Macro Photography With a Canon G1X Mark II
(NO FLOWER CLOSE-UPS)

Good macro photography with a Canon G1X Mark II is yours with a few simple techniques. The lens redesign from the original Powershot G1X lets you get within two inches of your subject at the wide angle setting of your G1X Mark II.

The lens upgrade was great news for macro photography enthusiasts who want to shoot close-ups without a DSLR and want better quality than the traditional point and shoot camera.

"Summertime Cherry Tomatoes"
shot with Canon G1X Mark II - ISO 800 - f/11.0 - .3 second

This was the last photo of the three close-up images I shot with the Mark II in this exercise. It's technically not a macro shot.  It's not THAT close, but it's a photo that reveals some detail that we ordinarily don't pay attention to.  

Shooting Tips for Macro Photography with a Canon G1X Mark II

1. USE A TRIPOD.  Not just to minimize camera movement blur but also makes precise focusing possible by keeping the distance to the subject consistent.
2. CABLE RELEASE.  Use a cable release or the self-timer.  I used the self-timer function with these photos.  Using your finger on the shutter button can easily result in  a lack of sharpness due to minute camera movement during exposure.
3. MANUAL FOCUS.  The G1X Mark II automatically gives you a magnified image for fine adjustments when focused this close to your subject.  It even has a sliding distance scale appear on the LCD screen (or inside the EVF Viewfinder)

Tomatoes Up Close

Here is the set-up I used. My G1X Mark II is mounted to my tripod. The subject is paced quite close to the corner of the table.

The main light is from behind me when I took this photo. That is to the left of the subject from the G1X Mark II perspective. This is on my screened in porch where two entire "walls" are screened windows which provide a very large, diffused light source.

The silver colored fill on the far side of the tomatoes is cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil. I use this or a simple white card quite a bit when shooting. When I am forced inside I have used my 270EX II Speedlite for bounce light macro photography.

G1X Mark II Versus G1X Mark III Macro Comparison

Comparing the close-up shooting abilities of the G1X Mark II and its replacement, the G1X Mark III, reveals a significant change in minimum focusing distances. 

The G1X Mark III is a superior camera to the G1X Mark II in many ways, but not when it comes to doing macro photography. The minimum focusing distance of the Mark III is about 5 inches. The minimum focusing distance of the Mark II is about 2 inches.

Is this a deal breaker for getting the G1X Mark III instead of the G1X Mark II if you want to shoot a lot of close-ups? Not at all. The G1X Mark III has a larger sensor. The G1X Mark III APS-C sensor is bigger than the 1.5 inch G1X Mark ii sensor by about 27%.

SENSOR SIZE COMPARISON
G1X Mark II gives you less macro picture detail than the G1X Mark III

Even more significant is the number of pixels on the sensor to give you more minute details. The G1X Mark III has 85% more pixels than the G1X Mark II. That gives you plenty of pixels for cropping your photo to get the same magnification as the G1X Mark II.  That won't diminish your image quality when shooting macro photography with the G1X Mark III.

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Have a blast with your macro photography. Shoot a Canon!

Bruce Lovelace is the publisher of Canon Camera Geek. Read more about him on the About Page. He also publishes how to articles and camera gear reviews at the Photography Tips website.

View some of Bruce's photos on Instagram  and Flickr.   Join the tribe of followers on YouTube. Bruce also runs photo workshops and provides 1 on 1 digital photography coaching.

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G1X Mark II Posts

G1X Mark II Accessories

The EVF Viewfinder

G1x Mark II Battery

Powershot G1X Mark II Alternatives

Powershot G1X Mark II Review

Using the G1X Mark II and a Speedlite 270EX II

Canon G1X Mark II First Impression

G1X Mark II compared to the Sony RX100 III

Macro Photo of split tomato - taken with Canon G1X Mark II set on ISO 800 at f/11 for 1/2 second.

Macro shot with camera just above table level to get a different perspective.

How to intentionally get a blurry background with the G1X Mark II

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