We're all taking photography more seriously - Facebook and Instagram have made us into snapping paps one second, and creative Cecil Beatons the next.

Despite camera phones developing in leaps and bounds over recent years, there's still a market for those that want to dig deep in their pockets for the type of camera that delivers high on quality and style, but stops short of being a full-blown professional SLR.

The Canon PowerShot G1 X tries to meet that market with a hefty and serious camera that delivers on professional quality, with the compact size that would see you taking it on a family picnic or beach frolic.

We tested the camera over a weekend, and you can see the range of shots we snapped with it below.

So here's our fast-paced round-up.

Pros:

Not many pros - if you've won the lottery and need to quickly buy a camera, then why not this?

You'll look trendy for having one of the latest Canon releases.

With its weight, it could be a handy doorstop.

Cons:

Very heavy (about three times the weight of my SLR Canon 550D, with the same price tag), due to the weight, it feels like one drop on a hard surface and this £700 camera would be a goner.

The Canon PowerShot G1 X tries to show it's for serious photographers who want a viewfinder, rather than a screen, to frame their pics. But the viewfinder is practically useless, the lens takes up a quarter of your view - terrible design and positioning.

Bizarre auto setting - there is an an auto setting for shooting 'foliage' - I took several pics of my pot plant with this intriguing function - the pictures looked worse than the standard auto setting. Odd.

Huge price tag - for £700, let's hope it drops soon.

If you want to go all the way and get more serious about your photography, get a Canon SLR, which, I might add, are exceptional.

Canon PowerShot G1 X £695.95 at Jessops.

Launch Slideshow
?
 HIDE THUMBNAILS
1 of 8
PLAY ALL
ADVERTISEMENT