Canon PowerShot G3 X

The PowerShot G3 X is a bridge camera from 2015 with a fixed lens and a 20-megapixel one-inch sensor. An electronic viewfinder with 1.62 million dots previews the shot before you press the shutter.

It suits photographers who want one camera for most situations without carrying extra lenses. Built-in stabilisation reduces camera shake for handheld work, and the sealed body makes it a comfortable companion outdoors.

Owning it means accepting a certain size. It weighs 733 grams and stands 123 x 77 x 105 mm, so it belongs in a bag rather than a pocket.

The Optics score of 57 is modest, and the camera sits around the middle of cameras in our database for Optics. The lost points are spread across several contributing specifications rather than tracing to one weak spot.

A 20-megapixel one-inch CMOS sensor sits behind the fixed lens, handled by a Digic 6 processor. Because the lens is fixed, your focal range is decided at purchase and there is nothing to swap later.

In-body stabilisation reduces camera shake, which helps handheld work in fading light when shutter speeds drop. It does nothing for a moving subject, but it takes care of the wobble that comes from holding the camera yourself.

Autofocus uses 31 points, the burst rate reaches up to 5.9 frames per second, and the shutter runs to 1/2000 with ISO spanning 125 to 12800. The 5.9fps figure is a maximum rather than a sustained pace.

The video score of 70 is good. Top resolution is Full HD, which covers family clips, travel footage and web use, though 4K output is missing from this camera, and that ceiling is the main thing holding the score back.

The highest listed frame rate is 60fps, a pace that renders movement naturally and gives you more to work with in the edit than slower rates allow. Maximum resolution and maximum frame rate are separate figures, so treat them as independent limits rather than a single combined mode.

Recording is saved as MPEG-4 or MOV, formats that import directly into common editing software. A timelapse mode is built in, so you can create interval sequences without adding accessories, and the two formats keep your editing choices open whatever you shoot.

The Features score of 87 is very good. A 3.2-inch TFT LCD with 1.62 million dots supports touch input, and the screen flips out so you can frame from waist level or over a crowd.

Live view lets you compose on the screen, and the camera includes both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for wireless connectivity.

The body is weather sealed, which helps when conditions turn dusty or damp. A built-in flash is on hand for extra light, and an external flash is also supported.

There is no GPS, so the camera cannot tag your photos with location data automatically. If geotagging matters to your workflow, you will need to add it another way.

The Storage & Battery score of 16 is limited, and the details show why. There is a single card slot, compatible with SD, SDHC and SDXC cards at UHS-I speed, so you get no second slot for extra capacity.

The NB-10L battery is rated for 300 shots. The rating arrives without stated measurement conditions, so treat it as a planning figure for a day of shooting rather than a promise of real-world endurance.

There is no USB charging, so you cannot top the battery up from a power bank or a laptop between locations, and a charged spare battery is the practical answer for longer shoots.