The Canon G1 X Mark III Is Still the Best Compact Camera No One Makes Anymore

The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III was reviewed in 2017 and discontinued shortly after. It has not been replaced. The Phoblographer reviewed it again in 2026 and called it the best digital point-and-shoot ever made. Both things are true simultaneously, and together they describe a gap in the market that nobody has filled.

What It Is

The G1 X Mark III is a compact camera with an APS-C sensor — the same sensor size found in most enthusiast interchangeable-lens cameras — combined with a 24-72mm equivalent f/2.8-5.6 zoom lens and weather sealing. It fits in a large coat pocket. That combination of sensor size, zoom range, environmental protection, and pocketability has not been replicated by any camera since its production ended.

The camera that came out of this design philosophy produces images with genuinely shallow depth of field at wider apertures, low-noise performance at elevated ISOs, and the tonal range that an APS-C sensor can deliver — characteristics you do not get from 1-inch sensor compacts regardless of how well optimized their optics are. The zoom makes it practical across environmental shooting conditions. The weather sealing makes it survivable.

The Competitive Context

The compact camera category, as a matter of market reality, has bifurcated. Fixed-lens compacts — the Ricoh GR IIIx, the Fujifilm X100VI — offer large sensors but a single focal length. You get the image quality; you accept the framing constraint. The G1 X Mark III refused that trade, and no current product does either.

The Fujifilm X100VI is the most commonly cited comparison. It has a better sensor, better IBIS, better video, and superior high ISO performance. It also costs more, ships with a fixed 35mm equivalent lens, and sells out routinely. For anyone who needs reach beyond 35mm — and compact camera users frequently do, because you cannot swap to a longer lens — the X100VI is not an equivalent alternative.

The Ricoh GR series is a better comparison in form factor and build philosophy but again fixed-focal-length only.

Who It Still Makes Sense For

The camera’s case rests on a specific user profile: someone who wants meaningful image quality in genuinely pocketable form without committing to a fixed focal length. Readers of The Phoblographer’s review described using it since 2018 as their primary travel camera precisely because it covers focal lengths that would otherwise require multiple primes or a zoom-equipped mirrorless.

At current used market prices — typically USD 500–700 depending on condition — it remains competitive against new 1-inch compacts that cost as much while delivering less sensor area. The argument for buying new gear is usually future support, firmware, and accessories; the G1 X Mark III’s optical formula does not become less capable as it ages.

The Discontinuation Problem

The reason Canon discontinued it without replacement is presumably market economics: the G1 X Mark III was expensive to produce, sat in an awkward price tier, and the customer who wanted an APS-C compact was already gravitating toward mirrorless. Canon’s logic was probably correct from a sales volume perspective. The resulting market gap — where no manufacturer currently offers an APS-C zoom compact — is real regardless of why it formed.

Source: The Phoblographer

Content created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.