Canon PowerShot V1 First Impressions: Why I Bought a Canon After Years of Fujifilm
TL;DR: After years of trying to force Fujifilm cameras to fill a role they just weren’t designed for, I picked up the Canon PowerShot V1 as a dedicated B-cam. It now covers vlogging, content creation, and situations where I need to move fast and trust the camera to just get the job done.
Now, my Fujifilm cameras only have to do what they were designed primarily for.
As much of a Fujifilm lover as I am, I have always had gripes with the brand.
I came to the realization recently that I can no longer wait around and hope that Fuji might one day drop the perfect camera for me as a hybrid photographer/filmmaker/YouTuber. Honestly, I think I also finally accepted that I’m not their target audience.
The brand is tailored to still photographers, especially those who love a compact, tactile photography experience.
I love that about Fujifilm, but I’m also shooting more video than photos these days, and I spend a LOT of time putting out YouTube videos each week.
It was time to accept that this brand doesn’t really cater to workflows like mine.
Why do I still bother with Fujifilm?
Cameras like my X100VI and X-Pro 3 are the reason I bother with Fujifilm at all. The rangefinders are a joy to use. Everyone’s familiar with this narrative by now.
But my X-H2S, on the other hand, might as well be a Sony. A Sony a7 whatever with film simulations and crappier autofocus. Let's just be candid about it.
The H2s was my attempt to bridge the gap between a professional hybrid body and cameras like those lovely rangefinders above. This body has been a real catch 22 for me. A solid camera, but not the experience I came to Fujifilm for.
When Fujifilm makes hybrid cameras aimed at professionals, they don’t do a terrible job by any means, but I think you not only lose what’s really special about the system, but also make certain technical sacrifices too. So why stick around?
Where does the Canon PowerShot V1 fit in?
If you've been watching my videos, you've already seen a ton of stuff shot with this little guy: almost all of my talking heads, b-roll for the recent TTArtisan 27mm pancake video, and literally the entire video where I followed my friend Austin around while he tried out my X100VI.
I've been jokingly referring to it as my “video Ricoh”, but I think it’s actually an interesting parallel.
The PowerShot V1 has got staggeringly high-end video capabilities despite cosplaying as a vlogging camera. It’s a beast disguised as a camera you’d film unboxings with.
Nothing in Fujifilm’s lineup today is particularly impressive or competitive for things like vlogging or quick, scrappy content creation where you need to be able to rely on subject detection or tracking, continuous AF, or auto exposure to just work every single time.
Not 75 or 80% of the time. Every. Single. Time.
Now, I hear you shouting “X-M5” at me, but it’s more cash for less camera in many ways. At the time of writing, October 2, 2026, MPB has the PowerShot V1 at ~$750 and the Fujifilm X-M5 at $850-900 and the X-M5 doesn’t even come with a lens.
Comparison from cameradecision.com
Plus, aside from the larger sensor in the X-M5, the PowerShot V1 pretty comfortably edges it out in quite a few categories:
Built-in ND filter
Built-in cooling fan
Built-in 24-70mm lens
Simpler/easier menu system
Superior digital stabilization
Vastly superior AF, tracking, & subject detection
Lastly, (this one is subjective) if you grade your footage in post, I find CLOG3 much easier to work with than FLOG or FLOG2. Skin tones look much more pleasing out of the box, and colors are generally more neutral and accurate.
The X-M5 is unfortunately no different from the rest of Fujifilm’s attempts to cater to hybrid shooters. Not bad, if you look at it in isolation, but so far behind the competition it’s really not even worth considering.
As for the H2s I mentioned earlier, how does such a high-end “broadcast-ready” camera not already meet these needs? After all, it’s the camera I’m supposed to own for use cases like mine: Videographer who takes lots of photos as well.
Well, over $2,000 USD later, I’ve got a camera I have to babysit in the exact same situations where the $750 USD PowerShot V1 doesn’t so much as break a sweat.
Continuous AF and face tracking can’t be trusted with a subject more than a few feet away.
Over the last ~two years, I’ve had to re-shoot several talking heads where the camera’s focus hunted throughout entire clips where I sat mostly still in front of it.
I’ve completely ruled out relying on autoexposure in video for “run & gun” situations. It doesn’t just get the exposure wrong, it slides up and down like it’s hunting for the correct settings in the middle of a clip, resulting in footage that can’t even be efficiently fixed in post.
I can’t shoot with the camera while moving around at all.
Panning shots have to be done without stabilization and then stabilized in post as well because of jumpy digital stabilization.
Really what it comes down to is this: If I’m behind the camera, taking the time to compose and film scenes that I’m not in it’s fine. In front of the camera? Not so much.
So I’ve officially outsourced all the above functionality to a tool that can handle it.
What's the plan for my Fuji setup going forward?
I realize I just came off very harsh toward Fujifilm, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t genuinely love working with these cameras (in many applications). I don’t really WANT to shoot everything with a Sony A7V, to be honest. I’ve also got a lot of Fujifilm lenses, batteries, and accessories that make me want to stick around.
I’m doing that shitty, consumerist, tight-rope walk between needs & wants, currently.
That said, my hope is now that I’ve got the Canon PowerShot V1 to handle all the things I don’t really like using Fujifilm bodies for, I can swap out the chunk-a-saurus (Fuji X-H2s) for a body I enjoy working with a lot more.
Probably a Fujifilm X-T6 whenever that thing finally comes out.
BUT- if the X-T6 winds up being a dud for whatever reason, or they’re $3,000, or I have to get on a year-long waiting list for one…
I'd rather cut my losses, grab a Sony, and get everything you're supposed to get out of a proper professional-level hybrid body:
Full-frame sensor
That genius articulating screen that doesn’t make you choose between flip & tilt
SLOG
Industry-leading AF & tech
Pro-level durability & weather sealing
The reality is, I'm making travel films for YouTube and doing street photography, not doing a whole lot of paid client work, and so I have the PRIVILEGE of being able to prioritize my own enjoyment of the creative process above all else.
So this is my final attempt to stay with Fujifilm long-term and find a workable balance between photography, filmmaking, and content creation.
Is the Canon PowerShot V1 worth it for you?
Even if I don't stick with Fuji long-term, the Canon PowerShot V1 will likely still have a place in my kit. It was affordable enough that I don't feel any pressure to sell it and recoup the value.
It can just be a backup or C-cam if it becomes redundant in the future.
My brand might always be tough love toward Fujifilm while I refuse to ever fully leave the system. But for anyone doing vlogging, talking heads, or scrappy run-and-gun content who's tired of fighting a bigger/bulkier camera, in a similar situation to mine with Fujifilm, or is just looking for their first (or only) camera to handle things like vlogging and content creation, the Canon PowerShot V1 is a shockingly capable, no-fuss B-cam that feels like it should cost more.
Thanks for reading!
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