good comes the bad: Shot in 4K 60p cropped, this distortion effect visibly decreases, registers data from the tighter area of the sensor that is less prone to rolling shutter, thus offering a smoother and cleaner grade.
No overheating worries these days. An internal fan is a blessing for the PowerShot V1. I really gave it a hectic time, heat setting set to “high,” and the camera just kept rolling. No shutdowns, no sweat-soaking delays, pure shoot uninterrupted.
Gone are the days when vlogs would be considered at best “half-blurry.” Consider this: the V1’s powerful processor lends almost psychic autofocus. Speedy puppies? All good. Speeding skateboarders? A master job. It locks onto the subject like a heat-seeking missile, with intelligent eye, face, animal, and vehicle detection giving you freedom to indulge your creativity rather than malnourishing it with technical adjustment. Put the ZV-1 II on notice.
With ZV-1 II, video stabilization is entirely a software affair, while the PowerShot V1 has an all-star duo of 5-stop optical stabilization synchronized with electronic stabilization. Imagine silky smooth handheld video that retains every pixel of image quality. Need more stability for on-the-go shots? Switch on e-stabilization and take on walking and other situations that may produce shakiness. Yet, both admire sheer smoothness, offered by the pocket-sized beast with a built-in 3-axis gimbal, DJ!
The V1 had to pull alongside audio-wise due to the inclusion of a mic and headphone jack, something the ZV-1 II unfortunately did not include. To sweeten this, Canon gave its users a decent stereo mic inside and even threw in a hot-shoe mounted windmuff that will void out any unwanted wind from your recordings.
Photography
Steve Dent for Engadget
While it is called a “vlog” camera, the PowerShot V1 can do much more than just moving pictures. It is a conceited still-imaging powerhouse. Inside gorgeously styled finishes, the photo apparatus harbors a 22.4MP, 1.4-inch sensor coupled with Canon’s most advanced Digic X processor. What does this mean? It simply means that you get pictorial beauty with zip-fast autofocus and intelligent AI-assisted features, working for some wonderful shots.
One memento to be cherished! This tiny camera is really a speedster: it produces bursts at a blistering 30 fps in electronic mode. For those who like the feel, the mechanical shutter (rarely found on compacts!) gets an impressive 15 fps. Say goodbye to slow compact cameras; this one’s the fastest. The X100 VI? Manages a very good 25 fps. The ZV-1 II? Just 15 fps. And the Osmo Pocket 3? Well, to me that’s a video camera trying to transition into photography.
Burning suns and vistas set free with the PowerShot V1, endowed with Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II. Shot after shot, crisp and sharp is the name of the game. This top AI system can locate human faces and eyes in a split second. But the V1 does more: it identifies animals, cars, planes, and much more. Capture it: easy!
Canon PowerShot V1
Canon PowerShot V1, ISO 100, 49mm, f/4.5, 1/250th
Gone are shaky shaking shots. The PowerShot V1 fled from any blur with its own 5-stop optical stabilization. I’m talking about crisp-edged pictures taken at a slow pace of 1/8th-second exposure, sometimes even 1/4th-second! This is that glorious time when one gets creamy blur on the background and razor-sharp focus on the subject.
The majority of compact cameras? Perfect under the sunlight. Once the sun vanishes though, their abilities reach a dead stop. Not the PowerShot V1-this is a cam with a near-Micro Four Thirds 1.4-inch sensor that stands tall against low light conditions. Crisp images can comfortably be had up to ISO 6400. Beyond that? Even at ISO 12800, noise is subdued to a great extent.
For Canon cameras, good shots flow with ease. A treat for every beginner who cherishes perfect skin tones. JPEGs are a great balance of sharpness and clarity, while RAW images provide dynamic range in difficult lighting scenarios, thus allowing complete editing freedom in Lightroom.
Wrap-up
Steve Dent for Engadget
Canon’s almost $900 PowerShot V1 isn’t really just a player in the vlogging camera arena; it’s swinging for the fences. Forget the Sony ZV-1 II, for V1 boasts a bigger sensor, real image stabilization, and countless video features, all with the same-ish price. Hybrid shooters, ditch your DJI Osmo Pocket 3: PowerShot V1 is no overnight success at snapping awesome photos and recording crisp videos and being truly all-round.
The PowerShot V1 has been facing an uphill battle in a market full of premium vlogging apparatus. The compact camera now struggles against the innovative DJI Osmo Pocket 3. It is much more than a stabilized current; the Pocket 3 provides motorized tracking and an ultra-smooth 3-axis gimbal. Pair it along with Insta 2 Clear Mic or Mic Mini by DJI for an audio level that can only be described at pro. Looks matter, and this is where the V1 with its basic design cannot compete with the good looks of the Fujifilm X100 VI. Is it enough to start reclaiming the creators?
Don’t talk about mirrorless. The PowerShot V1 doesn’t just stand on par; it aims to stir up the point-and-shoot realm, especially for those pegged to the G7X III. Consider this: a G7X III version that finally went through an advanced finishing school! A well-put-together camera, sure, but for a fully-fledged hybrid that truly does awe-strikingly beautiful stills and scintillating cleaving video, the V1 is a far better option for your money.
Thanks for reading Canon Powershot V1 review: A powerful compact camera capable of capturing incredible video
