Hands On With The Canon PowerShot V1

I got to spend a week with the new Canon PowerShot V1 and wanted to share with you my impressions that might hopefully help you decide if this is the right camera for you.

What Is It?

The Canon PowerShot V1 is an ultraportable walkabout, travel, and content creator camera with a built-in 8.2–25.6mm (16 to 50mm in 35mm equivalent) f/2.8–4.5 zoom lens. It uses a 1.4-inch sensor and is capable of producing 22.3 MP stills and 4K video up to 30 fps using the full sensor (or 60 fps with a slight crop). It can shoot in C-Log 3 and borrows its autofocus system from the more expensive R6 Mark II. It has a built-in cooling system that allows for longer record times and a fully articulating LCD screen for when you want to jump in front of the camera. The camera has a movie close-up mode where focus will shift to products as you bring them closer to the camera in the case of a product demonstration or unboxing video.

One of the benefits of this camera is that it provides high-quality video options in a smartphone-like experience. Not smartphone-like in the sense of image quality. The larger sensor in this camera should provide a superior file to what the best smartphones on the market can provide. But smartphone-like in the sense of portability and ease of use. I mean, if we really think about it, isn’t this why we use our smartphones for video and photos in the first place? There are far superior capture tools available for far less than a brand-new iPhone. But the iPhone has one advantage: it’s always with you. The small form factor and portability make us opt for it over our “real” cameras simply because they are there and always ready to shoot.

I mention this because I think that is what is the greatest appeal of the PowerShot V1. I remember years ago, when I first fell in love with photography, I would take my cumbersome DSLR with me everywhere I went. It wasn’t exactly convenient. I would get kicked out of certain places for looking too “professional.” There would be certain streets I wouldn’t go down as I wasn’t 100% sure I would emerge at the other side with my camera or other belongings still on my person. My friends and family definitely needed to stretch their patience as I snapped away with my zoom lens on a simple trip to the grocery store.

At a certain point, I bought a tiny Canon PowerShot camera to fix this problem. It was small and pocketable, which meant I could always have it on me, but function in a far less conspicuous manner when I wanted to be low key. That original PowerShot that I had around 20 years ago was aimed at stills. The PowerShot V1, while just as capable with photography, brings that same portability with a focus on video.

Who Is It For?

Weighing only 379 grams with a built-in lens at a cost of $899, I think the PowerShot V1 is a solid fit for anyone looking to improve their video performance over a smartphone but not wanting to carry a great deal of equipment. I think about vloggers and content creators especially—people who want to always have a camera on them and are willing to sacrifice some customization (built-in lens versus interchangeable lenses, for example) for ease of use and portability.

In terms of specs, the camera delivers more than enough quality for content creation. I particularly liked that it includes C-Log 3 and a built-in 3-stop ND filter. Again, because the main benefit of this camera is portability, being able to leave the screw-on NDs at home is a great help in keeping the number of things needing to be packed to a minimum.

To test out the camera, I spent the day with a friend of mine at a local museum, as well as tested it out on a walkabout and shooting around the house. Below is just a smattering of random clips I took on our outing. Most likely, this is how I would use this kind of camera. It would be a lightweight, unobtrusive tool whose effectiveness would be most witnessed when my daily activity was just as important as the pictures I would be taking. In other words, on days not designed as professional photo shoots but rather on personal "fun" days where I want to capture the moments so they live on forever.

What Does It Feel Like In The Field?

While I didn’t have any travel plans of my own to attend to, a friend of mine was visiting from out of town. So, I took the opportunity to try out the PowerShot V1 in the form of a staycation by shooting around my own city.

A couple of things stood out as I went about using the camera. One thing I noticed was that the camera was, in fact, easily pocketable. Maybe not in skinny jeans. But, if you have a decent-sized coat or hoodie with a manageable front pouch, it’s not hard to quickly slip the camera in or out. I realize this isn’t a technical spec, but, in actual practice, that might be something that decides whether I bring a camera out with me or leave it at home.

If you are coming from a larger-body camera, it will quickly become evident that the PowerShot V1 doesn’t have many external control dials or rings. Given the target audience, that makes sense. And, in a practical sense, that does help to keep the camera small. What that meant for me in my time with the camera is that I adjusted almost all my settings via the touchscreen or by diving into the menu. Again, I think this is doable considering the intentional simplicity of the device. It’s a point-and-shoot. It’s meant for simple and efficient operation. And I did find the touchscreen to be well thought out and simple for accessing the majority of settings I wanted to try out.

I ended up really enjoying the power zoom function that allows you to zoom in or out just by leaning the rocker switch in one direction or another. While zooming in or out does affect your minimum aperture, the efficiency gained by shooting this way would, I think, really appeal to a content creator wanting to gather footage quickly with a minimum of fuss. The zoom provides a very decent range. Below, these are two selfies taken at arm's length—one at the widest end, one at the longest.

Below is the good old-fashioned brick wall test for those of you wanting a closer look at the image quality coming from the built-in zoom lens. The first image was shot at the widest end, the second at the longest end.

Combining Digital IS with the lens’s optical IS did a decent job of stabilizing walking-and-talking shots (you can see an example in the test footage). I thought it was a nice touch that Canon includes a windscreen for the built-in microphone that conveniently slots into the flash hot shoe connection. It is important to note that the hot shoe itself is of the multifunction variety, which should allow you to plug in a variety of accessories like microphones or flashes without the need for additional cables. The camera also comes with a headphone jack, mic jack, USB connection for uploading or power delivery, and a micro HDMI connection.

Your response to the ergonomics of the camera will vary based on individual preferences. But the camera is built to be small. So, don't expect a massive hand grip or other features you might find on a larger DSLR or mirrorless camera. This camera is built to be portable. And, on that point, the ergonomics are a perfect fit.

Pros

• Small size

• Lightweight

• Power zoom functionality

• C-Log 3

• Fully articulating LCD screen

• Multifunction hot shoe

• Included windscreen

• Decent audio from built-in microphone

• Built-in 3-stop ND filter

• Built-in cooling fan

Cons

• Not a lot of external dials

• Fixed lens could be a plus or minus

• Micro HDMI vs. full-size HDMI

Summary

In conclusion, I think the PowerShot V1 is a useful tool in a small package for content creators looking to improve the quality of their footage over a smartphone or previous pocket-sized camera without breaking the bank.