Canon has just announced a major update to two of
its point-and-shoot cameras, by launching the PowerShot G7 X Mark III and the
PowerShot G5 X Mark II. Both cameras offer major upgrades over their respective
predecessors, featuring Canon's latest image processor and video recording up
to 4K resolution. Both cameras will be available in August, with the PowerShot
G7 X Mark III costing US$ 749.99 and the PowerShot G5 X Mark
II costing US$ 899.99. Canon hasn't revealed India prices for
now or when it plans to launch them in India.
While the PowerShot G7 X Mark III looks like an
iterative update in terms of design, the PowerShot G5 X Mark II gets a design
overhaul, which now looks a lot like the PowerShot G7 X series. Both cameras
have many features in common, which include Canon's latest DIGIC 8 image
processor, a 1-inch stacked CMOS sensor with a 20.1-megapixel resolution,
continuous shooting up to 20fps, a maximum ISO value of 12,800, 4K video
recording up to 30fps (and 1080p at 60fps and 120fps) with no sensor crop,
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and USB Type-C charging.
The new feature added to the Canon PowerShot G7 X
Mark III is live video streaming. The camera has the ability to live stream to
YouTube which is good news for creators and vloggers. It can also shoot
vertical videos, for use on social media channels. The new camera has the same
24-100mm lens, with an aperture of f/1.8 - f/2.8 like the previous model. It
has a 3-inch LCD display which flips all the way back, for easier selfies.
There's no electronic viewfinder (EVF), so all the framing will have to be done
using the LCD display. Battery life doesn't seem great as its rated to deliver
just 235 shots per charge.
The Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II is the more
expensive model, which offers bigger upgrades over its predecessor. It boasts
of a slightly higher zoom compared to the PowerShot G7 X Mark III, with a focal
length of 24-120mm and a aperture range of f/1.8 to f/2.8. The PowerShot G5 X
Mark II also gets a pop-up OLED EVF, similar to Sony's RX100 Mark III series
and above. When framing your shot through the EVF, you can use the LCD display
as a touchpad to drag the autofocus point around. This camera also has a 3-inch
touchscreen display, which can flip 180-degrees forward for selfies. Battery
life is once again not great, with a rating of just 230 shots per charge.
