Canon I just sent the G1X MkII back -- here's why

Jock Elliott

Hall of Famer
Location
Troy, NY
Snow visited Troy, NY overnight.

I tried a couple of grab shots in P mode with the G12 and the G1Z MkII

G12:

G12_snow_001_Medium_.JPG
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G1X MkII

G1X_snow_001_Medium_.JPG
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If you look closely at the G1X MkII picture, none of it appears to me to be razor sharp. Call me a lazy photographer, but it seems to me that in P mode at least part of the image ought to be precisely focused.

There are a lot of things to like about the G1X MkII, but it just doesn't fit with my opportunistic style of shooting.

Cheers, Jock
 
Jock,
do you recall what focus mode you were using? And what you were focusing on?

It's fine if it doesn't fit your style of shooting. But it looks to me as though your focal plane is just much closer than your subject. If you're shooting reasonably wide open and focused at a couple feet (or less), everything beyond a few feet would be blurry.

Is it possible you were in macro mode where it couldn't focus on a distant subject? Or possibly in MF while you were testing it out? Or was it shot through a window and the camera grabbed focus on the window instead of the scene beyond? With a smaller sensored camera, you might not notice, but with that bigger sensor on the G1X mark whatever , one would need to be more careful.
 
Jock,
do you recall what focus mode you were using? And what you were focusing on?

It's fine if it doesn't fit your style of shooting. But it looks to me as though your focal plane is just much closer than your subject. If you're shooting reasonably wide open and focused at a couple feet (or less), everything beyond a few feet would be blurry.

Is it possible you were in macro mode where it couldn't focus on a distant subject? Or possibly in MF while you were testing it out? Or was it shot through a window and the camera grabbed focus on the window instead of the scene beyond? With a smaller sensored camera, you might not notice, but with that bigger sensor on the G1X mark whatever , one would need to be more careful.

Luke,

I was outside on the front porch. I just turned the camera on, clicked it into P mode, and shot the picture. It was in single focus mode (with the square in the center of the frame). I don't recall getting any error messages.

I suppose it could be some sort of operator error on my part, but I don't know what it could be.

Cheers, Jock
 
hmmmm....that is definitely a puzzler.

Indeed it is.

I just did an experiment with the G12. I put it in P mode, activated macro, and turned it off. When I turned it back on, I had to reactivate macro manually; it had shut off. The same thing happened with manual focus.

Another theory: perhaps shooting as much as I do with small-sensor cameras has "ruined" me. Perhaps there is something I should have done that I didn't do.

As a result, I am not willing to condemn the the G1X MkII. I think the best thing to say, in the absence of additional info, is that it isn't a good fit for me.

In any event, I very much appreciate your input and that of the others here.

Cheers, Jock
 
I just plugged some numbers into a DOF calculator. There is one foreground branch that appears to be very nearly in the center of the frame. If it's around 8 feet away with your settings, only 2 feet will actually be in focus.
 
Many early samples of the G1X ii that I've seen look soft wide open.

They look KIND OF soft and it's mostly a problem on very close focus shots - macros and near macros. They're nothing like this shot, which is just badly out of focus. For whatever reason, the combination of Jock and the camera just completely missed focus on this shot. The lens has it's weaknesses, but it's not even remotely THIS bad!

-Ray
 
Jock, can you see in the EXIF data of the image what focus mode the camera was set to?

Not sure if there's going to be any clue in the EXIF metadata, but if there was something like "focus mode - manual" or "macro" that could explain it?
 
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