Hands-on Canon PowerShot V1 review: is this compact camera comeback a Sony ZV killer?

The Canon PowerShot V1 is a camera that, while not quite what I expected, is one that the market is probably going to adore.

Let's be clear; while speculation was that the Canon PowerShot V1 would be a traditional compact camera, along the lines of the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III, it is in fact more of a compact vloggiing camera along the lines of the Sony ZV-1 II.

While the market expected Canon to launch a compact that would replace the G7 X, instead it's launched one that complements it – and threatens the stranglehold that the ZV series previously enjoyed on cameras for vlogging.

I played with the Canon PowerShot V1 at the CP+ 2025 show in Japan. Here are my first impressions (skip to the video overview section for a quick visual tour of the camera)…

Canon PowerShot V1: Specifications

Canon PowerShot V1: Price & availability

Thus far, the Canon PowerShot V1 has only been announced in Asian territories such as Japan where it retails for ¥148,500 (approximately $995 / £785 / AU$1579).

I asked Canon Japan if the camera would make its way to the rest of the world, and after a lot of chatting in Japanese between two reps that wasn't translated to me, I was simply told, "We hope so".

It's worth noting, however, that in addition to Japanese, Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Malaysian, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai, the Canon PowerShot V1 also has language support for English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Ukrainian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Hindi, Romanian, Turkish, Arabic, Traditional Persian and Hebrew.

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Canon PowerShot V1: Performance

I only had a brief window to test the Canon PowerShot V1 on the show floor, on the first day of the CP+ 2025 show in Japan, so my experience is in no way exhaustive. However, my hands-on experience proved very valuable in establishing what this little camera can do. I recommend watching my video overview below for a quick visual introduction.

The 16-50mm zoom range is unmistakably intended for video – specifically, vlogging. I don't think it's any coincidence that it mimics the 18-50mm focal range of Sony's ZV-1 II. Nor do I think it's happenstance that the V1's sensor is a 22.3MP 1.4-inch affair – one that offers twice the area of the 1.0-inch 20.1MP sensor in the ZV-1 II.

(It's worth noting that you can shoot in a 1.4x crop mode, where the zoom effectively becomes 23-71mm, though I wouldn't recommend it for the drop in quality.)

It's clear, then, that the PowerShot G7 X Mark III will remain the obvious option for photographers with its 24-100mm lens. Though the V1 is no slouch for imaging, as its sensor (similar in scale to those found in the best Micro Four Thirds cameras) is much larger and produces pleasing images all the way up to bursts of 30fps.

This is complemented by the Dual Pixel AF / Digic X processor combo that, while not the full-fat versions found in the EOS R cameras, is nonetheless very impressive.

Left to its own devices it is capable of locking onto the main subject in a given setting (though it wasn't always able to keep track of the fast basketball I was shooting), and it's suitably sticky when you tap the screen and select a subject to follow.

Watch the tail end of my below hands-on video and you'll see the subject detection working its magic – and it's particularly accurate during the 30fps bursts of the cheerleaders. Also worth noting is that the buffer seemed to go on forever, so long bursts are no problem.

Still, it's video that the Canon PowerShot V1 is clearly intended to shoot. That 16-50mm zoom – which becomes 17-52mm when shooting 4K 30p in 16:9 – is perfect for vlogging.

As you see in the video below, held at arm's length it enables you to squeeze loads into the frame – though be aware that shooting at 4K 60p invokes a crop, as does shooting with features like auto horizon-levelling and digital image stabilization.

The autofocus is very honest, and understands particularly when you are filming yourself in "selfie / vlogger mode", keeping the focus on your face and eyes, and not getting distracted by objects or subjects behind or around you.

You may have noticed the fan on the side of the body – the V1 has an active cooling system that keeps the camera from overheating to an impressive degree. I've broken down the recording limits in a table below; all things being equal, the camera can record a single shot for a maximum of 6 hours with high frame rate turned off or 1 hour 30 minutes with it turned on.

Canon PowerShot V1: Video overview

Canon PowerShot V1: Early verdict

From my brief time with the Canon PowerShot V1, this may not be compact camera people were clamoring for… but the Sony ZV-1 II may be in trouble. The PowerShot V series is aimed at vloggers, and the V1 is aiming squarely at the ZV-1 II.

I was impressed by the tenacity of the autofocus, even in prolonged 30fps bursts, and the 16-50mm zoom range is simply perfect for vlogging and everyday content creation. Honestly, if the Canon PowerShot V10 is too basic for you but the Canon EOS R50 is too advanced, I think the V10 is going to be perfect for you.

I didn't have time to see how Canon Log 3 fared on the footage captured by this new sensor, and the indoor conference center wasn't the place to try out the physical ND filters. I also need more time to try out all the video resolutions and test both stills and movies in different environments, with different subjects.

However, as best as can be told from rushed conditions on a show floor having never used a camera before, the Canon PowerShot V1 looks like it might be the new force to reckon with in the vlogging compact sphere.