Canon PowerShot G7 Easy Digital Camera Review

After a yearlong pause in the G-series, Canon refreshed its lineup with the announcement of the PowerShot G7. This digital camera hails as the high-end flagship of the PowerShot line complete with 10 megapixels and attachments for optional flash units and conversion lenses.

The Canon G7 packs in a lot of desirable components along with its mega resolution. Its 6x optical zoom lens has an image stabilization system that keeps images clear and videos steady despite nervous shaky hands. It has a 2.5-inch LCD screen with 207,000 pixels. This isn’t as good as some cameras that have the same size screen with 230,000 pixels, but it is still decent. The G7 has a decent built-in flash unit but it also has a hot shoe that allows you to attach Canon Speedlite flashes.

Not every component is flaw-free. The G7 has an optical viewfinder that only sees about 80 percent of what is actually recorded. This is a great way to chop Uncle Marvin out of the family portrait: “Sorry Uncle, I didn’t see you there.” If you want to jump in the family portrait yourself, there is a custom self-timer that can be set to delay for 2-30 seconds and then snap 1-10 shots in a row. This is a good feature that eliminates running back and forth from the camera setting the self-timer while the toddlers run away and the adults fall asleep.

Another disappointment is the PowerShot G7’s dysfunctional lens in the movie mode. It locks and cannot zoom while movies are recording. The inaccurate viewfinder and locked lens are the major complaints, so if those don’t matter to you then this is your perfect camera.

The 4.19 x 2.83 x 1.67-inch digital camera weighs nearly a pound with the card and battery, which seems quite heavy for this size. Its look is classic though. The G7 is flat enough to fit in a pocket, retro enough to pass for an analog model, and serious enough to pass for a professional camera. It is outfitted with manual, priority, and automatic exposure modes so there’s a little something for everyone. Don’t care for adjusting the 15-1/2500 shutter speed range? There are 16 scene modes and a host of My Colors picture effects for you.

The Canon PowerShot G7 is built to handle large numbers of photographs. It can accept SD cards up to 4 GB, categorize pictures into folders, and scroll through images quickly with the rotary dial on the back of the camera.

This PowerShot has an average 2 frame-per-second burst mode, an expansive 80-1600 ISO range for photography in all kinds of lighting, and white balance settings that span from custom to automatic and presets. There is even an underwater preset to go with the optional underwater housing that the G7 can fit into. A face recognition mode allows you to worry only about pointing and shooting. It automatically finds faces and adjusts the focus and exposure to get the perfect shot every time.

The G7 was introduced for $599 at the end of 2006, but the price has since dropped about a hundred dollars. The camera is designed to appeal to a wide audience: from serious photographers who want to use their Speedlite flashes on a more portable digital camera to point-and-shooters who simply want the benefits of 10-megapixel pictures and features like image stabilization and face detection. In the end, the Canon PowerShot G7 isn’t as easy to use as some other compact digital cameras, but it delivers great pictures and allows users to develop their photography skills more than the typical point-and-shoot.

Canon PowerShot G7 - THE BOTTOM LINE.... Rating:

Likes

- Image stabilization on 6x lens - Fast auto focus - Face tracking - Remote shooting

Dislikes

- 220-shot battery - No optical zoom in movies - No RAW file shooting - Confusing user manuals

Canon PowerShot G6 Rating: N/A	Nikon Coolpix P5000 Rating: N/A	Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 Rating: 375.07	Ricoh Caplio GX100 Rating: N/A	Samsung NV11 Rating: N/A
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
- Shoots RAW files - Folding LCD monitor - Bright f/2.0 aperture - 2 custom white balance options - 300-shot battery	- More comfortable hand grip - Functional optical zoom in movie mode - Better resolution on LCD screen - Lighter at 7.1 oz - Built-in flash reaches 26 ft - Cheaper at $399 - ISO 3200 setting, only works at 5 megapixels though - D-Lighting automatically improves image brightness in playback mode	- Cheaper $499 retail price - Wider 28mm lens - 2.8-inch LCD screen with 210k pixels - Much more compact and light - ISO up to 3200 - 2 custom white balance settings - Image sensor is widescreen formatted - 300 shots per charge on battery - Better noise control - 3 fps burst mode	- Compact body - Tilting electronic viewfinder more accurate - Wider 24mm lens - Brighter f/2.5 aperture - Better 230k resolution on LCD - Shoots RAW and JPEG images - 380 shots per charge from rechargeable batteries - Can also run from AAA batteries - 1:1 ratio “square mode” - 26 MB internal memory	- Slightly thinner body - 2.7-inch LCD with 230k pixels - Smart Touch interface eases navigation - Stainless steel construction - Cheaper $399 price - 2 custom white balance settings
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
- 9-point auto focus - Manual and priority exposure modes - 2 fps burst mode - Compatible with Canon conversion lenses and flash accessories - Optical viewfinder - 2 custom exposure modes	- 10 megapixels - Hot shoe - Compact size - Optical image stabilization - Similar manual controls - Manual, priority, and automatic exposure modes - VGA and QVGA movie mode - Compatible with conversion lenses and flash accessories - Optical viewfinder - 2.5-inch LCD screen - SD and SDHC card compatibility - Similar 250-shot lithium-ion battery	- Manual, priority, and automatic exposure modes - 10 megapixels - Optical image stabilization - Compatible with SD, SDHC, and MMC media - Exposure bracketing	- 10 megapixels - Optical image stabilization - Manual controls - Similar retro design with matte black finish and chrome highlights - 2.5-inch LCD screen - 30 fps movies at 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 pixels - Manual, priority, and scene modes - Accepts SD, SDHC, MMC cards - ISO to 1600 - 2 custom exposure modes	- Retro design - 10.1 megapixels - Face recognition technology - Manual and priority exposure modes - VGA 30 fps video - Slowest 15-second shutter speed - ISO from 100-1600 - SD/MMC/SDHC compatible
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
- Doesn’t look as good - 7.1 megapixels - Chunkier body design - 4x optical zoom lens - No image stabilization - 2 inch LCD screen with 118k pixels - No face detection - Slowest shutter speed only 1 second - Few scene modes - Records to CompactFlash media - ISO from 50-400 only - Heavier at 13.4 oz	- 3.5x optical zoom lens - Less effective face detection system	- Not many picture effects - 4x optical zoom lens - No hot shoe - Rickety fragile flash unit - 13 MB internal memory - Less accurate colors - Less effective resolution - Not as good in low light	- 3x optical zoom lens - $699 retail price - Looks very strange - Only 4 white balance presets	- 5x optical zoom lens - Digital stabilization only - 12 scene modes