New Canon G5X II - 24-120mm f1.8-2.8, 4k, EVF

[tkbslc]

New Canon G5X II announced. Looks pretty sweet!

Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II has fast 24-120mm equiv. lens and pop-up EVF

-Stole the pop-up EVF from Sony
-Got the Stacked Sony 1" sensor with 4K and 120fps 1080p
-Increased the lens to 24-120mm equiv keeping the f1.8-2.8 aperture.
-Mic jack and selfie screen for the vloggers. (edit: I guess mic jack is only on the G7X III, not G5X II)

That lens is 12-60 f2.4-3.8 m4/3 equivalent.

Looks very promising! Assuming the lens isn't terrible, it addresses all the wishlist items I had from owning the G7X II

 

[Reflector]

I wonder if it has PDAF like the latest RX100s. The stacked sensor is interesting.

 

[pdk42]

Looks nice. Exp comp on the top dial too. If they do blinkies/ zebras then I'll be very interested.

 

[Bushboy]

Always liked the Powershot.
Such fun cameras.
Still, not a patch on my M5ii...

 

[tkbslc]

Still, not a patch on my M5ii...

I think you'd be surprised! (At least in terms of sensor quality)

 

[Turbofrog]

I'm extremely curious about this.

Assuming the lens is decent quality, it could be an exceptionally good "missing link" travel camera, between an ILC and a smartphone.

I just got back from 2 months of backpacking, and I really wished I had a more compact package (while still being flexible) than my GX7 + 14-140mm. I ended up leaving the PL12-60/f2.8-4 at home because the size was the same as the 14-140 but I didn't want to give up the extra zoom range. This is basically an auxiliary system that's the same size as that lens all by itself.

Of course, the alternative option calling out is the LX100 II, which doesn't have the same zoom range, but has somewhat better low-light and DoF control, and it promises to be more "fun," particularly with the real-time aspect ratio dial. But the fixed screen is a bummer, and I would prefer the G5X's flip-around screen for those times my wife or friends and I want to get a selfie (not that they ever turn out well, anyway, even with smartphones, but they're fun).

...honestly, after this trip, I really have no idea what I even want my kit to be. It feels like everything is on the table.

 

[demiro]

Interesting. I've been wondering when someone would take another shot at this market segment. Probably not for me though. I'd like to see what the body would look like that holds that sensor and a 24-80/1.8 lens. Skip that gimmicky pop-up VF (I didn't care for it on the RX100-3).

 

[tkbslc]

Of course, the alternative option calling out is the LX100 II, which doesn't have the same zoom range, but has somewhat better low-light and DoF control.

We are talking 1/4-1/3 a stop of difference through most of the zoom range. And the longer end of the G5X II will surpass the LX100 II for bg blur due to much longer reach.

 

[tkbslc]

Interesting. I've been wondering when someone would take another shot at this market segment. Probably not for me though. I'd like to see what the body would look like that holds that sensor and a 24-80/1.8 lens. Skip that gimmicky pop-up VF (I didn't care for it on the RX100-3).

If you want the 80mm f1.8 end for bg blur, 120mm f2.8 gives the same as that. Just need a tiny bit more light and space to use it.

The G5X II lens is reportedly still f2.2 until 45mm, so it's keeps enough speed to be useful through the more common focal lengths.

I'd still love to see someone make a really slim 1" compact with a 35mm equiv f1.4 lens with good control scheme and an optical finder. A pocketable X100, I guess.

 

[Michael Meissner]

Interesting. I've been wondering when someone would take another shot at this market segment. Probably not for me though. I'd like to see what the body would look like that holds that sensor and a 24-80/1.8 lens. Skip that gimmicky pop-up VF (I didn't care for it on the RX100-3).

Funny the pop-up VF is one of the things that made me perk up.

One of several reasons why I chose the LX10 over the LX100 last year was the viewfinder. Generally, I like viewfinders (except for my hot-button polarization issue). On my Olympus Stylus-1, I found that the viewfinder jutting out makes it uncomfortable to put the camera in my pants pocket and when I tried the LX100, I had the same issue. With a pop-up viewfinder, it normally would be inside the camera, and it would not cause a problem.

 

[Turbofrog]

We are talking 1/4-1/3 a stop of difference through most of the zoom range. And the longer end of the G5X II will surpass the LX100 II for bg blur due to much longer reach.

Is that so?

It seems very surprising that it would be such a small difference, because with sensor size alone the LX100 is 2/3 EV different from the 1" cameras (i.e. not 1 EV due to having the slightly increased 2.2x crop of it's 4/3" sensor). And its lens starts at f1.7 instead of f1.8, to boot, which is really just gravy.

The LX100 also has a really good aperture curve, and doesn't fall off nearly as quickly as most competitors (see chart at the bottom of this page).

Panasonic DC-LX100 II Review

Are you thinking of the 1"-sized LX10/15, by chance?

Don't get me wrong, like I said, I'm really excited by the prospect of the G5X II. But the LX100 should theoretically be 2/3 - 1 EV better over the shared range unless the G5X II lens really holds at f1.8 like a champ for most of the focal range. That amount is non-trivial when it comes to a fixed lens camera that you want to be solid in all reasonable conditions.

 

[tkbslc]

Only 1/2 stop difference between LX100 (2.2x crop) and 1" sensors (2.7x). (2.7/2.2 = 1.22)

G5X II lens is very slightly faster than the LX100 (II) lens from 27-68mm equiv.

So 1/2 stop, minus 1/6-1/4 stop lens advantage through most of the range is where where I got 1/3-1/4 total difference.

Ironically, I actually consider the LX10 to have the slowest lens of any m4/3 compact. It's f1.4 at 24mm, but it is already f2 by 26mm and f2.5 by 29mm. It's f2.5-2.8 through the bulk of the zoom range.

The previous G7X lens was not much different than the G5X II in terms of aperture transitions, and I rant these numbers before buying one. I decided the bulk and shorter zoom of the LX100 was not worth the tiny difference in effective aperture.

 

[Bushboy]

Guys, what is a stacked sensor?

 

[tkbslc]

Guys, what is a stacked sensor?

Basically it moves some of the circuitry into the actual sensor rather than on chips to the side of it. This allows faster readout and potentially less noise from circuitry and readout. (Although that is only a small portion of visible noise, so it's not a huge noise reduction benefit).

 

[Bushboy]

I very nearly went G5X route when I was looking for new camera. Picked up a 2nd hand Panasonic G6 instead bolted on the 45 macro and that was that.
I would of been happy with the canon thou, I’m sure.

 

[demiro]

Funny the pop-up VF is one of the things that made me perk up.

One of several reasons why I chose the LX10 over the LX100 last year was the viewfinder. Generally, I like viewfinders (except for my hot-button polarization issue). On my Olympus Stylus-1, I found that the viewfinder jutting out makes it uncomfortable to put the camera in my pants pocket and when I tried the LX100, I had the same issue. With a pop-up viewfinder, it normally would be inside the camera, and it would not cause a problem.

I prefer a VF as well, but only if it is half-decent. I found the Sony not to reach that standard. Maybe the Canon will be better, but I kind of doubt it.

 

[snaimpally]

Looks intriguing. I owned several Canon P&S cameras before getting into micro 4/3 and loved them.

 

[Sam0912]

Has caught my attention, as my phone camera gets better, even my smallish m4/3 kit is being left at home more. I obviously notice the difference in my m43 photos though when viewing on screen, so this could be a good middle ground for camping/hiking/days out where I want more quality than my iPhone can give and some zoom range to boot

 

[Sam0912]

New Canon G5X II announced. Looks pretty sweet!

Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II has fast 24-120mm equiv. lens and pop-up EVF

-Stole the pop-up EVF from Sony
-Got the Stacked Sony 1" sensor with 4K and 120fps 1080p
-Increased the lens to 24-120mm equiv keeping the f1.8-2.8 aperture.
-Mic jack and selfie screen for the vloggers. (edit: I guess mic jack is only on the G7X III, not G5X II)

That lens is 12-60 f2.4-3.8 m4/3 equivalent.

Looks very promising! Assuming the lens isn't terrible, it addresses all the wishlist items I had from owning the G7X II

Watching Gordon Laing getting frustrated on both reviews was funny, his opinion is why not combine the 2 models (basically add the mic input and live streaming thing to the GX5 II). Seems like that would’ve been a real killer camera for so many people. The canons still don’t have the PDAF which is also a bit weird (with canon having the dual pixel thing on bigger sensors), but presume Sony holds the cards with the 1” sensors

 

[Turbofrog]

Watching Gordon Laing getting frustrated on both reviews was funny, his opinion is why not combine the 2 models (basically add the mic input and live streaming thing to the GX5 II). Seems like that would’ve been a real killer camera for so many people. The canons still don’t have the PDAF which is also a bit weird (with canon having the dual pixel thing on bigger sensors), but presume Sony holds the cards with the 1” sensors

As you say, Canon doesn't make any 1" sensors, so it makes sense that there would be no DPAF.

Perhaps Sony is still not selling its latest generation of PDAF, stacked 1" sensor to outside customers. Or perhaps Canon didn't want to pay extra for it. The PDAF RX cameras are all still extremely expensive - $900 for the RX100 VA, $1200 for the RX100 VI, and $1600 for the RX10 IV.

I'm fortunate that I don't need or want any of the vlogging features associated with the G7X III, so the G5X II fits the bill. Very curious to try it in store once it starts shipping. Maybe I'll take a few side-by-side photos vs. the GX7 + PL12-60 and see how the overall images look.