Canon Powershot G1 X Successor and Other Gear To Be Announced February 12th?

Powershot G1 X

I have been told (thanks) that Canon will announce new gear on February 12th, one day before CP+ starts. One of the cameras that is going to be announced should be the successor of the Canon Powershot G1 X, the others should be DSLRs. The possible announcement of the G1 X replacement showed up also on other places.

No new specs of the PowerShot G1 X successor have been leaked so far, but we can expect something similar to the specs leaked some time go on the Chinese Xitek forum:

  • Same design as the G1X, with a slightly longer lens
  • DIGIC 6 Image Processor
  • 24 – 120mm f/2.8-5.8 lens
  • 20.2MP 1.5″ CMOS sensor
  • New optical zoom viewfinder with better image quality
  • 3.0″ LCD touch screen with 922,000 dots

Additionally [source: CR], it is now also rumored the G1 X successor could have WiFi and GPS. The camera should be available to the public at the end of April or beginning of May.

No word about the other gear that Canon might announce for CP+. Short time to wait, and then we will know.

Canon PowerShot G1 X price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Canon Powershot G1X Mark II Specification May Have Leaked

This was posted to Chinese Xitek forum (translated) back in November 2013 by a user claiming these are the specs of the successor of the Canon PowerShot G1 X, the “G1 X Mark II” (unusual moniker for a compact camera):

  • Same design as the G1X, with a slightly longer lens
  • DIGIC 6 Image Processor
  • 24 – 120mm f/2.8-5.8 lens
  • 20.2MP 1.5″ CMOS sensor
  • New optical zoom viewfinder with better image quality
  • 3.0″ LCD touch screen with 922,000 dots

The camera could indeed be announced for CP+.

Take this with a big grain of salt, although it is true that in the past there have been leaks on Xitek.

The Powershot G1 X is somewhat unique in the overall Canon line-up. The G1 X features a sensor that is 20% smaller than the sensors Canon uses in APS-C DSLRs, and it is a bit larger than the 4/3  size used by Olympus and Panasonic, and it is more than 4x the size of the Fujifilm X10‘s sensor.

Canon PowerShot G1 X price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA [via TNC]

Canon Rumor: A Large Sensor PowerShot Camera Coming In 2013

Canon Rumor

A new, interesting rumor came up. Canon may be working on a compact camera with a large sensor. Not a successor of the PowerShot G1 X (price & specs), but a camera like the PowerShot S110 (price & specs), just a bit a larger. The camera should have a fast lens and the new APS-C 18MP sensor featured on the Rebel Sl1/EOS 100D (price & specs), and the DIGIC 6 Image Processing Unit. No viewfinder. Pricing should be less than the PowerShot G1 X when it was released. We expect Canon to announce this camera at the end of SUmmer 2013.

Canon PowerShot G1 X price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Canon PowerShot S110 price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Canon Rebel Sl1/EOS 100D price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Canon Rumor [via CR]

PowerShot G1 X plus Accessories Drops To $549

PowerShot G1 X

B&H has the Canon Powershot G1 X bundled with a Lowepro Rezo 60 Compact Camera Pouch and a SanDisk 16GB SDHC Memory Card Extreme Class 10 UHS-I on sale for $549 (click here).

  • 14.3MP 1.5″ CMOS Sensor
  • 3.0″ Vari-Angle LCD Screen
  • 28mm Wide Lens with 4x Optical Zoom
  • DIGIC 5 Image Processor
  • Hybrid Image Stabilizer
  • Optical Viewfinder
  • Up to 12,800 ISO
  • 1080p Full HD Video
  • High Dynamic Range Scene Mode
  • Manual & Numerous Other Shooting Modes

 

[Deal] Powershot G1 X Price Drops To $729

B&H has the Canon Powershot G1 X on sale for $729 (click here), that’s $70 off from the regular price. Limited quantity available. The G1 X is Canon’s first attempt in the mirrorless market. While not having interchangeable lenses, the G1 X sports a near APS-C sized sensor with 4:3 ratio. Moreover, this camera comes with a fixed yet amazingly performing lens. More specs:

  • 14.3MP 1.5″ CMOS Sensor
  • 3.0″ Vari-Angle LCD Screen
  • 28mm Wide Lens with 4x Optical Zoom
  • DIGIC 5 Image Processor
  • Hybrid Image Stabilizer
  • Optical Viewfinder
  • Up to 12,800 ISO
  • 1080p Full HD Video
  • High Dynamic Range Scene Mode
  • Manual & Numerous Other Shooting Modes

Another Light-Leak Problem on a Canon Camera (PowerShot G1 X, this time)

imaging-resource published a detailed and exhaustive review of the PowerShot G1 X. And while the review confirms the many good features of the G1 X (high ISO performance, outstanding lens, good video performance, and much more), it appears that the tech-savy folks at IR found also a small problem that shows up in certain conditions: light leaking and finding a way to the sensor when it should not. The result are visible (and replicable) artifacts in the images (click here for a test shot showing the artifact). The problem occurs only at high ISO settings (>1600) and focal lengths around 50mm equivalent, and it’s most pronounced using an exposure of 1/4000. When all these parameters are given, then a «bright light source near the center or toward the bottom of the frame will produce a bright artifact in the center and right side of the image». Quoting (scroll down to the very end of the post to read about the problem and to see the test images):

The cause is likely a light leak or reflection through the lens assembly that makes its way around the shutter, allowing light to fall on the sensor either before or after the shutter opens and closes to make its exposure. Since the effect is most pronounced at 1/4,000 second, it seems that extra light is allowed to fall on the sensor after the shutter has closed to end its exposure, but while the sensor is still powered up to record light.

They sent the images to Canon asking for feedback. Canon calls the phenomenon “glowing dots”, but there are no dots. However, Canon states that «[d]ue to the limited circumstances under which the PowerShot G1X ‘Glow Dots’ phenomenon can occur, Canon does not plan to change the camera’s specifications or offer repair service for this issue.» It must be said that the setting where this phenomenon shows up is not a real world setting: you will hardly shot bright objects using a high ISO setting. True. Nevertheless, quoting imaging-resource again:

We want to note up front that this phenomenon is not very likely to show up in average everyday shooting situations, because most of us don’t shoot bright objects at ISO 1,600 to 12,800 at high shutter speeds. But those trying to achieve a special effect or even simply forgetting to change from a high ISO to a lower one when entering bright light might encounter the defect, just as we did.

Unfortunately the phenomenon occurs also when shooting a bright object, not only when there is a strong light source in the frame. Check the images of the garage door (click here) and this one to get an idea. The leak occurs through the lenses and not through the viewfinder or other openings on the camera (this was extensively tested). Concluding:

So what might be happening to cause this? While we can’t tell for sure, we think that light is bouncing off the shutter itself after it closes, but while the sensor is still sensitive to light. We think it’s happening after the shutter closes, because the effect doesn’t appear to be visible at slower shutter speeds: Our hypothesis is that the artifact is being recorded during a very short interval after the main exposure occurs. If the light levels are such as to produce a proper exposure with a shutter speed of, say, 1/60 second, the brief interval during which light from the leak accumulates after the exposure would represent a very small portion of the total exposure time, and so not be noticeable. Further supporting this theory is that the artifact fades relative to the main exposure as you move to lower ISO sensitivities, suggesting that the leak is being recorded for a relatively short, fixed duration.

Did anyone here notice the same issue on a PowerShot G1 X?

[via imaging-resource]