In summary
In addition to its higher resolution, Canon has done a lot to slim down the G7X and make it easy to slip into a pocket or bag.
While obviously designed for photo enthusiasts who want a pocketable, ‘take everywhere’ camera with a decent set of controls and capabilities, the lack of a viewfinder (or any way to attach one) will deter many potential purchasers. No matter how good LCD (and OLED) screens are, in bright sunlight, they force users into point-and-guess framing most of the time.
Still images from the G7X appeared very slightly soft straight out of the camera, although they sharpened up nicely with a little unsharp masking in Photoshop. Colours showed the usual slight increase in saturation we’ve come to expect from compact digicams. Imatest showed a tendency to boost warm hues more than cool ones, which would result in ‘healthier-looking’ skin tones.
Autofocusing was acceptably fast and accurate in most types of lighting, including on a very rainy day where contrast was particularly low. Hunting was occasionally encountered in very low light levels but in adequate lighting the camera had few problems focusing for still shots.
Full review
Fixed-lens compact cameras have been popping up regularly lately, although it’s taken a long time for Canon’s PowerShot G7X to arrive on Photo Review’s desk, since it was announced at Photokina 2014, roughly nine months ago. Coincidentally, the day before we received the G7X, Canon announced the latest addition to the series, the G3X, which features a weatherproof body, a larger monitor and retracting 25x optical zoom lens. Retailers are already promoting the G3X, even though it’s yet to arrive on their shelves.
Angled view of the PowerShot G7X. (Source: Canon.)
In the meantime, buyers impatient for a new camera will be asked to choose between the G7X and the older G1X Mark II. To help you decide whether to wait for the G3X to arrive, we’re starting this review with a table comparing key features of the three cameras.
|
|
PowerShot G1 X Mark II |
PowerShot G7X |
PowerShot G3X |
|
Sensor (effective resolution) |
12.8MP HS CMOS |
20.2MP BSI-CMOS |
|
|
Sensor size |
13.2 x 8.8mm |
||
|
Sensitivity range |
ISO 125 – ISO 12800 |
||
|
Lens |
24-120mm |
24-100mm |
24-600mm |
|
Zoom magnification |
5x |
4.2x |
25x |
|
Closest focus |
5 cm |
||
|
Max. Continuous shooting |
5.2fps |
6.5fps |
5.9fps |
|
Buffer capacity |
29 JPEG. 7 CR2.RAW, 6 RAW+JPEG |
15 JPEGs, 4 CR2.RAW, 2 RAW+JPEG |
Not available yet |
|
Viewfinder |
Optional |
None |
Optional |
|
AF system |
31-point contrast detection |
||
|
Shutter speeds |
250 – 1/2,000 sec (M mode) + Bulb |
||
|
Monitor |
Tilting 3-inch, 1.04m dots |
Tilting 3.2-inch, 1.62m dots |
|
|
Touch screen |
Yes |
||
|
Video options |
H.264 QuickTime MOV |
MPEG-4 H.264 |
|
|
Weatherproof |
No |
Yes |
|
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi, NFC |
||
|
Battery capacity (CIPA rated) |
240 shots/charge |
210 shots/charge |
300 shots/charge |
|
Dimensions (wxhxd) |
116.3 x 74 x 66.2 mm |
103.0 x 60.4 x 40.4 mm |
123 x 77 x 105 mm |
|
Weight with battery |
558 grams |
304 grams |
733 grams |
Going by US prices, the G3X is likely to sell for at least AU$200 more than the G7X, which is currently listed on Canon Australia’s online store at a ‘sale price’ of AU$779 (down from the regular price of AU$949). Canon USA’s online store lists the G3X at US999.99 and the PowerShot G7X at US$649.99 for an ‘Exclusive Kit’ with case and neck strap.
Who’s it for?
While obviously designed for photo enthusiasts who want a pocketable, ‘take everywhere’ camera with a decent set of controls and capabilities, the lack of a viewfinder (or any way to attach one) will deter many potential purchasers. No matter how good LCD (and OLED) screens are, in bright sunlight, they force users into point-and-guess framing most of the time.
Aside from its higher resolution, we can’t see many advantages the G7X has over the G1X Mark II and it’s not seriously competitive with equivalent (and more recently released) models from competing manufacturers.
Build and Ergonomics
Changes to the body design make the G7X look much more like the PowerShot S120, which also has a ‘bar-of-soap’ shape and feel. It also sports a largely metal body with a black, semi-matte finish that is reasonably secure to hold. There’s no front grip moulding; just a thumb rest on the rear panel, which is better than nothing but less comfortable than it would be with something to balance it on the camera’s front.
Front view of the PowerShot G7X. (Source: Canon.)
Aside from the lens, the only feature on the front panel is the embedded LED, which doubles as an AF-Assist and self-timer lamp. The lens itself is quite sophisticated for a digicam, with a focal length range of 8.8-36.8mm, which equates to 24-100mm in 35 mm format. Maximum apertures range from f/1.8 to f/2.8, which is reached roughly half way between the wide and the tele position. Relative to its compettors, this is fairly fast.
The optical design of the lens comprises 11 elements in nine groups and includes one double-sided aspherical lens, one single-sided aspherical UA lens, one single-sided aspherical lens and one UD element. Built-in optical image stabilisation provides roughly three f-stops of shutter speed compensation.
The lens extends automatically when power is switched on and retracts when the camera is switched off. A built-in cover protects it when the camera is powered-down.
There’s a control ring around the lens barrel that by default adjusts ISO in the P mode, lens aperture in the Av mode and shutter speed in the Tv (shutter priority) mode. But it can be programmed to handle any of the following settings: manual focus, white balance correction, step zoom, dynamic range, shadow correction or aspect ratio adjustment.
The top panel of the PowerShot G7X with power switched off. (Source: Canon.)
Sitting prominently on the right hand end of the top panel is the G7X’s mode dial, which is similar to the mode dial on an entry-level DSLR. It carries settings for two Auto modes (Auto and Hybrid Auto, which includes movie capture), P, Tv, Av and M modes plus a C mode for storing favourite control combinations. There’s a separate Movie setting, a multi-shot HDR mode, a Creative Shot mode that automatically applies special effects and recomposes the shot, a Scene mode with seven pre-sets and a Creative Filters mode with 10 pre-configured effects.
Beneath the mode dial is a larger exposure compensation dial with settings ranging from +3.0EV to -3.0EV in 1/3EV increments. Left of these dials lie the shutter button with surrounding zoom ring and the power on/off button.
A pop-up flash is embedded in the left hand end of the top panel, its top lying flush with the camera body. The flash is raised by pressing a button on the left side panel and lowered by pressing it down. There’s no hot-shoe for adding accessory flashguns – or an EVF.
Back view of the PowerShot G7X. (Source: Canon.)
Most of the rear panel of the camera is covered by the LCD monitor, which flips up through 180 degrees for self-portraiture. It’s the same screen as used on the PowerShot G1 X Mark II.
Front view of the PowerShot G7X showing the monitor flipped up for self-portraiture . (Source: Canon.)
Right of the screen is a conventional Canon arrow pad with surrounding control dial and a central Func/Set button. The directional buttons access the drive/Wi-Fi, flash, display and manual focus/macro settings.
Above the arrow pad are two buttons, one accessing the ring function selections and the other the movie mode. The playback and menu buttons are located below the arrow pad.
The right hand side panel has a covered compartment housing the USB (digital) and HDMI terminals. Below it is the mobile device connection (NFC) button. The battery and memory card share a compartment in the base of the camera, just beside the metal-lined tripod socket (which is not on the optical axis of the lens.
Neck strap hooks are provided at the front edges of each side panel about 1.5 cm down from the top. Interestingly, the camera is only supplied with a wrist strap, but having two attachments should cater for left-handed users.
Sensor and Image Processing
The sensor in the G7X has specifications that are remarkably like those of the chip in the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 Mark I and Mark II cameras, both of which use back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS chips. Sony recently refreshed the RX100 line by introducing the RX100 Mark IV with a new 1-inch type stacked CMOS sensor with on-board DRAM (memory) chip to increase its response times and cater for 4K and high-frame-rate (HFR) movie recording and allow shutter speeds of up to 1/32000 second with minimal distortion. So Canon is lagging technologically when compared with its main competitor.
Paired with Canon’s DIGIC 6 processor with iSAPS Technology, the G7X can support continuous shooting at up to 6.5 frames/second (fps) with focus locked on the first frame or 4.4 fps with Live View and/or AF tracking. It also supports a sensitivity range of ISO 100 to ISO 12800 as well as full HD movie recording and 14-bit RAW image capture (a major advantage over the Sony cameras. which are limited to 11-bit lossy compression).
The native aspect ratio of the sensor is 3:2 (which matches the aspect ratio of the monitor screen. Like other Canon digicams, the G7X also offers 4:3, 16:9, 1:1 and 4:5 aspect ratios, which are achieved by cropping the frame. The table below provides a guide to typical file sizes for 3:2 aspect ratio images.
|
Quality |
Pixels |
File size |
|
|
JPEG |
Large/Fine |
5472 x 3648 |
9.4MB |
|
Large/Normal |
5.8MB |
||
|
Medium 1/Fine |
4320 x 2880 |
6.1MB |
|
|
Medium 1/Normal |
3.8MB |
||
|
Medium 2/Fine |
2304 x 1536 |
1.9MB |
|
|
Medium 2/Normal |
1.1MB |
||
|
Small/Fine |
720 x 480 |
0.3MB |
|
|
Small/Normal |
0.2MB |
||
|
RAW |
RAW |
5472 x 3648 |
23.4MB |
|
RAW+JPEG |
RAW/Large |
5472 x 3648 |
32.8MB |
Automatic in-camera corrections for rectilinear distortion, vignetting and chromatic aberration are applied to JPEG files. If you shoot CR2.RAW files and convert them in Adobe Camera Raw, these corrections may also be applied automatically, although they can be seen when files are opened in Raw Therapee or FastRaw Viewer (a low-cost raw file viewer/file manager).
Video
Movies are recorded in MPEG-4 format, using AVC.H.264 compression and a variable bit rate. The shutter speed, lens aperture and ISO are adjustable when the movie mode is selected and the Manual mode is set via the Func/Set menu. Otherwise, the camera defaults to the P or auto modes.
Exposure compensation, AE and AF lock and manual focusing are supported in movie mode, along with touch AF, dynamic range correction, ISO and white balance adjustment and focus peaking. A wind-suppression filter is available and users can take advantage of continuous and dynamic image stabilisation. Users can capture still shots while recording movie clips and use the new Star time-lapse function to record star trails.
The table below shows the movie options available in the G7X, along with frame rates for PAL countries and typical recording times.
|
Movie resolution |
Frame rates |
Recording time on 8GB card |
|
1920 x 1080 |
50 fps |
30 minutes 3 seconds |
|
30 fps |
43 minutes 29 seconds |
|
|
1280 x 720 |
30 fps |
2 hours, 3 minutes 55 seconds |
|
640 x 480 |
30 fps |
5 hours, 14 minutes 34 seconds |
In-camera Adjustments
Typically for a high-end fixed-lens digicam, the G7X offers plenty of in-camera adjustments covering contrast, sharpening and colour tweaking, dynamic range adjustments plus exposure and focus bracketing. Like other G-series cameras, it has a built-in ND filter with three stops of intensity reduction.
Creative Filter effects include High Dynamic Range (with five ‘artistic effect’ settings), Nostalgic, Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Background Defocus, Soft Focus, Monochrome, Super Vivid and Poster Effect. Face and Smile detection are also supported and the wink self-timer will trigger the shutter roughly two seconds after a wink has been detected, enabling the photographer to join a group shot.
The new Star setting in the Scene pre-sets includes options for shooting portraits against a starry sky as well as recording scenes in which starry skies predominate and a multi-shot mode for recording star trails. Users can specify the duration of the total exposure and the number of shots recorded.
There’s also a Star time-lapse movie setting that can combine images shot over a long period into a short movie. Unfortunately, the battery capacity may not be adequate to cover the two hour limit for these settings.
Wi-Fi and NFC
Connectivity options are similar to those offered by most modern cameras and based upon an app that must be downloaded to a smart device. NFC (Near Field Communication) makes it easy to link the G7X to Android devices by simply bringing them together. The smart device will be prompted to install Canon’s Camera Window app and directed to a store it can be downloaded from.
The connection is easily completed by pressing the Wi-Fi button just below the flash-up lever. Alternatively, reviewing an image on the camera’s monitor will prompt you to set the camera as a wireless access point and broadcast an SSID. If that doesn’t happen, simply enable ‘s Wi-Fi on the smart device and select the camera’s SSID.
If your smart device uses iOS, you’ll have to step through the process using the camera’s menu and enter the required registration codes (nickname or SSID and password if security is required). Once the link between the camera and smart device is established, Camera Window allows you to use the smart device to browse images in the camera, import or geotag them individually or collectively and control the camera from the device’s touch screen.
Remote shooting options are limited. A live view of the image from the camera’s sensor is displayed with a slider control that adjusts the focal length of the lens (zooming). You can also set the self-timer. You can tap to trigger the shutter but not to adjust exposure levels or record a movie clip.
You can also connect the camera to a networked computer via an access point and transfer images wirelessly or upload them to a registered web service, such as the Canon iMAGE Gateway. The camera can be connected wirelessly to a Wi-Fi-enabled printer for direct printing of selected shots. Images can also be transferred to another Wi-Fi-enabled Canon camera.
Depending on the network conditions, you should be able to send up to 50 images in a batch, one movie clip that’s up to five minutes long or up to 13 minutes of Movie Digest movies. Images may be compressed or downsized for faster transmission; movie clips can’t be resized but are always compressed.
Playback and Software
Playback settings are similar to those provided by other Canon cameras and include the usual single and index views, viewing by date, subject’s name, Face ID, favourites tag or unpacked groups of continuous shots. Histograms (brightness or RGB) and over-exposure warnings can be superimposed in playback mode, movie playback is supported (including Digest Movies)
Users can scroll through shots by turning either of the control wheels or swiping the touch screen with a fingertip. The screen also supports the standard tap, drag, pinch and spread gestures.
Slideshow playback is also supported, along with Smart Shuffle, which displays shots in randomly-selected groups of four. A limited range of editing controls, including the ability to overwrite Face ID information and erase names as well as the usual crop, resize, re-colour, i-Contrast and red-eye correction options.
The review camera was supplied with a printed manual that was reasonably comprehensive. An electronic copy of the manual is provided on the bundled software disk, which contains Digital Photo Professional software for converting raw files from the camera into editable formats as well as the ImageBrowser EX, EOS Utility, Picture Style Editor and PhotoStitch applications.
Performance
Still images appeared very slightly soft straight out of the camera, although they sharpened up nicely with a little unsharp masking in Photoshop. Colours showed the usual slight increase in saturation we’ve come to expect from compact digicams. Imatest showed a tendency to boost warm hues more than cool ones, which would result in ‘healthier-looking’ skin tones.
Autofocusing was acceptably fast and accurate in most types of lighting, including on a very rainy day where contrast was particularly low. Hunting was occasionally encountered in very low light levels but in adequate lighting the camera had few problems focusing for still shots.
Based on the analysis of CR2.RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFFs with Adobe Camera Raw, the review camera was just able to meet expectations for the sensor’s resolution at the longest focal length setting a stop down from the maximum aperture. JPEG files shot at the same time fell short by a predictable degree.
Imatest showed a distinct difference in resolution between JPEG and CR2.RAW files from the camera, when the latter were converted into 16-bit TIFFs with Adobe Camera Raw. Resolution held up well until about ISO 1600, where a gradual decline in sharpness became apparent. The graph below plots the results of our tests across the review camera’s sensitivity range.
Edge softening was less than we expected and greatest with the shortest focal length setting (8.8mm). Diffraction took effect from about f/4.5 on, with the decline increasing between f/5.6 and the minimum aperture of f/11. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests.
Lateral chromatic aberration was negligible at most lens apertures and focal length settings, straying into the ‘low’ range at the widest and narrowest apertures with the longest and shortest focal lengths. The graph below shows the results of our tests, with the red line indicating the boundary between negligible and low CA.
Auto white balance performance was typical of many digicams, with close-to-neutral colours under fluorescent lighting but insufficient correction with incandescent lighting. Shots taken with the camera’s built-in flash retained a faint yellowish cast.
The tungsten and fluorescent pre-sets tended towards slight over-correction but no adjustments appeared to have been made with the flash pre-set. Manual measurement produced neutral colours under all three types of lighting.
Flash performance was generally good and the review camera delivered consistent exposure levels across the sensitivity range from ISO 125 to ISO 12800. Shots taken with the two highest ISO settings showed noticeable softening combined with a slight reduction in contrast and colour saturation.
Video performance was similar to the G1X Mark II and rates as satisfactory, rather than outstanding. Autofocusing was fairly slow to lock onto the main subject at the beginning of a clip and often took a second or more to re-focus on moving subjects. Soundtracks were of average quality without much stereo presence.
Our timing tests were carried out with a 16GB SanDisk Ultra SDHC UHS-1memory card, which claims write transfer speeds of 40MB/second. The review camera powered up ready for shooting in approximately two seconds, which is relatively slow. With the lens at medium zoom we measured an average capture lag of 0.5 seconds, which reduced to less than 0.1 second with pre-focusing. It took 0.9 seconds to process each high-resolution JPEG image, 1.2 seconds for a raw file and 1.4 seconds for each RAW+JPEG pair. Shot-to-shot times averaged 1.8 seconds without flash and 6.2 seconds with.
In the normal continuous shooting mode, the camera recorded 17 Large/fine JPEG frames in 2.5 seconds before beginning to slow down. It took 4 seconds to process this burst. In the continuous mode with autofocusing, we were able to record 30 frames in 6.9 seconds with no sign of hesitation. Processing appeared to be on-the-fly as the indicator light went out roughly a second after the last frame was captured.
With raw files, capture rates slowed and we were able to record 20 frames in 14.6 seconds. Again, processing appeared to be on-the-fly. Further slowing occurred with RAW+JPEG pairs, where recording 20 shots took 25.6 seconds. Processing this burst was completed within 2 seconds of the last frame recorded.
Conclusion
We concluded our review of Canon’s PowerShot G1X Mark II by stating The lack of a built-in viewfinder is always a deal-breaker for us and we’re still of that opinion after reviewing the PowerShot G7X. Particularly in the Southern Hemisphere, where skies are often clear, any kind of viewfinder, no matter how basic, is better than none at all.
Canon has done a lot to slim down the G7X and make it easy to slip into a pocket or bag, which some potential buyers could appreciate. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find much that’s really exciting in this camera and we suspect many will choose to wait until the G3X reaches retailers’ shelves.
SPECS
Image sensor: 13.2 x 8.8 mm BSI-CMOS sensor with 21 million photosites (20.2 megapixels effective)
Image processor: DIGIC 6 with iSAPS Technology
Lens: 8.8-36.8mm f/1.8-2.8 lens (24-100mm in 35 mm format)
Zoom ratio: 4.2x optical, up to 4x digital
Image formats: Stills – JPEG (DCF / Exif 2.3) CR2.RAW, RAW+JPEG; Movies – MPEG-4 AVC / H.264; AAC-LC (stereo) audio
Image Sizes: Stills – 5472 x 3648, 4320 x 2880, 2304 x 1536, 720 x 480; Movies – 1920 x 1080 at 60, 50, 30 fps, 1280 x 720 at 30 fps, 640 x 480 at 30 fps
Shutter speed range: Auto mode: 1-1/2000 second; Tv mode: 20-1/2000 second, M mode: 250 seconds to 1/2000 second, Movie mode: 1/25 to 1/2000 second
Self-timer:
Image Stabilisation: Lens-shift type
Exposure Compensation: +/- 3EV in 1/3EV steps
Bracketing: AEB – 3 frames; Focus (in manual focus mode) – 3 frames
Focus system/range: 31-point contrast-based AF with multi- and selective single-area AF, Continuous, Servo AF modes; range: 5 cm to infinity; macro 5 to 50 cm; manual focus, Face AiAf, 1-point and touch AF supported
Exposure metering/control: Evaluative, Centre-weighted average, Spot metering
Shooting modes: C, M, Av, Tv, P, Hybrid Auto, Auto, Creative Shot, SCN, Creative Filters, Movie
Scene presets: Portrait, Smart Shutter, Star, Handheld Night Scene, Underwater, Snow, Fireworks
Creative Filters: High Dynamic Range, Nostalgic, Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Background Defocus, Soft Focus, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect
ISO range: Auto, ISO 125 to ISO 12800 in 1/3-step increments
White balance: Auto, Day Light, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Underwater, Custom 1, Custom 2
Colour space: sRGB
Flash modes/range (ISO auto): Auto, On, Slow Synchro, Off; range: 50 cm to 7.0 m (wide)
Sequence shooting: Max. 6.5 frames/second (4.4 fps with AF and Live View shooting)
Buffer memory depth (based on tests): 17 JPEGs; CR2.RAW files and RAW+JPEG pairs are recorded at slower frame rates and processed on-the-fly
Storage Media: SD, SDHC, SDXC memory cards, UHS-1 supported
Viewfinder: None
LCD monitor: Tilting 3-inch 3:2 aspect ratio colour TFT LCD with approx. 1,040,000 dots, capacitative touch screen
Interface terminals: Hi-speed USB, HDMI, analog video output (PAL/NTSC)
Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11b/g/n; Infrastructure mode supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup, Ad hoc mode (Wi-Fi CERTIFIED IBSS); WEP, WPA-PSK (AES/TKIP), WPA2-PSK (AES/TKIP)
Power supply: NB-13L rechargeable lithium-ion battery, CIPA rated for approx. 210 shots/charge
Dimensions (wxhxd): 103.0 x 60.4 x 40.4 mm
Weight: 304 grams (with battery and memory card)
TESTS
Based on JPEG files.
Based on CR2.RAW files processed with Adobe Camera Raw.
SAMPLES
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
Auto white balance with flash lighting.
ISO 125, 15-second exposure at f/9; 20mm focal length.
ISO 400, 10-second exposure at f/11; 20mm focal length.
ISO 1600, 4-second exposure at f/11; 20mm focal length.
ISO 6400, 1/4-second exposure at f/5.6; 20mm focal length.
ISO 12800, 1/4-second exposure at f/8; 20mm focal length.
Flash exposure at ISO 125; 1/60 second at f/2.8; 36.8mm focal length.
Flash exposure at ISO 400; 1/60 second at f/2.8; 36.8mm focal length.
Flash exposure at ISO 1600; 1/60 second at f/3.5; 36.8mm focal length.
Flash exposure at ISO 6400; 1/60 second at f/7.1; 36.8mm focal length.
Flash exposure at ISO 12800; 1/60 second at f/10; 36.8mm focal length.
Close-up in Macro mode; 8.8mm focal length, ISO 125, 1/125 second at f/4.
36.8mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/50 second at f/2.8.
2x digital zoom; 36.8mmfocal length, ISO 800, 1/50 second at f/2.8.
8.8mm focal length, ISO 160, 1/30 second at f/5.
36.8mm focal length, ISO 2000, 1/100 second at f/7.1.
22mm focal length, ISO 1600, 1/60 second at f/7.1.
8.8mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
36.8mm focal length, ISO 125, 1/100 second at f/4.5.
15mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/60 second at f/3.5.
33mm focal length, ISO 1600, 1/2000 second at f/2.8.
Still frame from Full HD 1080/60p video clip.
Still frame from Full HD 1080/30p video clip.
Still frame from HD 720/30p video clip.
Still frame from VGA/30p video clip.
Rating
RRP: n/a MSRP: AU$949, US$699
- Build: 8.8
- Ease of use: 8.8
- Autofocusing: 8.5
- Image quality JPEG: 8.5
- Image quality RAW: 8.8
- Video quality: 8.5
