The G3 X delivers SLR-like zoom capabilities in a compact package thanks to its excellent lens and image stabilisation, only falling down when faced with fast-moving subjects. It's not a beautiful camera, but it's well built and easy to handle.

The Canon PowerShot G3 X price will be the biggest hindrance for most photographers. It's tough to justify such a high price tag for a and a couple of lenses for a similar or lower cost.

Versatile zoom lens; Sharp images; Sturdy, weatherproof build;

No electronic viewfinder; No 4K video;

The Canon PowerShot G3 X ($999.99) is a fantastic idea for a camera. Its 25-600mm f/2.8-5.6 zoom lens can cover a very wide range of photographic subjects, from sweeping landscapes to skittish wildlife, and its 20-megapixel 1-inch image sensor puts the smaller imagers found in pocket-friendly...

Long zoom range; 1-inch image sensor; Tilting touch-screen display; Framing assist function; Hot shoe supports add-on EVF and Canon Speedlites; Mic and headphone connections; Built-in ND filter; Sealed against dust and moisture; Wi-Fi

Focus on the sluggish side; Slow burst rate when shooting Raw; Takes a while to turn on; EVF is a pricey accessory

The Canon PowerShot G3 X is a compact camera that tries to offer it all: a massive zoom range plus a fairly large 1in sensor to get you good image quality for a compact fixed-lens device.

Immensely versatile zoom range; Quality construction; Good general image quality for a superzoom

No EVF; Poor RAW shooting performance; Worse max aperture than rivals

The competition in the high-powered, enthusiast-grade zoom camera category continues to heat up! The Canon G3X bests its popular Sony and Panasonic rivals with a class-leading 600mm-eq. optical zoom lens.

Good overall optical performance from the 24-600mm eq. lens; Very good image quality and high ISO performance for this class, especially with RAW; Lots of external controls; Comfortable grip; Shoots 1080/60p video; Includes both mic and headphone jack, Focus peaking for video; Clean HDMI

No built-in EVF; Mediocre AF speeds; Sluggish burst rate with RAW/RAW+JPG and with servo AF; Below average battery life; No 4K video unlike competitors

One of the most welcome trends in camera design recently has been the adoption of relatively large sensors in fixed-lens compacts. In particular, the runaway success of Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 series showed that there's a real appetite for small cameras with much higher image quality than was...

Huge lens range covers almost any subject; Good image quality from 1in sensor; Excellent touchscreen interface

No built-in viewfinder; Awkward ergonomics; Poor continuous shooting with raw enabled

The Canon PowerShot G3 X ($999.99) is a fantastic idea for a camera. Its 25-600mm f/2.8-5.6 zoom lens can cover a very wide range of photographic subjects, from sweeping landscapes to skittish wildlife, and its 20-megapixel 1-inch image sensor puts the smaller imagers found in pocket-friendly superzooms to shame when pushing the ISO in dim situations. But it has a few issues that keep it from being the perfect travel camera. I found the focus speed to be a little slow, the image quality when zoomed all the way in to be hit or miss, and I really, really would have liked to have seen a built-in EVF. Our Editors' Choice for premium superzooms is still the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 ( at Amazon) . Even though its range is more limited, it's an extremely well-balanced performer. DesignThe G3 X  is the smallest long zoom model with a 1-inch sensor, but it's by no means pocket-friendly. It measures 3 by 4.9 by 4.2 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.6 pounds. Compare that with the Panasonic FZ1000 (...

The Canon PowerShot G3 X couples excellent image quality with a long zoom range, but it really needs a built-in EVF.

Long zoom range; 1-inch image sensor; Tilting touch-screen display; Framing assist function; Hot shoe supports add-on EVF and Canon Speedlites; Mic and headphone connections; Built-in ND filter; Sealed against dust and moisture; Wi-Fi

Focus on the sluggish side; Slow burst rate when shooting Raw; Takes a while to turn on; EVF is a pricey accessory

Another week, another premium compact camera drops onto the desk. This time it's from Canon, whose PowerShot G3 X differentiates itself from a swathe of rivals by virtue of its 25x optical zoom lens, which it teams up with a 1in sensor.

The Canon PowerShot G3X is Canon's first big zoom, big sensor compact. Traditional super-zoom cameras have a lot to offer but, their typically small sensor size prompts many buyers to migrate upwards to a DSLR or mirrorless.