Canon adds best image sensor to its most stylish pocket camera

Canon is putting its 80D image sensor used in its best prosumer camera in an all new, more portable shooter known as the Powershot G1X Mark III.

The new Camera, which will Feature a built-in 24-72mm, f2.8-5.6 zoom lens, is set to hit the shelves in November and will cost $1,299.

The G1X Mark III is simultaneously an evolution of the Powershot G1X lineup as well as a spiritual successor to 2015’s G5X. The G1X Mark I and II were some of the better slim compacts Canon released in the last half decade, but slim compacts are a much harder sell in this age of abundant and wonderful smartphone cameras.

The G5X, meanwhile, was a slightly smaller but more distinct camera that stood out for its style and feature-heavy approach. It seemed like it was made to satisfy only those customers who wanted as much immediate manual control as could be fit on a compact camera, so much so that it felt like it was destined to be a one-off.

With the G1X Mark III, Canon’s ditched the flat profile in favor of that more baroque knob-and-dial style of the G5X, with a few touches of red serving as the only distinguishing features. The company’s essentially merged the two compacts while adding in the 80D’s 24.2-megapixel APS-C sensor with dual pixel autofocus, an image sensor that Canon is apparently so proud of it’s also been used in the M5 and M6 mirrorless cameras as well. The G1X Mark III uses the same DIGIC 7 image processor, too.

The G1X Mark III is relatively speedy for a compact. It shoots 7 frames per second with continuous AF or 9 fps without, a far cry from the 24 fps capability of the Sony RX100 V. This is fast enough for most people and it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC.

The biggest set back however is the specs of the lens. An ISO range of 100-25,600 means the G1X Mark III should help the camera handle itself well in low light, though it has a shorter zoom range and slower aperture. The G1X Mark II used a 24-120mm lens with a f2.0-3.9 aperture, and so it will take some time to see how much of a difference that tradeoff makes when paired with the new image sensor and processor.

But the most glaring omission is something you’ve probably already noticed if you’ve been following Canon closely enough the last few years: no, the G1X Mark III doesn’t shoot video in 4K. It tops out at 1080p at 60 frames per second.

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