Sony RX100 III - The Best Quality Point and Shoot I’ve Ever Tested (Review Part II of II)

Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 III Digital Camera - Selfie Mode

This is my third time reviewing a Sony RX100 series camera and I’ve reviewed quite a few Sony’s over the years. I always fall in love with the size and sexiness of the RX100’s, yet I always find myself at the end of the review feeling a bit underwhelmed thinking – is that it?

Don’t get me wrong, this is an excellent camera, but I immediately ask myself “for nearly $800 price tag (at the time this was originally written), is this really the best bang for the buck?” With that in mind, I did a search on B&H on July 21, 2014 to see what else is out there for the $800 – $900 USD range:

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens Deluxe Kit
Probably a better video camera, but bulky and only native ISO 6400

Nikon D5300 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens
Good camera with great features, but it’s bulky and this is definitely no Zeiss lens

Nikon 1 J4 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 10-30mm and 30-110mm Lenses
While these always underwhelm me too, at least you get decent interchangeable lenses

Nikon 1 V2 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens Kit
Definitely more my style than he J4, but bulky and last gen technology

Canon EOS Rebel T5i DSLR Camera Kit with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III Lenses
This is a pretty good camera with great video performance, but alas still bulky

Leica D-Lux 6 Edition 100 Digital Camera
Sexy, small and a Leica – hum, do we have a contender?

Fujifilm X-E2 Mirrorless Camera Body Only
Definitely better than the Sony, but you still need lenses and they aren’t cheap!

In this search, I definitely felt that only the Leica 100 stood a chance at really comparing well against all the things that make the Sony RX100’s great – including size. I haven’t reviewed that one yet, so I could be wrong, but it’s clear that this Sony is Leica priced!

The answer is that if you start comparing size and features, there’s a lot of great choices that are significantly less than the RX100 III. This begs the question that when you ignore price, what else is really a viable alternative to the Sony RX100 III, and funny enough one of the best answer is the previous generation Sony RX100 series which are now much more affordable!

RX100 ($498 on July 21, 2014)
See my RX100 Review

RX100 II ($649 on July 21, 2014)
See my RX100 II Review

There’s also other great cameras like the Fujifilm X20, Canon G16, Canon s120, and so much more in the sub $800 price range. So this begs the question – is the Sony RX100 III really worth nearly $800 when even it’s own predecessors are so similar and cheaper?

Image Quality

Now that I’ve beaten the price issue to death, let’s talk about the RX100 III vs its predecessors and the competition when it comes to image quality.

The image quality of this sensor is excellent for its size, but like its predecessors the in-camera noise reduction is pretty aggressive. At higher ISO’s it does a much better job than previous versions but I still I felt compelled to disable it for most (not all) of my bookshelf tests so you can see detail captured by the sensor.

The gallery contains a sample of images with and without noise reduction so you can better assess the image quality. For me, I prefer to do my own noise reduction with a product like Noiseware and then sharpen the images myself afterwards. Naturally, if you only process the RAW images you’ll do something similar too (even if it is just Lightroom/ACR only noise reduction).

With that said, here’s a close up of an image with noise reduction at ISO 125 that shows that this is a pretty decent point and shoot:

Click here for the full-size original

That’s pretty darn good for a camera that can easily fit in a top pocket or purse, so the next question becomes – how about high ISO performance? Well here’s what you get with noise reduction turned on at ISO 6400 (12,800 is pretty gnarly):

 f/2.8 @ 8.8 mm, 1/15, ISO 6400, Noise Reduction On - Click for full size original

f/2.8 @ 8.8 mm, 1/15, ISO 6400, Noise Reduction OFF - Click for full size original

At web sites like 580x387 above or click to see 800x533,
you'll certainly be pleased with the results
ISO 6400 f/2.8 @8.8 mm, 1/15, ISO 640, Noise Reduction ON

However, pixel peepers will probably feel like ISO 3200 is as high as they want to go. That’s pretty good for a point and shoot, so I feel confident that most will be pleased with the image quality of this camera. The Zeiss lens is good too, so if that’s important to you then perhaps it’s worth the price.

To see more real world images, please be sure to see the first part of this review here.

Compared to the RX100 II and RX100

In my pixel peeping of all of my files on these three cameras I’ve noticed that the RX100 III has a much brighter and sharper lens which results in shorter exposure times and much more crisp images. This becomes significantly noticeable at full zoomed in, so the RX100 III is without question the sharpness king of the three.

I definitely think that the RX100 III is the best “all things considered” version of the RX100’s yet. Sony keeps taking a great formula and refining it with customer feedback to make it even better. Improvements like the full tilt display that allows selfies and a battery saving electronic viewfinder are sure to please to RX100 fans, and the image quality is definitely impressive for its size.

Conclusion

While I do struggle with the price, you are getting best of class performance for the premium price. If you just can’t get yourself to spend that much money, but love the compact size then consider now more affordable previous generation Sony RX100’s. They were great cameras that were overpriced at the time that I reviewed them, but now they are much more inline with the competition. In real world usage scenarios (i.e., small prints and mostly web size usage) I think some will have rather saved the extra $200 – $400, but for the pixel peepers the RX100 III will be your best bet. 

I will say that the image quality is certainly significantly better than my x20, the LF1, XQ1 or G16. If you are trying to decide between those then know that the RX100 III is the hands down image quality winner. It’s also much SIGNIFICANTLY better than the competition at video too. It’s no DSLR or mirrorless camera killer, but it is very good.

For those who also can stomach a larger form factor, I think you’ll be much happier with a mirrorless or fixed lens big sensor camera when you do image overall quality comparisons.

In the end Sony has created something that is outstanding for the size – if you can afford it. As a result, I have to recommend it as the best compact camera I’ve reviewed at the time this article was written.

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order on the B&H web site. You can also save some money by ordering the cheaper Sony RX100 or RX100 II and still get a great camera.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these articles:

• REVIEW: Sony DSC-RX100 III with Real World Sample Photos (Part 1 of 2)
• Sony a3000
• Sony a7 (includes Samyang lens)
• Sony a7R
• Sony DSC-RX1 (Full Frame Compact Camera)
• Sony DSC-RX10
• Sony DSC-RX100 II vs RX100 I
• Sony NEX-7
• Olympus OM-D E-M5 (with 2 lenses)
• Panasonic GF6 & LX1
• Fujifilm X20 (My personal P&S camera)
• Fujifilm X-E2
• Fujifilm XPro-1
• Fujifilm XQ1 (vs X20 & Canon s110)
• Fujifilm X-S1
• Canon G16 vs s120 & Fujifilm X20
• Canon EOS M
• Ron’s Recommendations

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

Sony & Canon New Camera Announcements

Sony Alpha A6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm Lens

NEW NEX 7 Replacement!!! - Pre-Order now

Sony FE 70-200mm f/4.0 G OSS Lens

NEW E-Mount Zoom lens

Canon EOS Rebel T5 DSLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm IS II Lens

NEW - aval for pre-order only $549

Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II Digital Camera

New - Avail for pre-order

Canon PowerShot D30 Waterproof Digital Camera

NEW - aval for pre-order

Conclusion

Of all of these, the a6000 announcement interests me the most as I really enjoyed the NEX 7 and my sources at Sony tell me this is its replacement.

Where to order

Click the images above to learn more and place your pre-order.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these reviews:

• Canon Rebel T5i/700D
• Canon G1X vs G12 vs Fujifilm X10
• Sony NEX-7
• Sony a3000
• Sony a7R
• Which camera should I buy?
• Which lens should I buy?

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

Sony DSC-RX100 vs Fujifilm X10 vs Canon s110/G15(Review Part 2 of 2)

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 Rear View

In part 1 of my review of the Sony DSC-RX100 (click to read), I showed lots of real world photos which show off the strengths of this camera. Its compact size and solid image quality make it compelling, but in this article I’ll wrap things up with a discussion about how it compares to some of the competition. In my mind, the cameras that most closely compete with this camera are the Fujifilm x10 (my former point and shoot of the year), the Canon s110 (which offers similar features in a compact package) and the highly touted Canon G15.

Bookshelf Test

Bookshelf images of different ISO’s and additional settings can be found at http://www.ronmartinsen.com/sony/rx100. Be sure to look at the filenames and metadata for details about what is what, and you may download them for your personal review but please delete them when you are done. All images were taken with RAW+JPEG Fine and camera defaults, but I can only upload JPEG so that’s what’s included online. I did disable stabilization for these tests since I was using a tripod and long exposures.

Here’s the base native ISO image (which is 125, not 100 or 200 as you’d find in other cameras):

Sony DSC-RX100 - f/8 @ 10.4 mm,10s, ISO 125, No Flash, AWB

From the in-camera JPEG with zero post-processing, what I see is an image that has excellent color, white balance and tasteful saturation. The image is sharp and overall fairly impressive for the size of its sensor.

For the opposite end of the spectrum, the ISO 6400 image always underexposed no matter what metering mode I was in and even with various ISO modes and both Aperture Priority and Manual (when set to +/-0 EV). Here’s the result:

RX100 f/8 @ 10.4 mm,1/8, ISO 6400, No Flash, AWB

The noise was squashed to oblivion which kills too much detail so overall I felt like this was an unusable ISO. For kicks and giggles I took the same exact image from the RAW file and just accepted the default RAW processing of Lightroom 4.3 (plus I clicked Auto Exposure) and this is what it looked like:

Same as above, but from Lightroom RAW Processing and Auto Exposure

The detail returns but so does the noise, so make no mistake that this is still a tiny sensor point and shoot. Noise is a reality but if you take a less ridiculous noise reduction setting (say Noiseware Default setting) then you have an image that cleans up nice enough to use for small prints and online images as shown here:

Same as above, but Noiseware Default noise reduction applied

DRO vs HDR

I also decided to test DRO vs HDR more carefully to see if my handheld results in the previous article would still hold up. As one might expect, they did but I did also confirm using longer exposures that HDR does in fact take multiple exposures as one would expect. In my previous article I stated I wasn’t sure that it did because the exposures were taken so quickly and so close together that I didn’t hear them. As a result I thought it might have been doing in-camera HDR from a single exposure, but that doesn’t appear to be the case (thankfully).

Here’s the Auto DRO setting which appeared to be the same as the DRO 5 setting done manually:

f/8 @ 10.4 mm,10s, ISO 125, No Flash, AWB, DRO Auto

There wasn’t any major difference in this mode versus the non DRO image, so I was a bit disappointed in the result. However, the HDR was quite nice and Auto seemed to take 3 or 4 exposures (I heard 4 clicks but wasn’t sure if all 4 were exposures) in the HDR Auto & HDR 6EV modes. Here’s the result:

f/8 @ 10.4 mm,10s, ISO 125, No Flash, AWB, HDR Auto

As I saw with the handheld, the alignment was great and the range was very good. It still was less than I am accustomed to getting from the EXR mode of the X10, but it was way better than the s110 HDR mode. If you have the this camera and the time to use, the HDR mode is definitely worthwhile for a great dynamic range with excellent color.

Subjective Comparison

Unfortunately I do not have any direct bookshelf images to compare against RX100 as my methodology for testing is much different now than it was at the time I reviewed the other cameras in this class. I didn’t take cameras in this class seriously in the past so my other bookshelf tests were more informal and not framed and tested to the same standard as I do for mirrorless and DSLR’s now.

With that said, I did test the RX100 using the more advanced methodology so that I can compare it against future cameras and you can compare it with other more expensive cameras that I have reviewed. This should come in handy when I review the X20 and the RX100 replacement in the future (no, I have no idea when or if that will ever happen).

To see the galleries of the other cameras discussed in this review then visit the following hyperlinks:

• s110 bookshelf shots and gallery
• G15 bookshelf shots and gallery
• x10 gallery (no bookshelf shots)

Based on my subjective opinion, here’s how I am seeing how these cameras compare:

1. At lower ISO’s, the best overall image quality favors the RX100
2. It’s my opinion, that the RX100 seems to have the sharpest lens of the bunch
3. In-camera noise reduction on the RX100 is terrible and gets horrific after ISO 800
4. The in-camera meter likes to underexpose compared to the others and switching metering modes didn’t help in the bookshelf test. Despite indicating a proper exposure, the ISO6400 shot was very underexposed. None of the other cameras exhibited this issue.
5. The RX100 and s110 are nearly identical in design, but the s110 is more feature rich and easier to use.
6. While none of these cameras have great flashes, I preferred the RX100’s flash performance the most.
7. The RX100 LCD was the hardest to use outdoors, but its battery performance was the best so perhaps that was an intentional trade-off by Sony.
8. Ease of use wise, I still prefer the Canon G-series (especially the G12) over the RX100
9. Camera that frustrated me the most in the field – RX100
10. Camera my wife most enjoyed – X10, but she loved the one hand ease-of-use of the RX100.
11. Best mixed-light camera (i.e., drastic differences between foreground & background) – Fujifilm EXR mode found on the x10. DRO and even the HDR performance of the RX100 wasn’t even close
12. Best macro camera – x10
13. Best pano performance – RX100
14. Best video – RX100
15. Best stabilization – RX100
16. Best in-camera high ISO performance – s110
17. Best value – s110
18. Worst value – RX100 (overpriced IMHO for what you get)
19. If I could only have one – Fujifilm x10 (because of EXR mode)
20. If advising a friend, I’d still suggest the x10 but if size is an issue I’d say the s110 or RX100

Here’s also some other cameras I’ve reviewed that some may wish to compare against as well (but I don’t consider any of these to be direct competitors):

• Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review (gallery)
• Fujifilm X-Pro1 Review (gallery)
• Fujifilm X100 Review (gallery)
• Sony NEX-7 Review (gallery)
• Nikon 1 V1 Review (gallery)
• Canon EOS M Review (gallery)

Conclusion

I like the RX100 and feel like it makes great images. If you do a comparison of the RAW images you’ll quickly find that it has great RAW images that are hampered by fairly poor in-camera processing compared to the other cameras I’ve tested. At low ISO’s it’s not an issue and they are quite good, but as the ISO’s climb the poor in-camera noise reduction really hurts. As a result, my “always keep your raw images” applies more for this camera than any of the others I’ve tested.

I wanted the RX100 to be a small sensor RX1 with a zoom, but it’s not. I wanted it to have NEX-7 like performance and Canon s110 like ease of use – but it doesn’t have that either. Instead what you get is a nice s110 size camera with an excellent lens, great low ISO performance, above average battery life and great video. All of those things make it a compelling camera that I think will satisfy buyers who live in the automatic modes, but anyone who likes control over their camera will find that the RX100 comes up short – very short. Given the high price of this camera, that’s unacceptable, but hopefully enough people will ignore these realities and buy it anyway so that Sony will be encourage to release a new model that hopefully addresses some of my concerns.

If you are a RAW only shooter then you’ll be much more satisfied than if you are someone who likes to use the JPEG whenever possible and the RAW is only a backup (which is my preference for cameras in this class). As a result, all of these little issues and the price have caused me to pass on getting the RX100 (which I had intended to buy before I tested it) and stick with my X10. It looks like my hope for a replacement now will rest on the X20 which I hope to review soon.

Where to order

Click here to order the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 on the B&H web site. My friends at Adorama have it available here and Amazon has it available here.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• REVIEW: Sony DSC-RX100 with Real World Sample Photos (Part 1)
• Which camera should I buy?
• Things You Need AFTER You Buy Your New Camera - Must Have Photography Accessories
• Sony NEX-7
• Sony DSC-RX1 (Full Frame Compact Camera)
• Canon G1X vs G12 vs Fujifilm X10
• Canon G15 vs s110 vs G12

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this. B&H loaned me the camera I used for this review.

PowerShot Comparison: Canon G12 vs G15 vs s110

Canon PowerShot s110, G15 and G12

For years I’ve been a fan of the Canon G-series camera and have had reviews on my blog for every version since the G9, but when the s90 came on the scene many Canon faith jumped ship to the smaller and more compact cousin to the G series. I wasn’t impressed with the S series cameras despite their great form factor, so I’ve shunned them in the past. Read on to see why I’ve started to have a change of heart and why my G12 is going up for sale!

Oh, and in case you are wondering there was no G13 or G14 for superstition reasons.

What’s New and What’s Different

Canon PowerShot s110, G15 and G12 Rear View

The s110 and G15 get upgraded to feature the latest LCD’s and image processors from Canon to give you the best image quality that Canon has offered to date on this series camera. You can learn more about the s110 here and the G15 here on Canon’s website. This article will instead focus on some of my observations as a long-term G series owner and a previous s95 and s100 user. I’ll drill into these details in the following sections.

To help illustrate the high-level differences I’ve take some shots that show these cameras side by side. Sadly, I didn’t have a s100 to include in the mix, but you can visualize how much more compact the G15’s become and how smaller still the s110 remains over its sibling.

Canon PowerShot s110, G15 and G12 Overhead View

G15 vs G12 & G1x

During my testing I actually found the G15 to be much closer to the closer to G1X than it was to the G12 in terms of ergonomics. Fortunately the G15 is much thinner thanks in part to its lack of an articulating LCD that I enjoyed on both the G12 and G1X. Of course the advantage to removing this feature is that it not only makes the camera thinner, it also allowed for a much larger display (3.0 vs 2.8 on the G12). To that end, the rear LCD goes up to 922,000 pixels vs only 461,000 on the G12 so it’s a substantial improvement in image quality. The G1X is on paper the same size and pixel density but for some reason the G15 just feels bigger to me. All said though, I really enjoyed the ability to protect the LCD and move the LCD around with the G12/G1X design, so I’m disappointed to see that feature go away. 

You can see from the pictures what the major differences are so I won’t rehash hall of them here, except to say that I miss the rotating ISO knob up top. However, the addition of a record button is a nice improvement but I’m bummed about losing quick access to the timer as well. For those of you who have a pocket tripod and do macro work with the G series, this is definitely a much less user-friendly macro camera due to the LCD and button changes.

The only other change worth mentioning is the move from a fixed to a popup flash. It’s good that its farther from the lens, but bad because its now a mechanical part that makes it easier to break. This design consistent with other cameras in this class, so I’m not losing much sleep over this one – it’s still painful using the built-in flash, so the hot shoe with a 270EX II or 320EX is your best bet if you use a flash frequently. Fortunately the higher ISO range and performance of the G15 reduces the need to use the flash as often as was required on the G12.

Functionality-wise I found the G12 and G15 to be mostly the same with the biggest feature difference being the Full HD (1920x1080) support added to the G15 and the max ISO jumping from 3200 to 12,800.

s110 vs G15

As I mentioned, I didn’t have a s100 to compare against, so I can only draw from what I have on hand. The biggest differences between the two begin with the obvious – there’s a lot more physical buttons on the G15 which makes it faster to adjust the controls. However, the s110 does add a jog wheel to its lens which gives you quick access to some additional features (which one depends on the role you set for that control). It still features the tiny battery that dies too quickly, and all of its electronic do-dads like Wi-Fi support only serve to drain it even faster than ever. This unit does feel better in my hands than prior s series, and it’s the first defect free s series camera I’ve used for the entire review period (all previous models had some serious issue by the end of the review).

The big WOW feature of the s110 has to be its touch screen which really helps it to overcome its lack of buttons. The ability to touch and focus like an iPhone is awesome and really makes it easier and faster to use than a G15 which oddly enough does not have this super helpful feature.

In the past the s series has always been able to boast the advantage of having a faster lens, but for this generation Canon stepped up and gave the G15 a f/1.8 lens that maxes out at 2.8 when zoomed to 30.5mm as opposed to the f/2.0 lens that maxes out to 5.9 at 26mm on the s110. This is a significant shift from the past and definitely gives a big advantage to the G series – especially in low-light zoom conditions.

I’ve always loved the form factor the s series cameras, but I’ve been disappointed by its usability. However, the G series has lost enough features and the s series has gained enough “exclusive to the s” features (like Wi-Fi) that the gap between them isn’t as tremendous as it once used to be.

Wi-Fi vs Eye-Fi

The addition of integrated Wi-Fi support on s110 was pretty exciting when I first started to review it. Once setup (which is still a bit of a geek experience – even with WPS), it became even more obvious how this is so much more than Eye-Fi. What you end up with is a device on your network that you can pair with your phone, printer, computer and more for an integrated wireless experience. Here’s an example of how my iPhone 5 would see my photos despite the fact that there were no cables between them and the files were still in my camera:

Thanks to this feature you can leverage your phone’s GPS for doing GeoTagging:

I could integrate with Canon’s software on my computer to wirelessly transfer the files to the computer:

Or I could see my device on the network in Lightroom and import files directly with no wires or drive letter assigned (at least on Windows 7):

Overall I was impressed, but then in practice I ended up being disappointed with the performance and ultimately rolling back to Eye-Fi. Eye-Fi seemed to be less of a drain on the batteries and do everything I need without the headache of the camera being locked for certain operations or having to re-pair the camera to the target device. While I liked this feature more than I expected, I’d say it’s only meaningful for those who don’t have an Eye-Fi yet. If you do, I think you’ll still prefer your Eye-Fi (Pro or greater so you can transfer RAW).

Real World Sample Images

100% Crop of a G15 Flower Shot
ISO 80, straight out of camera with zero modifications

I should note that these images were taken with the camera default settings which include noise reduction which find to be horribly over aggressive. Setting in-camera noise reduction off or reducing it to Low and then using a product like Noiseware or DFine will give you much better results. Naturally processing from the RAW is even better, but to avoid human error and additional software variables, I use the in-camera JPEG’s for all of my reviews. In practice, I use the RAW’s.

Here’s a link to the G15 gallery, and here’s a few images you’ll find there (originals in the gallery):

ISO 80, straight out of camera with zero modifications

f/4 ISO 100 – I’m impressed – feels like G1X caliber images

f/2 at 1/80 sec ISO 400 – gotta love the P&S depth of field for macros!

ISO 1600 is much improved!

ISO 4000 is destroyed by horrible in-camera noise reduction
For kicks and giggles, go compare this to a similar image at ISO 5000 in my D600 review <g>

Here’s a link to the s110 gallery, and here’s a couple images you’ll find there (originals in the gallery):

f/2 ISO 200 – wow – insane depth of field due to the tiny sensor

ISO 10,000 is usable

NOTE: Some images were at ISO 10,000 due to an accidental ISO change in-camera that I’m still not sure how it happened – especially given how ISO is buried on this camera.

I still have to do my infamous (or dreaded – ha, ha) bookshelf test with all three cameras, and I hope to get more exciting images with these cameras this weekend.

Conclusion

For the Canon faithful I’ll draw some lines in the sand here. For starters, the s110 is much improved over the s95 that I reviewed back when the G12 came out. The touch screen helps it to overcome some of my past gripes, and the Wi-Fi support plus big rear display really up its value beyond just being compact. As a result, I feel a lot more comfortable recommending the s110 as a nice pocketable point and shoot.

The G15 on the other hand has made good progress getting smaller, but I honestly think it’s lost some of the things that made the G12 so great in the process. While it is smaller and lighter, I still don’t think people will consider it any more pocketable (and truth be told if you can fit a G15 in your pocket, you most likely can a G12 too – both fit in my back jeans pocket). It’s also disappointing to not see some of the s110’s features on the G15 which make it feel a bit dated by comparison.

At the end of the day, I still prefer my Fujifilm X10 as my every day point and shoot camera, and I see little value in upgrading it over G12. However, if you are in the market for a camera of this class I think a great deal on a used G12 is a better investment than the G15. Sure, there’s some image quality improvements in the G15, but not enough to warrant the price difference and not really enough to compete with superior cameras like the Sony NEX-7, Fujifilm X10, and the host of micro four thirds in the compact class. As a result, I’d say if you had to pick then go with the s110 or go outside the Canon brand for a camera that offers more bang for the buck. The G15 is just too overpriced for what you can get elsewhere these days.

Where to Buy

B&H loaned me the gear for this article, so I suggest you show them your appreciation by placing your order for a s110 or G15 with them. Click here to order the s110 or click here to order the G15.

Adorama has a kit version of the G15 and a kit version of the black s110 as well as a kit of the white s110.

Other Articles You Might Enjoy

• PowerShot Comparison: Canon G12 vs G15 vs s110–Part II
• Canon 1D X (Real World Usage)
• BlackRapid SnapR Camera Bag + Sling Strap
• Canon 5D Mark III First Look (For Parents Version)
• Canon G12 vs S95
• Canon G1X vs G12 vs Fujifilm X10
• Canon PowerShot s100
• Canon Rebel T4i
• Canon PRO-1 Printer
• Epson Stylus Photo R3000 Printer Review
• EyeFi with the Nikon D800 and Canon 5D Mark III
• Fujifilm X10 (2011 P&S of the Year)
• Gary Fong Flip Cage (great for iPhone and P&S support)
• Sony NEX-7
• Olympus OM-D E-M5 (with 2 lenses)
• Which camera should I buy?
• Which lens should I buy?

Disclosure

B&H loaned me the new gear for this article but the G12 was my personal camera that I paid full price for myself. If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission.

Using the Canon G1X in the Real World vs the Fujifilm X10 (Video)

Fujifilm X10 (left) vs Canon G1X (right) Video Comparison
Camera Positions

My recent article entitled Using the Canon G1X in the Real World vs the Fujifilm X10 was a HUGE hit because people don’t want to see staged shots taken by pros with a team of assistants. Instead, they want to see REAL WORLD shots like they can expect to find when they use these products. In this installment I’ll do the same with video to show you what you can really expect to get if you use these two video cameras in the real world.

Horrible Conditions Test

The shot above shows how these cameras were literally sitting on a game table on top of a couple magazines (to give them more height) to shoot this video. The G1X powered off when I took this shot so its lens wasn’t extended, but both were optically zoomed as needed to frame the video in a similar fashion.

In my previous real world test I felt that the X10 had the best overall performance, but for video Canon’s experience provided a better overall result. Here’s one of my typical crappy videos under horrific lighting conditions so you can really see what’s the worst you can expect to get in a room with at least some light at night:

Canon G1X

Canon G1X vs Fujifilm X10 under horrible conditions

Simply put, under super tough conditions the nice glass and big sensor on the G1X showed how they are beneficial. I was impressed at how well it did under this very tough light conditions

Fujifilm X10

Fujifilm X10 vs Canon G1X under horrible conditions

The strength of the X10 is its EXR mode, but that technology obviously doesn’t make it into its videos and it shows. Overall this was a total fail for the X10 which is otherwise a pretty strong performer, so I was glad I ran this test. As an X10 owner it tells me that I need to get more light and not rely on EXR magic to save my butt when I’m doing video under tough conditions like these.

Casual Outdoor Video Test

Here during a short evening stroll with my wife and son I capture a video like any normal dad would get. I just  pull the camera out, turn it on and start shooting the video. Nothing was planned and the subjects are going into the sun at sunset (golden hour light).

Canon G1X Casual Outdoor Video Test

What I noticed here once again is that the motor used for zooming ruins the audio and causes the video to flicker. The Fujifilm has a motor-less zoom which offers a HUGE advantage if you will be zooming while your video films. Naturally given the dynamic nature of this video I couldn’t do an exact comparison, but you do see how the auto focus and the dynamic exposure metering performs.

Conclusion

For video quality I’ve gotta give the G1X credit – it’s pretty good for a point and shoot. However, the motor noise on zoom, the weight and the photo taking performance don’t have me listing my X10 on eBay. I also am disappointed there are no creative video modes like the X10 offers where you can do up to 200fps for slow motion effects. See my X10 review for more details of its video.

Order your G1X now from B&H where I got mine or if they are out of stock then consider Adorama too.

More Like This

If you liked this article, you might enjoy these:

• Using the Canon G1X in the Real World vs the Fujifilm X10
• Comparison: Canon G1X vs Fujifilm X10 vs Canon G12
• Nikon 1 V1, Fuji x10, & Canon s100 (plus Fuji x100 and Canon G12 & s95) Comparison
• Canon 5D Mark III and 600-EX-RT Announcement and Pre-Order info
• BlackRapid SnapR Camera Bag + Sling Strap
• Fujifilm X10 (2011 P&S of the Year)

Disclosure

If you may a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. Thank you for supporting my blog by using my links when you order!

Using the Canon G1X in the Real World vs the Fujifilm X10

Canon G1X has gorgeous auto white balance color

Recently I took the new Canon G1X out for some real-world shooting the way I would use this camera – with my family. I shot with it and my wife (who is your typical “mom” user) shot with it the way normal people would use this camera. I prefer to test this way because it always annoys me when I see a review of shots from a point and shoot camera that look like they belong in a magazine. When I hand a camera of to my wife it needs to “just work” and get great shots, and let’s face it – most cameras disappoint when you shoot this way. Shooting around the house without any aids beyond what the camera comes with is rarely impressive, so honestly I think it’s the best “real test” of what a camera can do.

Shutter Priority at 1/1000 (f/5.8 @ ISO 250) made this possible,
but it’s a tough shot for any camera

These aren’t choreographed or staged shots that are designed to make the camera look it’s best. They are literally real-world shots where you live your life and say “hey honey, hand me the camera so I can get a shot of that”. They are in-camera JPEG’s that are shown as they came out of the camera with no edits, and in most cases are shot using the in-camera default settings. In short, these are shots anyone can get and if you put any effort into it you can probably do a lot better than this!

Click the images to view their originals or on my smugmug gallery. All images are copyright Ron Martinsen and may be viewed for personal use, but many not be used otherwise without expressed written permission.

Not sure what my wife was thinking with his shot, but I loved the detail in the branches.
The G1X certainly has a nice sensor – no doubt!

Using the in-camera ND filter mode , ISO 100, and f/16 (max f-stop) I was able to get to 1/6 sec
Not perfect, but pretty good for P&S on a bright day with no real ND filter

The dynamic range of the G1X is well beyond any previous Powershot

This was a manual exposure where I wanted to go closer,
but the minimum focus distance stopped me

f/2.8 on bigger sensor makes shots like this possible

Minimum focus distance issues makes shots like this tough to get,
but when you do you are rewarded with decent bokeh for a point and shoot

You have to be arms length away from your subject to get focus,
but shallow DOF is quite possible

HDR Mode – Support 100% Required

Newer cameras coming out with built-in HDR are hot, but you wonder if it really works. Well Canon Powershot shooters know that with support this feature works okay, but without it you’ll be frustrated by blurry shots. While the G1X has more dynamic range to give you a much better final result, the algorithm for blending the images remains unchanged from the s100 so you’ll need to check out my tripod recommendations or pick up a Flip Cage Pro if you want a usable end result. Without support the shots are unusable and sadly you can’t choose a shutter speed range that is fast enough to help compensate with this issue. Here’s an example:

You can click the image above to see the original, and it turned out quite nice. The shadows are a bit dark which the in-camera HDR addresses (hover over to view), but the resultant shot is blurry as you can see here.

Mouse over to see the normal exposure
Mouse out to see the HDR exposure

Once again the HDR version gets the best exposure as you might expect, but it’s a totally useless image due to poor merging issues (click for the original HDR version).

Fujifilm X10 vs G1X Head to Head

These aren’t the only head-to-head shots I will do, but they are the only ones from this past weekend that are apples to apples enough to compare. If you compare my G1X gallery to my X10 gallery you’ll see other shots that seem similar, but they were done by two different shooters from points of view so they aren’t similar enough to draw a fair comparison.

Portrait Example

I snapped a shot of my wife with my iPhone that I really liked, so I decided I’d try again using the point and shoots. While I got a horrible expression on my wife’s face here, this was the best technical result I could muster with the G1X. This camera hates being up close, so out of 6 attempts this was the only shot that was in focus:

G1X f/2.8 1/640 sec @ ISO 800 (Program Mode, AWB)

The X10 allows me to get in as close as I want without any focusing issues (unlike the X100), so I got a more pleasing composition using the EXR Auto mode (which detected the portrait scenario and compensated for that). What you see by her head is good old fashion (and intentional) lens flare from the sun shooting directly into the camera. For those paranoid about white disks with the X10, look above or click here to see how the G1X handles a direct shot into the sun.If that’s the infamous “white disk”, then I think it’s sexy and I know it! <g>

X10 f/2.5 @ ISO 100 (EXR Auto)

The X10 just nailed this one. Now some may find the color wonderful and others may hate it, so the downside to the X10’s EXR mode is that you don’t get a RAW image so you’ve gotta live with the color it gives you. Sure you can adjust it some or go to B&W, but RAW is more flexible that way. However, I can totally live with X10 result without doing anything else to it. I’d delete the G1X shot even if the composition was better because I hate the up close distortion I got in that shot.

Extreme Exposure Example

Now this is an impossible exposure, so the results you see below from the G1X are about what you’d expect. The image itself is super crisp and it might be saved in RAW, but it’s going to be a lot of work. I also don’t think there’s going to be enough detail in the raw to bring back the blown areas, so odds are this is a lost cause.

G1X f/16 1/30 sec @ ISO 800 (Aperture Priority & AWB)

The X10’s EXR mode loves tough exposures, but this is a rare case where even EXR can’t fix this in one shot. Sure the grass in the back is way better but the rocks are still pretty blown. Since there is no RAW (in this mode – available in other modes) you’d be stuck with this:

The X10 EXR mode does a better job, but is still overblown in the back
F/11 1/10 sec @ ISO 100

The G1X’s HDR mode nails the exposure, but despite getting the identical support as the previous two shots the image is totally useless due to motion blur.

G1X HDR mode – Camera held identical to the others
Much better exposure, but motion blur make the photo unusable

More “Real World” Photos

Go to my Canon G1X gallery to see more shots and check out my X10 gallery to see some shots taken the same day. Keep in mind that while some shots are similar they may have been shot from different lighting angles (i.e., glass sculptures) so a fair side by side comparison isn’t possible.

The G1X gallery contains some compositionally horrible personal shots (like the flash test shots), but hopefully you’ll get a feel what this camera is really like.

I updated the gallery of real world photos on 3/19/2012 - click here to see the latest shots (and be sure to read the captions).

Where things stand right now

So far my first impressions haven’t changed much. The G1X has great glass and a nice sensor, but it’s really an overweight regression from the G12’s size and feature wise is basically an s100 inside. I think point and shoot users and pros alike will find it too bulky & heavy. The minimal focus distance is horrible – simply unusable for close up scenarios like cross-table photos of dinner guests, so that’s a big regression from the s100 and G12 which had good minimum focus distances.  The AI focus seems to be lacking and overall, I think the focus system is just messed up.

Despite the GX1 having a battery that is twice as thick as the s100 or X10, it suffers from the same problem as the s100 where it can’t survive the day without a recharge. If you get a G1X you must own a second (and charged) battery to get in a full day of shooting.

The bar for this class of camera has gone up quite a bit, and so far I personally think the Fujifilm X10 is a much more livable camera on a daily basis. Stay tuned though to see if I change my mind after more hours behind the G1X.

I’ve tinkered with video a bit and the G1X is awesome, but I have only taken personal videos of my son. Again, the AF system sucks but the IQ rivals a HDSLR.

Order your G1X now from B&H where I got mine or if they are out of stock then consider Adorama too.

More Like This

If you liked this article, you might enjoy these:

• Comparison: Canon G1X vs Fujifilm X10 vs Canon G12
• Using the Canon G1X in the Real World vs the Fujifilm X10 (Video)
• Nikon 1 V1, Fuji x10, & Canon s100 (plus Fuji x100 and Canon G12 & s95) Comparison
• Canon 5D Mark III and 600-EX-RT Announcement and Pre-Order info
• BlackRapid SnapR Camera Bag + Sling Strap
• Fujifilm X10 (2011 P&S of the Year)

Disclosure

If you may a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. Thank you for supporting my blog by using my links when you order!