Canon Powershot V1 for still photos only User review 26 August 2025

 

All photos Canon Powershot V1

I am a stills-only photographer so I ignored the Canon Powershot V1 when it was announced.  But then I noticed several reviewers and vloggers commenting that this compact camera also does a pretty good job with still photos.

So I bought one and have been testing it for still photos. I tested the lens on my standard chart then took the camera into the city (Sydney) where I gave it a wide range of subjects to grapple with. Many of these were indoor-outdoor scenes requiring the camera to manage a high subject brightness range. Most indoor shots had multiple light sources in frame. I made all the pictures very fast, repeatedly pressing the shutter straight down as people moved through the frame, not checking to confirm focus. I used Aperture Priority [Av] auto exposure and single shot AF for most of the photos. I left the AF area at [one point] which is actually a small area, mostly in the center of the frame. In the event all of the 700 frames were focussed on the part of the scene under the  AF area and were correctly exposed using evaluative metering mode which I use always. I used Craw capture and processed all files in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop with Adobe Denoise AI for high ISO shots.

The main attractions of the V1 for still photography are:

* Sharp stabilised zoom lens delivering a useful ultra-wide to normal field of view.  Few interchangeable lenses offer this zoom range which is very handy for indoor-outdoor transitions without the need to change lenses. The power zoom is very fast in stills mode taking just over one second to zoom through the full range.  

* Very zippy performance with fast, accurate, reliable autofocus on still or moving subjects in low or bright light, flat or contrasty conditions with front or back lighting.

* Very good overall image quality from the sensor with a crop factor of 1.95x, especially when using Craw capture.

* Compact size without being too small. No accessory grip or thumb support required. The camera does not attract attention to itself.

* Standard Canon {Tv Av M…) Mode dial and twin control dial layout similar to EOS  MILC  models. Manual exposure, custom modes and scene modes including auto pano are supported.

* Updated iteration of fully featured menu system like an EOS MILC model.

* Quiet, no-shock leaf shutter.

* Fully articulated touch sensitive flippy screen for low, high or waist level camera position in landscape or portrait orientation.

* Shutter speed in auto-ISO and Av can be set to standard, faster or slower.  Can have exposure compensation in Manual Mode.

* Very good almost macro close-up capability.

The main downsides for still photography are:

* No EVF and no way to fit one. This becomes a problem outdoors in bright light and sunlight when the preview image can be difficult to see clearly, even with the screen brightness at its not-very-bright maximum.

My strategy for managing this is to hold the camera in my right hand and shield the screen from the light with my left hand. If this is insufficient I wear a hat and hold the camera very close to my face with my left hand between the hat and the screen. I can’t focus on the screen this close but at least I can see it and get a general idea of what the camera will capture.

* Suboptimal ergonomics, including the non-clickable control ring, co-located cross keys and rear control dial and limited options for button and dial configuration to user preference.  In the first few days of use I often found the aperture changed, AF area moved or one of the cross keys was pressed inadvertently while I was handling the camera. Some strategies are required to minimise these problems.

I deal with the moving AF area issue by always turning the camera off before flipping the screen in or out.

As for the controls I find that with practice they are serviceable. The rear dial always requires careful operation to avoid pressing one of the cross keys. I also get into the habit of frequently checking aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation as these tend to get bumped inadvertently while handling the camera.

Quick grab shot through the window of a moving train

 Description

The V1 signals renewed interest by Canon in the Powershot line with some new features not seen previously. No doubt the success of Sony’s vlogging models and the upsurge in sales of compact cameras generally got the attention of Canon’s product development people.

Although billed as a vlogging camera with many video features including a built-in cooling fan the V1 is also fully featured for still photos with many capabilities borrowed from the EOS line.

It lies midway in body size and also sensor size between the Powershot G7X.3 and the EOS R50 or R10 with the kit 18-45mm lens.

 

The V1 is made in Japan, uses the Digic X processor and makes14 bit Raw and Craw files.

The 18.4x12.3mm sensor has the same pixel pitch as that used in the EOS R7, M6.2 and EOS 90D cameras.  I suspect it is a cropped version of the same sensor.

The V1 sensor has 22.1 Mpx , a 3:2 aspect ratio and an area of 226 square millimeters.  Sensor diagonal is 22.1mm giving a crop factor of 1.95x.

Micro Four Thirds sensors have 20-24 Mpx on 225 square millimeters,  an aspect ratio of 4:3 and 12 bit raw files. Sensor diagonal is 21.6mm giving a crop factor of 2x.

My tests show that the V1 has about half an EV step more high ISO noise than the EOS R10 and about half a stop less headroom for overexposed highlights. This is sufficient for most subjects even those with a high subject brightness range.

The fixed optically stabilised power zoom 8.2-25.6mm f2.8-4.5 lens is possibly the most interesting feature of the V1.

Expressed as full frame equivalents we have 16mm f5.5 - 50mm f9.

This focal length range has clearly been designed for vloggers filming themselves while holding the camera at arms-length.   However it also proves to be versatile for stills photography.  Very few fixed or interchangeable lenses cover this focal length range which is useful for street, documentary, lifestyle, interiors, travel and gatherings.

There is no option to fit either a filter or hood to the front of the lens. Fortunately it is decently resistant to flare even with the sun shining directly onto the front element.

At the wide end of the zoom range the lens is very sharp in the center but not so good at the periphery where we see softening with shading and purple/magenta/green color fringing especially on high contrast subjects. A small improvement is seen at the edges by closing the aperture from f2.8 to f4 or f5.6.

The middle of the zoom range offers best overall image quality with very good sharpness across the frame  at all apertures, minimal corner shading and fewer aberrations.

Towards the long end of the zoom range sharpness in the center and edges drops a little but is still very good. Corner shading reappears also.

Overall best image quality is achieved at f5.6.

The V1 has many capabilities inherited from EOS cameras, including Canon Dual Pixel AF version 2, subject detection for people and animals, eye detection, tracking and a fast frame rate of 30fps with the electronic shutter or 15 fps with the leaf shutter. 

Ergonomics are a mixed offering.

Setup is straightforward especially for the user familiar with Canon menus which are for the most part reasonably self explanatory. On the V1 Canon has added a little text descriptor at the top of each menu page to make navigation easier.

Unfortunately only the shutter, red, Mfn and * buttons can be assigned user selected functions, thus limiting available setup options.

Preparing for a new set of photo conditions is not as easy as we will find on most mid range EOS cameras. The controls are there but are not laid out for quick changes like we find in the R10 or R7.

Holding is comfortable with a decent handgrip and thumb support. The camera is covered with a nicely grippy surface texture.   The handle has been shaped to facilitate holding with the right had with lens pointing away from the user or with the left hand when pointing towards the user

Viewing is compromised by the absence of an EVF and limited brightness of the monitor screen. It is serviceable indoors or outdoors in overcast light but can be difficult in bright and /or sunlight.

Operation is straightforward provided we temper our expectations. I generally use Av mode and Auto ISO which is a good combination for most subjects for which this camera is suited.  I generally use f4 indoors and f5.6 outdoors.

The V1 can do most things we expect of an EOS camera but implementation is not always as user friendly. For instance to adjust exposure compensation on the EOS R10 or R7 we just turn a wheel. I use the top rear dial which on the R10 is precisely where my thumb wants to find it.  But on the V1 we must first press the up cross key then turn the dial which is 50mm below where my thumb wants to find a dial.

(They made a mistake with the R7 by co-locating the top/rear dial with the thumb stick. I will be very disappointed if that little ergonomic experiment appears on another camera.)  

Auto ISO and shutter speed can be dialled to normal, higher or lower as required. For instance in street photography the standard setting is a bit slow for moving people so I might set the speed up a notch on Screen 2, (Exposure) of the Red menu.

Manual mode is available but care needs to be used when adjusting aperture and shutter speed with the lens ring and rear dial.

There is no built-in flash, which has generated some complaints.

Summary

The Powershot V1 is an interesting addition to Canon’s camera catalogue. While its uses for video and vlogging are the main story it is also a capable stills camera.

My long standing wish is for a similar camera to the V1, using the same sized sensor but with a 10-30/40mm (approximate equivalent 20-60/80mm) fixed, stabilised zoom lens, a good built-in EVF and a proper EOS style set of controls. Canon can easily do this as I will discuss in the next post.