Powershot G1 X DxO-Mark Scores and Lens Test

DxO Labs just published the measures for Canon’s Powershot G1 X, and the little cam scores good, very good. DxO Labs’ interpretation of the scores:

• You have a reflex-quality sensor in camera of the same volume as a G11.
• You can use this camera even under relatively difficult conditions.
• If you’re an amateur photographer, this camera can satisfy pretty much all of your needs (especially if you want to take great family photos, for example). If you’re a professional photographer, this can be a good backup camera.

Compared to other, similar cameras, the G1 X outperforms almost all of them (overall score is higher in any case) or has a score that can hold up with Canon entry level DSLR’s. Read more after the break.

• Compared to other compact cameras (Panasonic Lumix DMC LX5, Nikon Coolpix P7100, Olympus XZ1, Samsung EX1, and Canon’s G11 and G12), the G1 X outperforms them all – which is not really surprising given the bigger sensor featured on the G1 X. On average the G1 X has 20 points more, 2 more bit color depth, almost 2 stops better for low-light ISO.
• Compared to the Fuji X100, the G1 X has lower scores (overall score: 73 vs 60). Not surprising: The X100has a bigger sensor, but the G1 X has a zoom lens.
• Compared to hybrid cameras #1 (Panasonic Lumix DMC GX1, Olympus Pen EP3) the G1 X performs better (Pen EP3) to slightly better (DMX G1X). The Powershot G1 X has better low ISO performance.
• Compared to hybrid cameras #2 (Nikon 1 J1 and 1 V1) the scores of the Powershot G1 X are slightly higher (overall score 60 vs 56 vs 54). No big deal here: sensor performance is more or less on same level, but the G1 X performs better at low light.

Let’s have a look at the Powershot G1 X lens review.

Quoting DxO Labs:

The G1 X’s [lens] strong points:

– Good uniform sharpness across the field at 15mm
– Tolerable distortion between focal lengths from 31mm to 60mm
– Absence of vignetting across 2/3 of the field, regardless of focale length and aperture.
– Chromatic aberrations are absent or negligeable between focal lengths from 21mm to 44mm.

The weak points:

– Poor sharpness along the edges starting at the 21mm focal length.
– Chromatic aberrations are visible at the two focal length extremes (15mm and 60mm)

An interesting finding they made: «[…] found a significant difference in the degree of distortion between JPEG format and CR2 (RAW) format images, due to the former having undergone an automatic, internal correction while still in the camera». You can see the difference clicking here and scrolling down to the picture.

The other very interesting fact is that the lens mounted on the Powershot G1 X is better or on pair with some Canon kit lenses (EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II and EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM [!!]): «[…] a quality alternative to such entry-level SLR» kit lenses.

Compared to other 4/3 lenses the G1 X lens is better. The G1 X lens beats the Panasonic LUMIX G X VARIO PZ 14-42mm / F3.5-5.6 ASPH. and the Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ. Compared to the Nikon 1’s NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 there is no story: the G1 X lens is «is clearly ahead of the Nikon 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6». DxO Labs verdicts about the lens mounted on the Powershot G1 X:

The Canon PowerShot G1 X is a powerful lens. This high-end compact can readily replace an APS-C camera and kit lens, and it has better overall optical quality than many hybrid camera kit lenses.

So, how does the Powershot G1 X compare to Canon’s entry level DSLRs, i.e. the Rebel T3i/EOS 600D and the EOS 60D? Good, indeed! The scores proof that the G1 X is really an alternative to a DSLR, especially if you also consider the good lens performance. The overall score of the G1 X is slightly lower than the 600D’s and 60D’s scores (60 vs 65 vs 66).

Very good performance, in my opinion. Ok, the Powershot G1 X isn’t really cheap ($799), but its compact size, the excellent lens and the big sensor make this camera a valid alternative even to the EOS 60D! If only it had interchangeable lenses, then this little camera would have been unbeatable. :-)

Have a look at the latest Powershot G1 X pictures uploaded to Flickr to judge the IQ by yourself.

World-wide Powershot G1 X price-check: B&H Photo, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Check the box below for Powershot G1 X deals on eBay: