Canon PowerShot V1 Review

Canon skipped the one inch sensor everyone else fits to a vlogging compact and used something larger: a Type 1.4 chip measuring 18.4 by 12.3 millimetres, roughly two thirds of the way from one inch to APS-C, carrying 22 megapixels and Dual Pixel autofocus. In front of it sits a 16 to 50mm equivalent zoom at f/2.8 to 4.5, wide enough to hold at arm's length without a crop, and behind it an internal cooling fan that removes the recording limit.

There is a three stop neutral density filter, a fully articulating screen, a multi function shoe, and both microphone and headphone sockets, which is more than most cameras twice the size offer. 4K comes off the full sensor width at 30 frames and from a 1.4 times crop at 60, with C-Log3 for grading.

As a video camera it is close to complete. As a stills camera it frustrates: rolling shutter is high, the grip is shallow, the front dial has no detents, and the menus assume you are filming. The 899 dollar launch price has since risen to 979, which narrows the gap to a mirrorless body. For talking to a camera, it is still the one to buy.