Huge zoom - the Canon G3X camera

The new Canon G3X is a new type of compact camera any travel photographer would want to take a serious look at.
Canon's pitch: instead of dragging a heavy DSLR and accessory lenses with you on vacation, the manufacturer has put everything you might need into this one, compact and very cute camera.
The one-inch image sensor is ten times that of the size of what you’d see in a normal point and shoot, and you get a mega lens as well. You can shoot from ultra wide-angle at 24mm, all the way up to super telephoto and 600mm.
That’s the size you see sports photographers hauling to huge events, or mega photographers capturing wildlife from their safaris.
The camera competes with the Panasonic FZ100, and the Sony RX10, which I reviewed here recently

The G3X sells for $1,000, which is $300 less than the latest edition of the RX10, and $300 more than the Panasonic. This is considerably more than a point and shoot, but about on par with an entry level DSLR once you’ve added your lens.
And you’ll surely appreciate the lighter load.



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The G3X can shoot in automatic, which no serious photographer has much interest in. For that crowd, the camera has manual controls, and for videographers, mic and headphone jacks, which are essential.
The autofocus is spot on--it works really fast, and the photos look great.
My quibble--and it’s a big one.
Composing an image at that whopping 600mm focal length via an LCD viewer is really really tough. It’s very hard to isolate the image--you are so close that it’s like moving constantly, and with the LCD you have to zoom in and out until you finally get there.
What you really need is a viewfinder, you know, the one we bring to our eye, which both the Sony and Panasonic cameras have. Bringing the camera to your eye helps steady the shot for composition, and makes ultra close-up shots much easier to pull off.
Canon will sell you an accessory viewfinder for $300, and while I didn’t get to test it, I wouldn’t consider this camera without it.
That is, if you plan on taking 600mm photos. If you’re happy with wide angle, and medium telephoto, you’ll do fine with the LCD.

Canon G3X with zoom extended all the way (Photo: Jefferson Graham)