GADGET GIZMO REVIEW CANON POWERSHOT G5X

GADGET GIZMO REVIEW CANON POWERSHOT G5X

There's a certain type of camera enthusiast who doesn't like digital SLRs: they're too bulky for everyday use. However, this user is also very demanding ­ heshe wants something compact, fast & pretty. Unfortunately, you can't add cheap into this mix. High performance compacts are a rare breed and they're tough to make. They typically have larger sensors, metal bodies and similar electronics to a DSLR (and similar levels of performance as compared to many entry & midrange DSLRs too).

Canon's G5X ticks all of these boxes and it's joined by the likes of several mirrorless compacts and others like the Sony RX100 series. One look and you know that the G5X means business ­ there's a centrally mounted OLED viewfinder (why do so many compacts have them off to the side?), a large articulating touchscreen LCD, a lens ring, dedicated exposure dial, a manual flip up flash, hot shoe and lots of dials and controls (so you get multiple ways to control the camera).

The lens is a fixed Canon zoom lens with optical image stabilization and neutral density (ND) filter (4.2x optical zoom: 24-100mm in 35mm equivalent). Maximum aperture is f1.8 which, when used correctly, makes shooting in low light so much easier plus gives your photos that beautiful shallow depth of field. The ND filter automatically cuts out light when shooting in very bright conditions so you can still make use of wider aperture settings if you want to ­ without overexposing the image.

What we liked about the G5X is that anyone can pick it up and start shooting. It's very forgiving in that sense. But when you want to really control everything, customize the buttons or alter the behaviour of the camera, you can. It's not the fastest around (4.4 frames per second) and it can't shoot 4K video. We got some nice results in all sorts of conditions. More advanced users should keep the ISO in check rather than leave it on auto ­ it starts to get into trouble about ISO 800.The image stabilization is quite effective though and you can rely on it to get you some sharp images when you can't keep your hands too steady .

Like many high-end compacts, the G5X has built in WiFi and NFC. You can download the Canon Camera Connect app and pair the phone with the camera. You'll be able to do live remote shooting (use the phone as a remote viewfinder and change settings), view images stored on the camera or transfer them wirelessly .

Overall, the G5X is an impressive piece of kit. We would have preferred it to be slightly smaller (its about coat pocket size ­ not pant pocket) but it's quite manageable nonetheless. The Sony RX100 Mark 3 is now about the same price as the G5X and it's the only one we could consider as worthy competition. It's also a bit smaller though the G5X is more feature-rich.

Hitesh.Bhagat@timesgroup.com

ET6JAN16