Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III Compact Camera Boasts 24.3MP APS-C CMOS Sensor

Canon has announced a new digital camera that has a pair of firsts for the company's point-and-shoot camera line. The major feature of the new flagship G1 X Mark III PowerShot camera is that it has the largest imaging sensor ever crammed inside a Canon point-and-shoot camera: a 24.3MP APS-C CMOS sensor.

The other big feature for the camera is that the G1 X Mark III is the first Canon point-and-shoot compact offering to use Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Auto Focus) technology. The massive image sensor promises to deliver "fantastic image quality in both stills and video." The sensor is paired with a wide-angle 24-72mm 3x zoom lens with Optical Image Stabilization. That lens has an f/2.8-5.6 aperture for maximum brightness and increased sharpness, and an ISO range of  100 to 25,600.

This is the first time this caliber of sensor has been used outside of Canon's highly-regarded D-SLR cameras. "As we continue to evolve the popular Canon PowerShot G-series line, we remain committed to incorporating both our latest innovations and the features photographers are looking for in an advanced, compact camera," said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A. "With the new PowerShot G1 X Mark III, users will appreciate the quality and overall performance made possible using a APS-C sensor, alongside upgraded capabilities that can enable the capture of amazing photo and video, even in lowlight conditions."

The features a 2.36 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder, while touch and drag autofocus using the rear 3-inch variable-angle display allows users to pick where to focus when taking a picture. G1 X Mark III users can shoot continuously at up to 7 fps or up to 9 fps with AF fixed. The camera can record full HD video at 60p with high ISO and can record time-lapse videos. And as you might expect from a high-end point-and-shoot camera, it features built-in Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth.

The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III will launch in November for $1,299.