Canon Powershot V1 Review: A powerful compact camera capable of capturing incredible videos

It was almost a category that disappeared, compact cameras were making a comeback. Thanks to its appearance and stylish film simulation, Mrs. Fuji's X100 VI became a star in photography. DJI's Osmo Pocket 3 charming content creator has its electric theme tracking and positive, making stimulating cameras move.

Now, Canon jumps back to the compact model with the PowerShot V1, a Vlogging-centric model that follows the six-year-old G7X Mark III. It is designed to be a big competitor with over 1.4-inch 22-megapixel sensor and has other impressive features such as optical stability and 4K supersampled video. At the same time, when it comes to photography, this camera is surprising.

The V1's 16-50mm lens is both pretty and wide, but it's slower than its main competitor, the Sony's ZV-1 II. Fujifu's X100 VI is slim and pretty, and the PowerShot V1 is plain and a little chon. None of this hurts the fact that this is a powerful compact camera capable of capturing incredible videos and images, especially in low light, and should be suitable for many creators.

Design and processing

Rather than being as retro as Fujifu, Canon chose a more functional approach for the PowerShot V1 design. It is relatively thick, at 2.1 inches, and a little bigger than the X100 VI if the lens is not included, but it is slightly lighter with a battery of 15.03 oz. By comparison, Sony's ZV-1 II is just 10.3 ounces and is 1.84 inches thick.

The PowerShot V1 is somewhat similar to Canon's G7X III, which has become very popular lately but is thicker thanks to its built-in fan and power zoom lever. Unlike the G7X III, unfortunately the V1 lacks a pop-up flash, but does have a hot shoe for the external flash. Canon also moves the record button from the back to its most realistic position.

The grip is small, but the rubber surface makes it easy to secure, especially when on video blogs. The controls are sufficient for compactness, but I prefer at least one dial at the top to change the settings. If the camera is as small as Sony's ZV-1 II, that's great, too. These buttons and dials are responsive, but next to Canon’s mirrorless model, they do feel a little cheap. In short, the PowerShot V1 offers a solid approach, but not the look of Fuji's products.

Another nice change is a new fully pronunciation screen that replaces the pop-up display of the previous model. This makes video blogging and photography easier because the screen can be seen when the camera is high, low, or facing you. My only complaint is that it's too dark when used in bright sunlight. And, you can't just browse the electronic viewfinder for a clearer view, because there isn't one on the PowerShot V1.

The camera has a decent battery life, shooting in 400 photos or about 75 minutes of 4K 30p shooting. Other notable features include MIC and headphone inputs as well as MicroHDMI and USB-C (charge and data transfer) ports, as well as an SD UHS-II card slot.

Video blogging and content creation

The “v” in powershot v1 stands for the video museum, so let's talk about it next. To best serve with this capability, it uses an equivalent lens of 16-50mm wide, so you can always fit the face to the frame even in crop mode. However, the scaling range may also limit the use of capturing close-ups or b-rolls.

The video specs are compact, top-notch with sharp, super-sampled 4K 30p video that uses full sensor width or 4K 60p video with 1.4x crop. Most importantly, you can capture 10-bit video when using Canon's C-Log 3 or HDR format. It's better than Sony's ZV-1 II, which offers only 4K 30p and S-LOG videos, without a 10-bit option. However, DJI's OSMO Pocket 3 surpasses both models at 4K without writing 4K, while also offering 10-bit D-Logm or HDR video.

With its large sensor, the PowerShot V1 provides vivid video and accurate natural colors, and Canon generally excels in skin tone. Shooting 10 bits in C-Log3 greatly improves dynamic range in sunshine or contrasting scenes while giving you a larger latitude to adjust posts. And, when you need to shoot indoors or at night, the camera performs better than the compact competitors, showing lower noise at high ISO settings.

Steve Dent

The disadvantage of the larger sensor is that the scroll shutter that can distort video on Sony's 1-inch ZV-1 II is more obvious in the 4K 30p setup. If this is a problem, cropping the 4K 60p setting will reduce the problem, as it can sample smaller sensors.

Thanks to the built-in fan, overheating of this camera is not a problem either. I have never seen any signs of heat-related shutdown when using the temperature threshold set to “High”.

Autococus is a key feature of Vlogging, and thanks to its upgraded processor, the PowerShot V1 competes with Sony's ZV-1 II. It works well even when it stays locked in fast moving subjects as well as in subjects with eyes and face to face as well as subjects for animals and vehicles.

If the ZV-1 II only provides electronic video stability, the PowerShot V1 combines 5 stop optical stability with electronic stability. This means you can shoot smooth handheld video without any impact on image quality, and can also enable walking or other challenging situations. However, neither camera has candles in this regard, and the Osmo Pocket 3 in that aspect has built-in 3-axis jewelry.

Audio is also a plus for the PowerShot V1, as it provides a microphone and headphone jack, while the ZV-1 II lacks a headphone port. The Canon model also has a nice built-in three-dimensional microphone and comes with a hot shoe air hood.

photography

Steve Dent

Despite the emphasis on video blogging, the PowerShot V1 also has a high level of ability to use for photos. In fact, thanks to the unique 22.4MP, 1.4-inch sensor and Canon's latest Digic X Image Processor, it can power autofocus and AI capabilities with excellent image quality and speed.

You can fire bursts at up to 30 fps in electronic mode and use the fast 15 fps of the mechanical shutter (yes, it has a mechanical shutter, which is rare for compact ones). This makes it one of the fastest covenants available. By comparison, the X100 VI can reach 25 fps speeds, while the ZV-1 II is limited to 15 fps speeds. Meanwhile, the Osmo Pocket 3 can take photos, but is actually designed for video.

The PowerShot V1's high-speed speed is powered by Canon's dual-pixel II focus system, which provides sharp photos most of the time and is powered by the company's latest AI Tech for facial and eye detection. Like other recent models, the camera also provides AI-themed detection for animals, vehicles, aircraft and more.

The PowerShot V1 outperforms Sony's ZV-1 II with its built-in 5-station optical stability to reduce blur. This allowed me to lower my shot to eighth, sometimes even a quarter of a second, blurring the background while keeping the foreground sharp.

The trouble with the most compact cameras is that they can take beautiful photos in good light conditions but start falling into low light. This is not the case with PowerShot V1. The larger 1.4-inch sensor is very close to two-quarters of the size of the micro, so it delivers clean images to ISO 6400, with even manageable noise, even up to ISO 12800.

The beauty of Canon cameras is that you can get great images directly from the camera, especially for skin tones – a great boon for beginners. JPEG images have a good balance in sharpening and noise reduction, while original photos enhance dynamic range under tricky shooting conditions and give you more playback space when editing on Lightroom.

wrap up

Steve Dent

I can see what Canon is going to do with the $900 PowerShot V1. It effectively beats its main compact video rival Sony's ZV-1 II at the same price by offering larger sensors, optical stability and more video options. It appeals to hybrid shooters more than DJI's Osmo Pocket 3, as it handles photography chores better while capturing higher quality videos.

The problem is that it is still primarily a video camera, and many content creators have abandoned this compact model in favor of the Osmo Pocket 3. This is because the Pocket 3 offers unique features such as mobile camera tracking and superior three-axis assist. It also pairs with DJI's popular MIC 2 and MIC mini wireless microphones, which is another big advantage. Meanwhile, the PowerShot V1 has a rather basic design, so it probably won't appeal to buyers looking for buyers with a more beautiful X100 VI.

Ultimately, the PowerShot V1 is destined to take a hit as it will offer in terms of video and photo quality – especially given the current modern G7X III popularity. Actually, I recommend you recommend it on Sony's ZV-1 II, especially if you're looking for a hybrid camera that hires a dual responsibility.

This article originally appeared on Engadget