BenQ G1 - Small and fine

With the BenQ G1 throws before Christmas an interesting and promising mid-priced compact camera on the market.
Particular advertised the bright lens with an aperture of f / 1.8 and 3 inch 920k Swivel display and manual controls. All at an affordable price of around 230, - EUR.

Scope of supply:

The camera is supplied with a lot of accessories.
So a USB cable and a power adapter for charging the lithium-ion battery, and an A / V cable are included. The included Quick Start Guide is content very brief. This would have been able to save, strictly speaking, since hardly any informal value is included.
A CD with software & user manual is also included with. Here is a top 92-page manual in PDF format. This is very good and understandable written. The included software is ArcSoft MediaImpression 2 and is called and was not tested further.
Included is also a very nice-fit and quality leather bag with leather lanyard. This is the camera good protection and is very chic in my opinion. The camera obtains a certain retro look.
The leather case also sits very well, since it is mounted from the bottom of the tripod socket. The housing is then again a thread for the tripod so that a tripod use with leather bag is not handicapped. The only drawback here is that the bag has to be removed to gain access to the SD card. However, this will quickly and easily.

The case:

When I received the camera I was very pleasantly surprised.
The camera has a cleanly worked metal body fits comfortably in your hand.
The housing is equipped with 114 x 62.5 x 25.5 mm and weighing 195 g (without battery and SD card) very compact.

The Swievel or swivel display makes a robust impression and is without hakeln move well in all directions. The screen itself has a glossy finish and is therefore prone to Fingertapser. This is in my opinion but then disturbing because you do not constantly running around with a lens cleaning cloth. However, it is extremely convenient because you get the best view of the display in any position. By a position sensor, the image on the screen will even always displayed the right way round. Even self-portraits with a stretched arm are now controlled.

The trigger button is in the right place and can be without confusion, as is the case with many other compact cameras find. The pressure point to focus is clearly defined and the Press to trigger leaves no complaints.
The menu dial on the top, has the edge fluting and can be turned clean. The locking points of the menu items are from my side without complaint. In the display a new menu, the name and function are displayed when you select. For example, appears when you select M in the display set both the shutter speed and aperture manually. This feature is also known from other compact cameras and is especially for beginners a good help. But also for the intuitive usability of the submenus there is a great advantage.
Downer here is that the upper menu Dial depending on how well adjusted happy times accidentally. One notices indeed the same as the display changes to the display, but is annoying.

The menu buttons and the dial are with your right thumb to operate without problems. Worth mentioning here is the record button for video recording, which only needs to be pressed to get started, and the Q key, which can be configured individually. So you can a function to their own taste it available for quick access.

On the bottom there are the cover for the battery and SD card slot, and a thread for a tripod.

The battery has held about 200 images in the test operation with me. A very decent value, but is too short to me personally, because the battery is being charged in the camera, so it can not be used. Replacement batteries there are no on the market.

M / AV and Co .:

The G1 is fed loaded with features. So you can between M (manual mode), AV (aperture priority), TV (shutter priority), P (Program AE) and Auto mode choose and the scene modes Burst mode, background blur, freehand-night scene, Filter Mode and Scene mode.

The Auto mode is for beginners usually lack knowledge of the first choice. Here the images are managed usually in my tests. The camera automatically detects whether here for example. A macro shot or landscape to be photographed and automatically adjusts all. The only thing that can be changed here are the flash settings.

Who wants to be free here selects the Programmed Auto P. Here are all setting up to stop and time free of charge. This allows the white balance, ISO speed, the measurement mode for the exposure, the flash intensity, colors, and continuous shooting function set. Also, exposure compensation of +/- 2 EV can be set. Very large and comfortable for such a small box.

In modes Aperture Priority (AV) Shutter Priority (TV) and Manual are the adjustable parameters equal. In addition, each can be set free nor speed or aperture, or both. These features are of interest to photographers who work normally with a single-lens reflex camera and do not want to give up these freedoms.

Highly recommended is also the scene mode. Here you will find a setting for almost every photographic occasion. Mention may be made here only snow, portrait, plant, HDR, etc.

Image Quality:

In the G1 a 14 megapixel CMOS sensor (1 / 2.3) from Panasonic is used.
The optics consists of seven lens elements, divided into six groups and has a range from 4.3 to 19.8 mm. This corresponds to a small format equivalent focal length of about 24-110 mm (factor 5.6). The aperture is here from 1.8 to 4.9 at 24 mm at 110 mm.

The G1 makes good pictures in low light conditions. Aperture 1.8 also provides for a reserve in low light conditions and on the other a creative medium for the game with focus and blur.

However, the reserves in low light are quickly depleted. Whoever turns the screw ISO number will unfortunately soon disappointed. Until ISO 800 image noise is in good to acceptable range. The range from ISO-1600 is no longer usable as a photo. Between ISO 800 and ISO-1600, there are no intermediate step manually. When set to Auto ISO, the G1 is independent does not have ISO 800th At least I have not managed it - not even in the night dark room.

Are the lighting conditions been better but you can achieve with the open aperture great results. Focusing can adjust fortunately. You get to this menu in the shooting mode by pressing the (flower) macro icon. Here you have very easy to move the option between autofocus, macro, object tracking, face tracking and manual. With a little practice you can get the focus then exactly at the point one wishes.

The filter mode has some nice effects, which used properly also mean a clear added value.

Unfortunately, there are also unnecessary functions. For example, the selectable directly via the top menu dial mode background blur. Here are masked blurred obviously completely at random parts of the subject. The result is pure luck. For me it has never worked satisfactorily. At first glance you might think that it works. But parts of the design were always armed or disarmed, it should not have been. Who is a little practiced in image editing, gets in arrears on PC back better.

Conclusion:

With the BenQ G1 has a solid compact camera in its portfolio that do not have to hide. With the dimensions and weight, it is a proper take-along cam. It is well made and has, thanks to the high quality materials excellent tactile feel.

The advertised lens with f / 1.8 is creative well used and provides good results, but it does not bring the expected profit from me light in low light scenes.

The operation of the camera and the menu is very intuitive, with few exceptions, so even manual idlers can try through good results. The camera has a variety of menus and functions. There are as good as for any photographic field a menu solution. If you like the happy and photographed then look no further.

The swivel display is simply practical. It opened the photography / videography significantly more options than a fixed display.

The leather case I would like to once again explicitly mention here. She has a very good fit and looks very chic (several times already it approached).

The power supply is currently still a problem, as there is no spare battery and the life with only one battery is too short.

The price / performance ratio is in my view, perfectly in order.