G1X?

It more and more appears that Canon is about to launch the next addition to the PowerShot G series: G1X. If rumors are true, and I believe they are, the G1X is spec’d out as a very nice enthusiast’s camera and I intend to get one – in February from what is being said.

When I first read the G1X rumor on the CanonRumors site, I believed it but became skeptical while reading the resulting comments on the CanonRumors discussion forum. Followup on the DPReview discussion forum convinced me that the G1X rumor was not true. The main areas being questioned were:

• The original source of the rumor, WellsFargoAdvisors, was severely questioned and criticized (that site no longer includes the G1X product announcement).

• The rumor first said that the G1X was fitted with a 1.5” sensor. This is an odd size and the methods for specifying sensor size are very confusing. One interpretation was that this would be an impossibly large sensor. Another interpretation was that this was a typo and the correct sensor size was 1/1.5. It was then pointed out that a 1/1.5” sensor would be only marginally larger than the existing G series sensor and therefore not competitive. DPReview has a good explanation of the numbers used to specify sensor size.

• Again relating to the supposed 1.5” sensor as a diagonal measurement, many pointed out that the G1X would be impossibly large and high priced.

• The rumored zoom lens was only 28mm to 112mm – a relatively short 4:1 zoom. G series enthusiasts seem to want both a wider and longer zoom – say, 24mm to 144mm (me too).

• The rumor gave the aperture a range of f2.5 to f16. My interpretation was that this was truly a “range” but many others thought that the zoom lens would have f2.5 at the shortest focal length and f16 at the longest focal length. Such a lens would not be competitive, f16 being far too limited.

• The rumor did not include photos of the G1X or any specifics such as size, weight, type of view finder, type of display, etc.

As I mulled over these arguments, I again became a believer in the rumor. It now appears that WellsFargoAdvisors probably released a summary announcement prematurely. The sensor is probably identified correctly as 1.5” based on an old video tube naming convention. This really means that the sensor is somewhat larger than a micro-four-thirds sensor but smaller than the APS sensor. The lens must be physically larger than the current G series zoom lens because of the larger sensor. The lens was probably limited to 4:1 zoom in order to keep the body of the G1X relatively slim. The maximum aperture is probably something like f2.5 to f4.8 depending on the zoomed focal length. The minimum aperture is probably f16 for all focal lengths.

I expect the G1X to look like a recent G series PowerShot, probably most like the G12 but a little larger and thicker. The optical viewfinder of the G series will probably be sacrificed for the sake of size (it’s not a good viewfinder and many do not like it although some insist on an optical viewfinder).. The articulating LCD display may also be a casualty of size (hope not).

In my own predictions and wishes, I’ve variously and inconsistently described a camera somewhat like the rumored G1X.  I sure hope that the G1X accepts accessories such as lens/filter adapters, flash, flash triggers, remotes, etc. I especially hope that the flash system on the G1X is the same as the Canon DSLR flash system.

It is now being said that the G1X will be announced early next week!