New camera!

New kid on the block - The Canon Powershot G5X

A few weeks ago I bought a new camera as an upgrade to my existing high end compact. My last camera (the Canon Powershot G15x) is still functional and is all round an excellent machine but I have wanted an upgrade for a long time. Enter the Canon Powershot G5x which brings a lot more high end tech into a compact camera and reinstates many features that I missed from when I had a DSLR. 

I don't regret down-scaling from a full DSLR as it was just too bulky for the sort of photography I enjoy, especially with all the extra lenses and paraphernalia I had acquired over the years. Indeed I recently had my old kit out because I'm in the process of selling it and I couldn't believe how much it all weighed compared to my new kit. The G15 was the next logical step, downsizing to a compact but getting a high end Canon product with a big sensor and excellent lens. However I made some compromises when I bought it as I just couldn't afford the next camera up. Move forward 4 years and Canon have produced several new models with the G5X bridging the gap between compact and DSLR and bringing the technology right up to date.

With Wi-Fi connectivity, improved image stabilisation, an electronic viewfinder, a bigger screen, bigger sensor and a load of other cool features this camera really performs like a DSLR but in a much more compact body. I road tested it last week at Broadside and I have been very impressed with the way it handles and the quality of the pictures. The lens and sensor are a clear step up from my old camera and the image stabilisation worked very well as I rushed around snapping pictures.

The camera also has a pop out screen that rotates enabling better selfies (I'm vain, what can I say) but it is possible to turn this off and just use the viewfinder to take pictures. For me the Electronic viewfinder is the best feature. It reproduces the Through the Lens (TTL) viewfinder experience found in SLR's and it is the one thing I missed most when I down-scaled to a compact. I find it much easier to track moving subjects through a viewfinder and its much easier to see than a screen when shooting pictures in bright conditions.

I'm still exploring all the features on this camera (The manual is 217 pages!) and I have yet to test out its macro capabilities properly, but needless to say I'm already very happy with it.