the Canon PowerShot series has earned its popularity. Sometimes you just don't want to lug the DSLR out, but you want more flexibility than a basic point-and-shoot can give you; and, maybe micro 4/3 just isn't where you're at. The PowerShot G1 X Digital Camera speaks to your desires, while keeping things simple.

Shoot in the basic auto mode, letting the G1 X do the leg work for you, or choose all your settings in the manual mode - allowing your creativity to run wild. Whatever you're feeling like, the G1 X builds on the good name of its predecessors, giving you an easy to carry around camera with numerous features to keep you satisfied and shooting all day long. You won't be bored or frustrated, instead you'll have a myriad of options, capable of keeping things fresh with every shot.

The shooting and photo effects in the G1 X stretch the photographer's creativity. A brief sampling of modes includes: Custom, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Handheld Night Scene, Program (and all his friends: Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority, the aforementioned manual, etc.), Super Vivid, Nostalgic, Toy Camera Effect, Monochrome, Poster Effect, and then some.

Another interesting feature is the Movie Digest which allows you to create a video of highlights from a day of shooting. When Movie Digest is on the camera will automatically record a short video clip (up to 4 seconds) every time you shoot a still image. The entire day's worth of clips will be automatically combined into a single video. Of course, the High Dynamic Range shooting mode takes a number of shots to ensure you'll get a photo that works - one underexposed, one overexposed, and one normal. All three are combined for an image that is balanced and evenly detailed with flattering shadows and highlights.

More than putting a bevy of options at your fingertips though, the G1 X also puts forth respectable image quality with an enhanced 14.3Mp 1.5" CMOS image sensor. That's over 4Mp more the company's previous permutation in the series. Other improvements include an ISO range that now reaches to 12,800, and 1080p HD video - up from 720p in the past. The camera also gives you a dedicated movie button for one-push video capture. Still in place you'll find the 28mm (35mm equivalent) lens, this time with 4x optical zoom and a 16x combined zoom option. Additionally, the camera also sports a slightly bigger LCD screen, at 3.0". The Vari-Angle option remains a hallmark of the series as does the optical viewfinder.

One could delve into a rabbit hole explaining all the twists and turns and avenues to explore with the G1 X. However, if one were to sum up the basic premise of the camera it would be that the G1 X gives you room to move in just about every direction might want to explore. Manual mode? Got it. Want to shoot 1080p video with audio? Got that too. An HDR addict? You can indulge here. What's more, while the camera has a built-in flash it also allows the user to add on optional Canon Speedlites to the hotshoe for more advanced low-light capture, among the many other features on this remarkable camera.