It's not quite a Tiger Woods "hello, world" moment, but Canon USA's entry into the golf rangefinder market (to quote Ron Burgundy) is kind of a big deal.
The new Canon PowerShot GOLF Digital Laser Rangefinder does some things as well or better than any other premium rangefinder on the market. It also does some things no other rangefinder does. And this feature-rich unit is competitively priced at $329.99, making a compelling case to be the go-to laser rangefinder for amateurs and dedicated golfers alike.
Golf laser rangefinders have become indispensable in today's game. Accurate readings are essential to choosing the correct clubs and executing our shots. Distance measurements provide valuable insights and can take our games to the next level. Of course we all want ease of use and speed. And the Canon PowerShot GOLF does all of this exceptionally well.
A Helping Hand
The Canon PowerShot GOLF is one of the smallest laser rangefinders I've ever used. And that means more of your hand will fit over and around it. Holding it gives you an incredibly secure and snug feeling.
Lightweight and Solid
PowerShot GOLF weighs in at just 161 grams so it's very light. Basically the weight of three golf balls, or for you hockey players out there the weight of a hockey puck. And yet even being as light as it is, this rangefinder feels very solid in your hand, very well made. There's nothing plasticky or cheap feeling about it. It's also water-resistant (but not waterproof) so if it's raining you're fine, just don't drop it in a pond.
There are grooves on the bottom for even more grip. I think the direction of the grooves would be more ideal if they ran side to side rather than lengthwise (something to test for here Canon). I'd have liked some grooves or rubberized texture on the top and sides, because why not. There's also no magnet in the housing like we're seeing in other rangefinders. But I'm really nitpicking here because bottom line I had zero issues with grip or holding PowerShot GOLF in my hand.
Through the Looking Glass
I'm not saying the PowerShot GOLF optics are so good that you'll enter some kind of Alice in Wonderland fantastical world where you see things beyond the golf course. But I am saying the optics are so good I'm sure you'll say or think to yourself "wow" the first time you use it. I did. And I'm inclined to say it has to be in any discussion about the best golf laser rangefinder optics on the market.
Beauty that Captivates
Bushnell and Nikon of course always come to mind when we think of excellent optics. Precision Pro is right up there. And Shot Scope has also made great optical advances. Almost any positive review you read about any laser rangefinder is going to say clarity is exceptional, colors are vibrant, images are crisp. This is true for the PowerShot Golf. And while that's great and all it doesn't really distinguish optics of one rangefinder over another so I'm going to give it a try here.
The Canon PowerShot GOLF sharpness and clarity might be the best of any rangefinder I've used. And I'll give you a few examples that I hope explain why that is. The first is just to think of a 4K TV. In the stores these TVs are on display in "demo store modes". And that mode means colors are more vibrant, contrasts are deeper, definition is sharper. It's not necessarily ideal for life-like television watching, but in a golf laser rangefinder this brilliance is extremely satisfying, even stimulating. This is one way PowerShot GOLF is different than other laser rangefinders.
PowerShot is a PowerHouse
Another way to distinguish the PowerShot GOLF from other rangefinders on the market is to think of your experience using different binoculars. The more powerful binoculars are the more powerful the images are that you're looking at. No blur, no pixilation, no deterioration of focus. Just pure, consistently clear, and vivid images and viewing. And this is another PowerShot GOLF strength of optics that comes both at distances from a few yards away to distances hundreds of yards away.
PowerShot Golf also has auto-focus and auto-light adjustment features that make shooting targets just as visually stunning (and effective) in bright and low light conditions as it is in normal conditions. It's almost like a self-calibrating LCD monitor that adjusts to lighting changes to still deliver extremely vivid and crisp. It does this exceptionally well and was one of many "wow" moments for me using this.
Quick on the Draw
The Wyatt Earp of laser rangefinders? Yeah, PowerShot GOLF really is. Let's start with speed. The blink of an eye lasts 0.4 seconds. PowerShot GOLF measures your target in 0.8 seconds. Calling this fast is an understatement. Press the large Power/Photo button half way and release (yes I said photo, will get to that below) and you feel and hear a BUZZ sound that let's you know you're locked on.
PowerShot GOLF also features an Optical Image Stabilizer, which means even if your hands are shaky when you point and shoot it still delivers your yardage immediately (and accurately). And with Continuous Shooting you can press and hold the Power/Photo button and shoot yardages for a variety of targets that change as you scan areas of the course.
Fast is Fine but Accuracy is Everything
I tested the Canon PowerShot GOLF shooting a variety of targets. Pins of course. Edges of bunkers and hazards. Trees, rough lines, even fairway slopes and peaks on blind shots. And speaking slopes, PowerShot GOLF has a slope feature that measures elevation changes for absolute yardage precision.
Pinpoint Accuracy
I'm going to get to the bottom line right here. Any target I shot inside of 300 yards was accurate to one-half yard, sometimes one-yard. And targets over 300 yards were also accurate to one-half yard, sometimes up to two yards. PowerShot GOLF is pretty much sniper accurate for a golf laser rangefinder.
Clockwork Consistency
It's not just the accuracy that's so impressive, it's also the consistency of accuracy. Of course I tested yardages by shooting the same target multiple times to see if there was any variance in readings. Almost every time readings were the same. And I'm talking shooting the same target 10 times in a row, sometimes with my hands moving or shaking. Only once in a blue moon did yardages vary and that was usually by only 0.5 yards and never more than 1.0 yards.
Range Farther than the Naked Eye Can See
The Canon PowerShot GOLF has a 6x magnification (12x digital with the zoom button) and range up to 800 yards. I can't confirm the range up to 800 yards, but can tell you I was able to see and shoot targets with this rangefinder that I couldn't see with my naked eye. I'm not even sure when you'd need to shoot a target 800 yards away unless maybe you're taking a break to do some bird watching on the course. But the range of PowerShot GOLF is extraordinary.
Some Testing Methodology
It's said that testing any product is a learning process and I tested the Canon PowerShot GOLF in a number of ways.
I won't go into a whole lot of detail but one of the things I did was ride a cart with GPS and shoot targets from the cart with my PowerShot GOLF. I'd get my cart in position to shoot cross-bunkers, yardage stakes, and anything linear to the front-center of the greens. And then write down what the PowerShot GOLF yardages read. Next I'd make note of what the current GPS yardage was at my cart's position and drive to these various targets.
And the consistency and sameness of yardages was like stars aligning. I'm not an expect in laser accuracy but do know a rangefinder's optics and digital signal processing is extremely important. And it doesn't come as a surprise PowerShot Golf is as consistently accurate as it is because that's just what Canon does. It's what Canon is known for. And now their cutting edge optics, lenses, and circuitries have found their way into the golf laser rangefinder market and it's honestly just damn impressive.
Advanced Features and Ease of Use
I won't go through all the features here with the PowerShot GOLF but just a simple press of the Menu button on the top of the rangefinder will give you access to loads of options to personalize your experience.
A Smorgasbord of Options
You can change and cycle through modes by pressing the Zoom/Record buttons to change from rangefinder to photo, toggle slope on or off, change from yards to meters, and turn vibration on or off. You can change set-up features like date and time, power saving, language, and video system (NTSC or PAL). And there are even settings to adjust photo and video shooting.
No Battery Required
PowerShot Golf also removes the need to replace expensive golf rangefinder batteries because the unit charges with high-speed USB connectivity.
And while I can't tell you an exact number of hours it runs without the need for recharge, I can tell you I played two 18-hole rounds constantly pressing each of the four buttons (and flipping the side laser switch) to explore all the features, shoot countless targets, and take pictures and videos. And it still had about 25-percent power left. OORAH! PowerShot GOLF auto-powers off after 5 seconds of use.
Flipping the side laser switch from on to off turns your PowerShot GOLF into an impressive digital camera and video recorder. The first time we've ever seen this in a golf laser rangefinder.
And like Canon has done with high-powered performance of shooting accurate and precise yardages, the camera and video performance is simply dazzling.
I showed you pretty detailed pictures (in full light and low light) of my new Callaway Apex Ai200 irons last week on X and Instagram. But what I didn't tell you was the pictures were taken with my PowerShot GOLF (see above pictures).
Digital pictures are captured at 11 Megapixels (3840 x 2880) and video is captured at Full HD (1920 x 1080, at 30 fps). And honestly the quality of pictures and videos with PowerShot GOLF is better than many camera phones on the market. You need a microSD memory chip to turn your golfing moments into golfing memories. But seriously, digital video photography capability in a golf laser rangefinder? Sign. Me. Up!
A golf laser rangefinder that's comfortable to hold, easy to use, powerful and reliable in performance. And let's you capture high-quality pictures and videos? Maybe the new Canon PowerShot GOLF is a "Hello, World" moment after all.
Excellent review. Sounds like the best rangefinder ever, and all at a reasonable price.
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