Canon PowerShot V1 Evaluation: vloggers solely or photographers' new finest good friend?

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The Canon PowerShot V1 is a vlogging compact constructed round a big sensor and a 16-50mm equal zoom lens. Regardless of its deal with video, which extends to a cooling fan for prolonged seize durations, its similarity to the PowerShot G1 collection of large-sensor fanatic compacts has caught the eye of photographers.

Key options:

• 22MP Kind 1.4 (18.4 x 12.3mm) Twin Pixel AF CMOS sensor
• 16-50mm equiv. F2.8-4.5 zoom lens with 3EV ND filter
• Full-width 4K as much as 30p from 5.7K seize
• 4K/60p from a 1.4x crop
• As much as 30 fps stills seize in e-shutter mode
• Cooling fan for prolonged video recording
• Wired or wi-fi video streaming
• Multi-function hotshoe for flash or audio equipment
• Absolutely-articulated rear touchscreen
• Headphone and mic sockets

The Canon PowerShot V1 was initially introduced as costing $899 within the US. Elsewhere, pricing was set at €999 and £959, together with VAT. Nevertheless, the US worth has subsequently risen to $979.

Index:

• What’s new
• Physique and dealing with
• In use: for vlogging
• In use: for images
• Picture high quality
• Conclusion
• Pattern gallery
• Specs

What’s new

The V1 is Canon’s first high-end vlogging compact, with a multi-module mic on prime and a cooling fan to increase its recording period. However, whereas its wide-angle lens factors at its ambitions to assist self-filming social mediaists, its use of a roughly-four-thirds-sized sensor and a zoom lens can not help however evoke the extra stills-focused PowerShot G1 X cameras.

The sensor’s specs are a match for utilizing a equally sized chunk of the EOS R7’s chip. Each must crop into the identical measurement of their sensor to ship 4K/60, however the smaller ‘full picture’ area on the V1 means the distinction between the full-width and cropped areas is way much less dramatic than was the case with the R7.

The digital camera is constructed round a 16-50mm equal F2.8-4.5 stabilized lens with a leaf shutter that seems to function utilizing an digital first curtain shutter, limiting its most flash sync velocity to (a nonetheless very respectable) 1/400 sec. There is a built-in 3EV ND filter that will help you hold to video-friendly shutter speeds in vibrant gentle. It may be set to activate routinely in video mode and might be manually engaged when capturing stills.

It has a built-in fan and totally articulating touchscreen however there is no built-in flash or digital viewfinder, nor the choice to suit one.

Physique and dealing with

The diploma to which the V1 has prioritized vlogging turns into obvious whenever you decide it up: the physique is surprisingly deep, on account of the fan-cooled chamber in the back of the digital camera, and the grip is unexpectedly shallow.

Simply as we noticed with the EOS R50V, the grip is designed in order that it is simple to carry the digital camera dealing with in direction of you, however with much less to carry onto when you’re behind it. The physique feels pleasantly dense and stable, with the grippy rubber coating making it really feel safe within the hand. However whereas it really works fairly effectively from either side of the lens, it is not as effectively optimized for typical hand holding as a devoted photograph digital camera.

All of the digital camera’s management factors are fairly small, although, with the shutter button, its surrounding zoom lever and the publicity mode dial all trying as in the event that they’ve shrunk within the wash. The little energy button will get partially obscured when you match the included mic wind display screen into place.

One of many principal management factors is the free-rotating dial across the lens. Its default operate varies, relying in your mode (controlling aperture worth in Av mode, for example). The course of its operation might be reversed, when you discover that simpler, when dealing with the digital camera.

There’s additionally a small, fairly fiddly dial across the four-way controller on the again of the digital camera. Its operate cannot be modified instantly, however when you assign the entrance dial to a particular operate, equivalent to Publicity Comp or ISO, it takes on the operate that the entrance dial would in any other case do.

The PowerShot V1 has each Mic and Headphone sockets, positioned on the precise flank, which means they cannot conflict with the articulated display screen mounted on the opposite aspect of the digital camera. Under these are a USB-C and a Micro HDMI port.

There are two small digital camera strap factors on both aspect of the physique: a protruding lug on one aspect, a recessed bar on the opposite. Each are fairly small, which can restrict your alternative of neck or wrist straps to these with very skinny cords.

Battery

The V1 makes use of the comparatively small LP-E17 battery, from which it achieves a score of 340 photographs per cost (400 in energy saving mode). These numbers should not be taken actually, as it is common to get twice the rated quantity, relying in your capturing model. However the numbers are broadly comparable between cameras and a score of round 350 photographs per cost will often mean you can shoot for a superb period of time with out having to fret about it.

The V1 might be charged over USB and, with a robust sufficient USB PD energy supply, can report or stream video and cost, concurrently (you will want a battery within the digital camera to do that, although).

Reminiscence playing cards

We discovered the V1 could possibly be somewhat temperamental with SD playing cards. In precept, its highest video charge is the cropped 4K/60 mode, which makes use of a 230 Mbps common bit charge. That is slightly below 30MB/s so needs to be safely accommodated by a reminiscence card with U3 or V30 velocity score (the quickest class of UHS I playing cards). In observe, we discovered we additionally wanted to make use of the low-level format possibility within the digital camera if we needed it to work reliably. We might strongly suggest doing this when you discover that the V1 is taking a very long time to jot down video or Uncooked recordsdata to the cardboard.

In use: for vlogging

The PowerShot V1 primarily makes use of a cropped model of the sensor from the EOS R7. This implies it may ship oversampled 4K video from its full width at as much as 30p however has to crop-in to a roughly native 4K area of the sensor to ship 60p, with the crop issue proven within the desk beneath.

It additionally means its rolling shutter numbers are proportionate to these of the EOS R7: a fraction quicker as a result of it is utilizing a smaller area of the sensor, however not dramatically totally different.

Curiously, the rolling shutter charge in the usual 4K modes is slower than the mode used for whole-image digital shutter in stills (23.4ms). We’re undecided why that is.

All of the 4K/24 and 30 modes are taken from the identical readout mode: the decreased rolling shutter is accounted for solely by the diploma to which they’re cropped. The 60p mode, in the meantime, is definitely being learn quicker.

We typically contemplate rolling shutter charges beneath 25ms to be acceptable, these beneath 20ms to be good and people beneath 15ms to be superb. With the Powershot V1, when you’re shifting the digital camera it is effectively value making use of at the very least a point of digital IS to make your footage smoother and scale back the rolling shutter charge somewhat. There is a noise and element penalty to be paid as you crop in, however it’s most likely a worthwhile compromise.

The 4K/60 choices disappear from the menu when you have any type of Digital IS engaged, which is value being acutely aware of.

When it comes to their supposed impact, we discovered each IS modes to be very efficient, with the essential digital IS letting you keep a reasonably regular handheld shot and ‘Enhanced’ doing a superb job of dealing with extra vital movement. There’s additionally a topic recognition IS mode that applies a big crop in order that it has freedom to maneuver the seize space round to keep up your chosen composition, relative to a acknowledged topic.

We had been additionally pleasantly shocked by the interior mics. The sound is not nearly as good as utilizing an exterior mic however it’s higher than we have develop into used to, with these vlogging cameras.

Basically, the V1 makes video seize pretty easy however there are a number of quirks. ‘Shut-up Demo’ mode, which over-rides face detection AF whenever you maintain one thing in entrance of the digital camera is barely obtainable as a ‘Scene’ mode, so that you all of the sudden lose management over issues like mic quantity and publicity. The identical is true if you wish to use the digital camera’s skin-smoothing impact.

Whereas we perceive Canon eager to make these capabilities straightforward to entry, the very fact you may solely use them in a really limiting, extremely automated method means you lose any management over audio and white stability. To be actually helpful, it needs to be obtainable as an AF possibility for knowledgeable customers in addition to a Scene mode for newbies.

In use, for images

Though conceptually the V1 appears lots like a wide-angle successor to the PowerShot G1 X collection, its elevated deal with vlogging significantly undermines its usability as an fanatic compact.

The shortage of a clicking entrance dial and the awkwardness of working the small rear dial means it is not a digital camera that provides easy entry to, say, aperture and publicity comp. This is identical factor that stopped Sony’s RX100 collection from shining as fanatic compacts, and meant as a substitute they labored higher as (superlative) point-and-shoots. The V1’s added bulk means it does not charge so extremely in that regard, both.

Add to this the insubstantial hand grip and barely cumbersome physique and you find yourself with a digital camera that, on paper, seems to have the capabilities of a high-quality wide-angle compact for photographers however that by no means delivers on the expertise. The small buttons and awkward dials (of which solely the entrance one might be custom-made), imply taking direct management is extra fiddly than could be superb.

Additionally value noting is that you will must assign one of many digital camera’s buttons if you wish to place the AF level with something apart from the touchscreen.

The massive sensor and ultrawide lens can ship the products. Canon PowerShot V1 @ 16mm | F2.8 | 1/250 sec | ISO 100 Picture: Richard Butler

On the plus aspect, the V1 has a scorching shoe, suitable with newer flashes or with older ones when you purchase an adapter. Regardless of having a leaf shutter, the V1 has the identical 1/400 sec flash sync velocity restrict because the G1 X III with exterior flashes: nonetheless good however not as versatile as with the ability to sync all the best way as much as 1/2000 sec.

Even these photographers who can reside and not using a viewfinder or the capability so as to add one are more likely to discover themselves combating in opposition to the V1 to get essentially the most out of it, regardless of all of the promise. For some folks, that big selection and enormous sensor, unmatched by another compact, will make it worthwhile. However when you’ve used a earlier G-X mannequin, you will be continuously reminded of what is been taken away.

This is not the digital camera’s intent, after all, however it’s disappointing {that a} digital camera that sounds prefer it ought to double as a reasonably adept photographers’ compact is not extra participating to make use of as one.

Picture high quality

Our check scene is designed to simulate a wide range of textures, colours and element sorts you will encounter in the actual world. It additionally has two illumination modes to see the impact of various lighting circumstances.

As we suspected, the pixel-level noise efficiency of the V1 is similar to that of the EOS R7, whose sensor may be very related, however with a consequent drawback of round half a cease, compared on the whole-image stage, due to its smaller energetic sensor space.

This places the V1 comfortably forward of Sony’s ZV-1 Mark II vlogging compact, however behind its ZV-E10 II mirrorless vlogging digital camera.

Element ranges within the JPEG are good, however the Uncooked outcomes recommend it is having to use a good quantity of sharpening and distinction to get the outcomes it is delivering.

Vast-angle efficiency:

Our studio scene is not supposed as a lens check chart however we thought it would be attention-grabbing to see the way it performs at its widest setting, too.

Canon PowerShot V1 @ 16mm equiv | F5.6 | 1/40 | ISO 100 Click on right here to obtain the accompanying Uncooked file.

As we might anticipate of such a small lens delivering an ultrawide area of view in entrance of a comparatively giant sensor, its design features a vital quantity of digital correction of geometric distortion.

Nevertheless, regardless of producing an alarming-looking projection when you hack away that ingredient of the lens design, the ultimate outcomes (derived from round 80% of the sensor space) are surprisingly good.

It is fairly tough to exactly align such a large lens with our chart, which may undermine consistency between the 4 corners, but regardless of this potential supply of error, all 4 corners look fairly detailed. The far extremes get distinctly blurry however we had been fairly impressed by the efficiency for a retractable zoom that goes this huge.

And, after all, it is much less of a priority for vloggers, the place these excessive corners will not be used for the 16:9 output footage.

Conclusion

The Canon PowerShot V1 is an attention-grabbing addition to the vlogging market, with a bigger sensor and wider lens than any of the presently obtainable fashions. And, for now at the very least, it is also the closest now we have to an ultra-wide-angle compact for images. It is considerably higher at one than the opposite.

As a vlogging digital camera the V1 is fairly succesful, providing a wide variety of options with good video high quality and a comparatively easy-to-use interface. The inner mics are not any substitute for a superb exterior mic however they don’t seem to be horrible and the wind display screen helps for outside work. Extra superior customers can connect their very own and make the most of choices like C-Log3 seize, with out newbies discovering themselves too overwhelmed.

This stability is not at all times completely struck: the ‘close-up demos’ scene mode works effectively for newbies however limits management to the purpose that customers frightened about matching footage or controlling the quantity of an exterior mic cannot actually use it reliably.

As a photograph digital camera, the V1 works much less effectively. It may produce glorious photos and its uniquely wide-angle lens will make it value perservering with, for some photographers. However the small and fairly restricted controls imply it is not as enjoyable or participating a digital camera as the corporate’s earlier G-series compacts had been.

This is not the digital camera’s primary intent, and when you’ve been ready for a compact with an ultrawide lens, which may be value working ‘spherical. But it surely’s value being conscious that you could be really feel that you simply’re having to coax one thing out of the digital camera it wasn’t notably designed to do.

As a vlogging digital camera its vary of capabilities and talent to accommodate a variety of customers and vlogging types earns it our silver award. It is a highly effective piece of equipment for getting your message out to the world.

Scoring

Scoring is relative solely to the opposite cameras in the identical class. Click on right here to study what these numbers imply.

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In comparison with its friends

The PowerShot V1’s most evident friends are two of Sony’s ZV collection of vlogging cameras.

The Sony ZV-1 Mark II is essentially the most direct competitor, with is 18-50mm equal lens. That lens has an F1.8-4.0 most aperture, which sounds spectacular subsequent to the V1’s F2.8-5.6 zoom, however when you factor-in sensor measurement, the distinction is way much less pronounced. The V1 is more likely to carry out round a 3rd of a cease much less effectively in low gentle and when it comes to depth-of-field on the huge finish, and round two thirds of a cease higher on the lengthy finish. Its bigger sensor ought to give it the sting in good gentle.

The Sony is lots smaller than the Canon, its autofocus that bit extra dependable and its ‘product showcase’ mode is extra readily accessible and controlable. Conversely, we discovered the Canon’s stabilization to be simpler than the Sony’s, giving smoother output and being much less vulnerable to the distracting grab-and-release impact when you deliberately pan. The Canon additionally has a 4K/60 possibility, that the Sony lacks, making it our alternative total.

And, regardless of our reservations concerning the V1 as a photographers’ compact, its bigger sensor and wider lens make it a extra interesting possibility, regardless of its considerably larger measurement.

The opposite actual rival is Sony’s ZV-E10 Mark II, a mirrorless digital camera constructed round an APS-C sensor. It is an appreciably bigger sensor that is a lot quicker to learn out, and it has the identical benefits when it comes to autofocus. Its interchangeable lens design offers you extra flexibility total however means you find yourself with a bigger digital camera/lens mixture and a bigger invoice, as quickly as you add one thing just like the Sony 10-20mm F4 PZ G energy zoom to roughly match the V1’s vary. Once more, the V1 appears like a better-judged package deal, until you particularly want an uncommon lens, the enticing S-Cinetone mode or will profit from its less-cropped, larger high quality 4K/60 functionality.

As a stills digital camera the V1 additionally out-points the ZV-E10 II, as Sony has omitted to incorporate a mechanical shutter or bodily stabilization: options you should transfer as much as the a6700 to realize.

A lot as we had been left chilly by the V1 as an fanatic compact, it’s primarily your solely possibility when you’re in search of one thing plausibly pocketable with first rate picture high quality and an ultrawide lens, it is primarily the most suitable choice purely as a consequence of being your solely possibility.

Pattern gallery

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