Comparison at 1.600 ISO
Canon first attempt to fight against the mirrorless world is represented by the fixed lens Canon G1X camera ($800 at Amazon).The camera uses a Four Thirds ratio sensor that is just a tiny bit bigger than our Panasonic/Olympus Four Thirds sensors. Being used to compare our m43 image quality with the larger APS-C sensor I thought it might be interesting to see how the image quality of the two almost equal sized sensor would be (18.7 x 14mm vs. 17.3 x 13mm)
DCfever (Click here) compared the JPEG quality of the Canon with the one of the [shoplink 26836]Panasonic GX1[/shoplink]. Please notice that Panasonic has an average JPEG engine while Canon is known to be much better. A RAW image comparison would probably show a more “real” sensor performance. The JPEG comparison show a slight advantage of the Canon at Low ISO while at High ISO the difference is less pronounced. I think you want see any difference when looking on real printed images.
The Canon G1X is a very strange concept I can’t fell in love with. It will be much more interesting to see if Canon will launch their new interchangeable lens mirrorless system with exactly the same sensor size of the G1X! …P.S.: Don’t even think Canon would join the m43 system, that’s impossible…or not? 🙂
48 Responses
Please, dear admin, do not fall in love with any camera or concept, I can’t help but think that this relationship would not be very rewarding for you.
Sorry, I just read many reviews where reviewers say they’re falling in love all the time… with cameras. Poor them.
Sorry, I didn’t understand, I fell in love with the what camera? Panasonic? Canon? Sorry where do you understand that I love one of them?
the GX1 white balance looks off (maybe deliberately so seeing as they used jpegs), I find images that are further from the true white balance have less detail and more noise….
Panasonic’s AWB is terrible and most jpeg shooters won’t likely bother to fix it with a custom WB setting.
This is weird. Back when I used Panasonic compacts (FZ series), their AWB was quite decent. Have they gone backwards?
For some reason, Panasonic’s compacts have always produced better JPEGs than their m4/3s cameras. I always wondered why.
Natulig, you can only use RAW, and fix WB later.
@ tmrgrs
I don’t use AWB on any camera except for last resort.
Maybe the G1 X isn’t the ideal choice starting from scratch, but the context is Canon’s history with high end compacts, they are defending the G series against encroachment from mirrorless.
If they take the same approach to a true mirrorless system, expect very conservative design. In my view, a conservative approach would be to do more than Nikon, Sony, or the Four Thirds group to support legacy lenses on a mirrorless system, and maybe release a Rebel styled mirrorless. (‘Rebel’ = conservative, hah!)
Interesting test. Looks like the Canon G1X samples are a lot sharper and colors have more depth to them. The only negative is the very soft corner in that one sample. Honestly, if the G1X had good corners (jury is still out) and the wide end started at 24mm instead of 28mm, I’d consider buying this instead of an m43 camera like the Pany G1X.
I hope that this is a bit of a wake-up call to Pany to step up their sensor development and also to Pany and Oly that we need some high-quality zooms with corner-to-corner sharpness. If all the kit zooms are average, then why wouldn’t an average consumer choose the Canon instead? Yes, I know we have great primes in the m43 world, but we need some top-notch zooms as well. Where’s that 12-35 already?
From what I have seen, I’m pretty sure the EM-5 jpegs would compare much better to the g1x
+1
Any Olympus camera can produce jpeg colors that compete very well against Canon. Not with Panasonic vs Canon though.
Canon could make a great mirrorless camera with their better sensor and sitting at the sweet spot for sensor size, but their first offer is not really convincing : their lens is fixed and at that it is a very mediocre lens, which is not sharp in the corners. So they have the potential to do it well, but will they do it ?
May be they AF just testing waters, if the enthusiasts buy that fixed lens camera, they may add an MILC for that sensor. If they don’t they may go the rad of APSC for their mirrorless ?
But with a mediocre lens, who will buy that faxed lens model ?
Interesting comparison, I would love to see it based on RAW’s though. Contrary to what you wrote, Canon’s JPEG engine is really bad compared to other competitors in the market :-/
While I do own the PS G10, the G1X is just to expensive to justify its purchase. I would love for Canon to come out with a smaller mirrorless, ic-lens system as well.
>Interesting comparison, I would love to see it based on RAW’s though.
DPReview has the studio shots of both of them in raw format. The difference in raw is also quite big, especially at high ISO in the dark areas.
>Contrary to what you wrote, Canon’s JPEG engine is really bad compared to other competitors in the market :-/
Well, if Canon’s JPEG engine is bad, how would you rate Panasonic’s? 😉
Agree with Zonkie, G1 X is clearly better than GX1 at high Iso and RAW.
With GX1 and a fast lens you are much less likely to need those high ISO settings.
True, but fairly irrelevant. People looking at G1 X and competitors aren’t looking at GX1 with a fast lens, they are looking at GX1 with a 3x zoom that’s even slower than G1 X lens. You can’t even buy a GX1 kit today with a lens faster than F2.8
Even if Canon does not join MFT, if they use a “almost 43″sized sensor, this would make a strong incentive for Sigma, Tamron, Tokina to make third party mirrorless lenses for that size.
The current situation with Sigma offering a 19mm lens for APS-C and M43 really does not make any sense.
They better use an MFT mount or whatever hq of theirs I can find will be loosing power frequently. Yeah, fuck the law. Because I know how generators and clippers work, I am the law.
Oh, so now that we are comparing Panasonic JPEGs, you note that we should better make a RAW comparison? Funny that you didn’t mention RAW when the Olympus E-M5 JPEGs made the rounds.
Well, there is a reason to that. I stopped using RAW shortly after I started using Olympus cameras. Why bother?
I think it is a given that Canon will use the same sized G1X sensor with a new interchangeable lens system. Just as the Canon’s slightly smaller APS-C sensor is compared to other APS-C sensors the slightly larger G1X sensor should be compared with the 4/3 sensors. Canon reportedly makes much of its profit from the sale of its lenses so yes it will be different from m4/3rds.
I was not able to pull up the DCfever comparisons but based on the grid comparison at ISO 1600 posted above I would rate the GX1 as been slightly sharper and more detail at this ISO? Surprising to see the yellow tint shown with the later as Pany reportedly had corrected that in the G3, GF3, and GX1? Maybe it is artificial lighting effecting the white balance?
Panasonic seem to have problems with wb in artificial lightning when the shutter speed is short. It’s much better with longer exposures. Weird, but true.
yeah, you’re totally right. With the GH2, white balance is horrible in artificial light unless you throw the shutter on like, 1/10, and for that you need flash to isolate your subject, then everything will look funky with motion blurring but also extremely sharp isolated subject with nice skintones because of the flash. Anyway you’re right.
http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-G1X-vs-Panasonic-GX1
not impossible with a proper adapter. (joint µ43 I mean)
The tiny different in sensor size makes it possible. µ43 consotium lenses + very small adapter for a Canon µ43 sensor. Thats it. Sligtly batter performances same name –> same mirrorless marketing(no issue about the sensor size nobody will tell is small like with Nikon) –> no otherengament with “others” parties. At least this is the only one think that I can see in that sensor. Maybe I am wrong.
We have seen weirder alliances in the past. Just not expecting it..
I really hope canon does’t come up with (very good) a mirrorless system after putting so much money into m43 lenses such as panny 20mm, oly 12mm and oly 45mm (the old GF1 is still doing great for my needs). I’ve always been inclined towards canon but gave them up because m43 cameras are such a good compromise between size and IQ… So please, Canon, don’t make me go bankrupt again!
No comprendo… Do you have to buy Canon stuff if they release something? Especially if m43 is already ‘such a good compromise’ in your own words.
No, I don’t need to… But I’m kind of a canon guy and that would be tempting. All of my friends and even my brother use canon and they own some nice pieces of glass. If I could use all those nice pieces of glass (i mean full compatibility) in a compact body, I would definitely consider selling my m43 stuf.
“Canon first attempt to fight against the mirrorless world is represented by the fixed lens Canon G1X camera ($800 at Amazon).”
I can’t see how they compete, the one (m43, NEX, Fuji) being a system, the other a G12 with a larger sensor (with good quality and probably a good camera).
10 to 30 percent (depending on who you ask) of system camera buyers will buy another lens for their body. That mean at least 70% might as well have bought something like G1 X. G1 X is IMO far from perfect, but it’ll give the typical 3x zoom kit zoom and body customers more zoom, a bit faster lens and similar IQ to the system cameras.
“The Canon G1X is a very strange concept I can’t fell in love with. ”
More than a half of my customer never bought anything else that the kit zoom with their mirrorless cam (and i personnaly only bought the 20mm pancake). That’s the whole point of this “concept”.
the canon looks really decent. if you don’t need any interchangeable lenses, but still want a compact camera with big sensor the canon would definitely be my first choice.
the GX1 having the “best” mFT sensor looks pretty lost in this comparison. especially the images at base iso are embarassing for panasonic. they look soft hazy without details as if they were taken through a veil. although raw should be slightly better, i doubt the GX1 images can reach the quality levels of the G1X.
i am really impressed what canon achieved here. now my wish would be to put this lens and sensor into an even smaller body, without vari-angle display, without the stupid useless viewfinder and make some kind of S100-X out of it!
this would be my carry-around camera.
so far i hoped my GF2 including the x14-42 lens could do the job, but all my images just looked like the samples from DCfever even when converted from raw! when i tried contacting panasonic about the issues with the x14-42 lens, they claimed not to be aware of any issues at all, although i quoted the results from dpreview’s GX1-test and also many user-examples from various user forums!
thanks panasonic!
The comparison I REALLY want to see is the Olympus OM-3 vs the Panasonic GX1 or G3. RAW. ie. a meaningful comparison from a capable website that actually shows how the sensors perform without jpeg interpretation.
I think we all agree, that to everyone on this website the Canon G1X is a footnote in the camera world. Now…if Canon uses that sensor to make a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses…we would all be interested in the performance …for sure.
Litt big step in WB on OM-3, but very interesting comparison. 😛
The Canon G1X a very strange concept? Why? I think it is a perfectly reasonable and LONG OVERDUE concept. Also, comparing JPEG performance shows nothing–each camera inserts it’s own sharpening or noise reduction into the equation.
Comparing JPGs don’t show what the camera is capable of, but it do show what 95% of the users who shoot in JPG with default settings will see.
I would love to see canon join micro 4/3… and i seriously think they SHOULD do it.
But anyway, i’m very interested in this new G1X.
It’s just slightly bigger than a Pana G1X+14-42X and offer faster lens at wide angle (f/2,8 vs f/3,5) and more powerfull zoom (eq 112mm vs 84mm).
It also offert tilting screen, something i consider very important…. if you want a tilting screen with Panasonic, you have to go to G3, that is significatly bigger.
Of course, G1X is fixed lens.. but as it is also little bit more versatile lens than the 14-42X, there is little less need for extra lens…. i think this could be just enough for me.
So, i still hesitate, but clearly, the G1X is not a bad deal! maybe not for a “power user”, but for people like me who own a simple compact and just want to go to something more serious
Just try to be reasonable here ,.when it comes to comparison GX1 Panny >< G1X Canon on JPEG ,.Panasonic GX1 has lost the battle ,.thats it. and canon has better sharpness ,detail,AWB,and ISO.,..I have to accepted even though is painful , .maybe if they compare Canon G1X VS G3 the result will be different ,.coz I think Ge is more sharper, better AWB and cheaper also
Does the canon eat the pany alive or is it just me?
I used to use many Canon cameras. They were great, but their current line up is somewhat lagged behind from their competitors. 5D3, G1X… Boring cameras.
Gx1, G1X, X1pro…. I am going to faint.
We are splitting hairs in here. Those subtle differences in image quality do not matter at all. The real difference is of course in functionality, ergonomics, etc.
And now we present the Tamron adaptall 3. A series of lenses designed for V1, 4/3 m4/3 canon G1, c mount and a new format from XXXX. These lenses will cover a range of 8mm up to 200mm in constant f zooms. A range of primes from 10mm to 150mm at F1.4 or F2.8 will be available. As with earlier Adaptall lenses a range of adapters will be available to mount the lenses on the different brands. Electronic connection will be also managed by the adapter, allowing 95% of automatic lens/body functionality. For those requiring 100 functionality a plug in module to the lens itself will be available.
I would love to see the gx1 with a decent lens vs the g1x, after all, this is what’s a system is for. (I’m sure they used a cheapo 14-42 g or x, same sheet!).