Canon PowerShot V1 Review: Is This the Best Compact Camera for Content Creators?

I said gear acquisition syndrome had reached an all-time low. Two days later I bought a new camera. Typical.

I'll be upfront, the Canon PowerShot V1 is not the kind of camera I ever thought I'd buy. I shoot Leica. I use a Canon R6 Mark II for video. I’m far too cool for school to be concerned with a camera designed for vloggers… right??

And yet, here we are.

Let me explain (or justify) why I bought the Canon PowerShot V1, whether it's worth it for photographers and content creators, and how it compares to the alternatives.

Why I Was Even Looking for a Compact Camera

My main video setup is the Canon R6 Mark II. It's brilliant, I have no complaints.

But the moment you add a 24-70mm or a 16–35mm on it, it's no longer something I want to casually carry around. It fills most of my sling bags combined with an M11 or MP around my neck, it becomes a chore.

I refuse to carry a backpack for day-to-day shooting. So whenever I'm travelling, spending long days on the street, or just want to document something without faff, the R6 setup gets left behind.

What I wanted was something pocketable that still produced good results.

Easy workflow, decent image quality - there has to be answer for this right?

Turns out it took me a while to figure out.

The Alternatives I Considered (And Why I Ruled Them Out)

DJI Osmo Pocket 3

The Osmo Pocket 3 is a solid option on paper, but the footage has a very specific look to it - smooth, gimbal-stabilised, almost a bit too clean. It's fine, but it looks like everyone else's Osmo Pocket footage. I also don’t like how grades. I'd rather not have my b roll be immediately identifiable as "that pocket camera thing."

iPhone (17 Pro)

The obvious answer and to be fair, it’s excellent. But using your phone as a camera comes with trade offs: you end up on your phone more, you need ND filters for proper shutter speeds, and by the time you've added accessories it's no longer the simple pocket solution it seemed. I'll still use it here and there, but it's not the dedicated solution I’m after.

Action Cameras (GoPro, Insta360, DJI)

Generally not impressed. The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is probably the best of the bunch in my opinion. Decent battery, straightforward to use, acceptable footage and I'll likely still pick this up for POV and chest cam stuff. But for anything I'd call "proper" video, action cam footage isn't going to make the cut.

Chasing flow

The other thing street photography does and I think this connects to The Power of Now - is it forces a state of total focus.

I'm not going to pretend I walk around in some zen state every time I shoot. I'm human, my brain's as busy as yours.

But when you get those five or ten minutes where everything goes quiet and you're just responding to what's happening in front of you? It's unreal. Time disappears. The inner monologue shuts up.

You're not thinking about yourself anymore.

That's flow…. that's presence, whatever you want to call it, it feels brilliant.

Why I Chose the Canon PowerShot V1

After ruling out the above, I started looking more seriously at compact fixed lens cameras.

The V1 had been on my radar, these small pocketable cameras have had a moment with the vlogging crowd since the Canon G7X days back in 2016, and the V1 is essentially Canon's modern answer to that legacy.

Four things sealed the deal for me:

1. Canon Log 3 (CLog 3) This is a lovely for anyone who grades their footage. I’ve used clog3 on my R6 years and I really like. Having a flat log profile in a camera this small means you're not baking in a look at the point of capture. You have latitude in post. This alone puts the V1 in a different conversation to most compact cameras that don’t shoot log.

2. 16mm equivalent wide-angle lens at f/2.8 Wide, fast, and fixed. For run-and-gun and travel content, this is a very useful focal length.

3. Built-in ND filter This solves the iPhone problem entirely. No clipping on a sunny day, no fussing with external filters, no excuses not to have proper shutter speed. It's the kind of feature that sounds small until you're in the field and you don't have to think about it.

4. Decent built-in microphone Not a replacement for proper audio work, but more than adequate for on-the-go content where you're not setting up a full kit.

Stack those four things together and it becomes a g compelling option - not just for vloggers, but for photographers who also make video content and want a camera that works with them.

First Impressions: Is the Canon PowerShot V1 Any Good?

It’s very early to share any real results, i’ve filmed one YouTube video with it at the moment and I'll be honest , it seems great!

The log footage grades nicely, the wide lens is exactly what you want for self-shooting or environmental content. The built-in ND means I'm not reaching for accessories. And it is, actually, pocketable.

Will it replace my R6? No. For anything important - commercial work, main YouTube content, anything that needs to look its best - the R6 stays the main rig. But for travel, for long shooting days, for casual content I'd otherwise just skip because the setup is too much faff? The V1 fills that gap properly.

Canon PowerShot V1 vs Canon R6 Mark II: Which Should You Use?

These are solving different problems. The R6 Mark II is a full-featured hybrid camera that produces exceptional results - if you're shooting anything where quality is the primary concern, it wins every time.

The V1 is for the situations where you'd otherwise leave the camera at home. Think of it less as a competitor and more as a companion.

If you're a photographer or content creator already running a capable main system, the V1 makes a strong case as a run-and-gun second body that doesn't compromise your bag space or your sanity.

Final Verdict

The Canon PowerShot V1 is a properly thought-out compact camera - not just a vlogging novelty. For photographers and creators who want something genuinely pocketable but don't want to shoot flat, boring footage, it's hard to look past the combination of CLog 3, a fast wide lens, and built-in ND.

I didn't expect to like it this much. I can’t wait to use this more.