Canon PowerShot G12 vs Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon PowerShot G12 and the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon PowerShot G12 was introduced in January 2011 and Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II was introduced in July 2019. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon PowerShot G12 over Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II over Canon PowerShot G12.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon PowerShot G12 has a 2.80" Fully Articulated screen with 461k dot resolution and Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 1,040k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Canon PowerShot G12 selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Tilting screen makes Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Canon PowerShot G12 has a built-in Optical (tunnel) viewfinderCanon PowerShot G5 X Mark II has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,360k dot resolution. magnification and Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II has 100% coverage magnification.

Canon PowerShot G12 features a 10 megapixel 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor with dimensions of 7.44 x 5.58 mm and a total area of 41.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 3,200. Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II features a 20.1 megapixel 1-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 77.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 125 - 12,800 and expands to 125 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Canon PowerShot G12 is equipped with DIGIC 4 processor and can take pictures up to 3648 x 2736 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3648 x 2736, 3648 x 2432, 3648 x 2048, 2816 x 2112, 2816 x 1880, 2816 x 1584, 2736 x 2736, 2192 x 2736, 2112 x 2112, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1064, 1696 x 2112, 1200 x 1200, 960 x 1200, 640 x 480, 640 x 424, 640 x 360, 480 x 480, 384 x 480, 320 x 240 with 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II is equipped with DIGIC 8 processor and can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in [y] image stabilization.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II

Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II

Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Canon PowerShot G12 has an HDMI and Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon PowerShot G12 comes with NB-7L battery pack with battery life of 370 shots and Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II comes with NB-13L battery pack with battery life of 230 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon PowerShot G12 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus card slot. Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I compatible) card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Canon PowerShot G12, and up to 1/25600 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/2000 sec with mechanical shutter on Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II. Canon PowerShot G12 can shoot continuously up to 1.1 fps. Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 7.00 m on Canon PowerShot G12 and 7.50 m on Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II. Canon PowerShot G12 also accepts external flash which can be connected via Shoe Mount. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/2000 sec on Canon PowerShot G12.

Canon PowerShot G12 body has dimensions of 112 x 76 x 48 mm (4.41 x 2.99 x 1.89") and Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II body has dimensions of 111 x 61 x 46 mm (4.37 x 2.4 x 1.81"). Canon PowerShot G12 weighs 401 g (0.88 lb / 14.14 oz) and Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II weighs 340 g (0.75 lb / 11.99 oz).

Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II

112 mm

76 mm

111 mm

61 mm

76 mm

61 mm

48 mm

46 mm