If you’re looking for a new smartphone-trumping compact camera for either stills or vlogging, then Canon has announced two very strong new contenders for your shortlist – the photography-focused G5X Mark II and the YouTube-friendly G7X Mark III.
Firstly, that G5X Mark II, which succeeds the original G5X from 2016 and is Canon’s answer to premium, one-inch compacts like the Sony RX100 series and Panasonic TZ200.
Gone is the central viewfinder hump on its predecessor, with a more streamlined design and pop-up EVF (electronic viewfinder). This has a very decent 2.36-million dot resolution and 120fps refresh rate, putting it in the same league as the viewfinder it so closely resembles on the Sony RX100 VI.
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There are big internal changes too, with a new one-inch 20.1-megapixel sensor (which you’ll also find in the G7X Mark III), and a 5x optical zoom lens (24-120mm) with f/1.8-f/2.8 aperture.
These crucially gives it the sensor size and zoom to lift it above the photographic firepower of today’s flagship smartphones, even if the latter are able to compensate at social media-friendly image sizes with computational trickery.
Another bonus over previous Canon compacts (and some high-end Canon cameras) is the G5X Mark II’s ability to shoot 4K video at 30fps with no crop, although it’s not the most vlogging-friendly of Canon’s new pair of premium compacts – that title goes to the Canon G7X Mark III.
Related: Best vlogging cameras
This successor to the Canon G7X Mark II is squarely targeted at YouTubers and video shooters, thanks to a host of new features. Along with being able to shoot 4K at 30fps with no crop, the G7X Mark III can stream directly to YouTube over Wi-Fi, has a 3.5mm microphone input and, unusually, can shoot vertical video.
The G7X Mark III has a slightly shorter reach than its pricier sibling with a 4.2x f/1.8–2.8 zoom lens, but is otherwise very similar internally, with the same 20.1-megapixel sensor, DIGIC 8 processor, and ability to shoot at 20fps in burst mode.
Both cameras look very promising in their respective fields, offering smartphone-beating specs in pocketable form factors that weigh under 350g.
Whether you’ll be able to grab one in time for your summer holiday, though, is another matter – both will be available to pre-order from 9 July 2019, ahead of going on sale in August 2019, although Canon hasn’t yet said when exactly in August that’ll be.
They’re also fairly pricey, with the Canon G7X Mark II costing £849.99 and the G7X Mark III due to set you back £699.99. We’ll bring you full reviews of both soon to let you know if they can justify their price tags and are worthy of a spot in your holiday suitcase.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
