The Canon G7X has a bright zoom lens that covers a lot of range. In this ultimate guide, we’ll delve into the extraordinary capabilities of the Canon G7X, unlocking its full potential to elevate your photography game.
With a virtually identical control arrangement, the Canon G7X is simply a bigger and more robust version of the PowerShot S120. With the exception of the LCD, the back panels are identical, with the same tiny, plasticky control wheel and buttons that my thumb rests on (albeit the RX100 III isn’t much better). Better-quality dials with a lovely red accent beneath are included on the top plate, along with a brand-new exposure adjustment dial. Regretfully, the exposure comp dial is ‘backward’—that is, it doesn’t turn in the direction you would expect—and is challenging to reach.
PROS
- 1-inch image sensor.
- Wide aperture zoom lens.
- Tilting touch-screen display.
- Speedy focus system.
- Wi-Fi with NFC.
- Raw support.
CONS
- Pricey.
- Lacks hot shoe and EVF option.
- The Burst rate slows when shooting Raw.
Unveiling the Canon G7X Magic
Learn about the Canon G7X, a portable powerhouse suitable for both pros and hobbyists. Discover the magic contained inside its lens, as well as its elegant design and simple controls.
Similar to the RX100 III, the G7 X has a 20MP BSI sensor of the 1″ type coupled to an F1.8-2.8 zoom lens that starts at 24mm equivalent. Both cameras have comparable feature sets and are comparable in size. It is fantastic news for photographers since it indicates that Sony has some legitimate competition at last.
Canon G7X key features
- 20MP 1″-type BSI CMOS sensor (13.2 x 8.8mm)
- 24-100mm equiv. F1.8-2.8 lens
- Clicking the control dial around the lens
- Flip-up rear touchscreen
- Dedicated exposure compensation dial
- 3.0″ 1.04m dot LCD (720 x 480 pixels)
- Built-in ND filter
- Wi-Fi with NFC
The Lens
Since light capture is the primary factor in image quality, matching a big sensor with a brilliant lens is the greatest approach to maximize its potential. The F1.8-2.8 zoom on the RX100 III, which allowed the camera to retain much more of its huge sensor advantage as you zoomed in (instead of suffocating it with the F4.9 maximum aperture at telephoto on the original two RX100s), was one of the factors that helped the camera win the Gold award. Nevertheless, in order to maintain the camera’s tiny size, Sony limited the zoom to a 24-70mm equivalent range, which came at the expense of the lens’s range.
As a result, it’s noteworthy that Canon included an F1.8–2.8 maximum aperture range along with an equivalent 24-100mm lens in the G7 X. And to borrow some derogatory language from the internet: we examined the G7 X’s aperture evolution, and you won’t believe what transpired next:
Camera comparison is made possible by accounting for sensor size and aperture. The focal lengths and aperture range that each camera offers are displayed on this graph, which is adjusted to the 35mm format. This provides an approximate indication of low-light performance (lower is better) and displays the degree of control over the depth of focus that each camera can offer.
Canon has discovered some strange mechanism that allows them to maintain a small camera size while combining a quick maximum aperture range with a fairly wide zoom range. Observe that the G7 X’s maximum aperture remains brighter for a longer period of time than the RX100 III’s on the graph above. Although they appear to have the same range on paper, the Canon’s lens can be opened up further than the Sony’s at any point between 24 and 50mm equivalent, with the difference reaching over 2/3EV at 30mm equiv.
The graph above should demonstrate that, when sensor size is considered, the G7 X is among the most consistently bright compacts available. This should provide excellent control over depth-of-field, including at focal lengths useful for classic portraiture, and low-light performance. As there’s a significant chance that the two cameras share the same superb sensor, it makes sense to anticipate that the Canon, with a decent lens, will offer a quite competitive image quality.
The DMC-LX100 from Panasonic is the only camera that can capture more light; but, it is a larger camera with a narrower zoom range, which may or may not suit your needs and preferences.
Specs compared
The most apparent competitors for the G7 X are Sony’s RX100 series because of factors like size, price, sensor, and lens specifications, but we also believe the G1 X II should be concerned. The G7 X is comparable to the large G in terms of direct control access, but it is much smaller and significantly less expensive. The big G has a little longer zoom and the option to add an electronic viewfinder. The G7 X runs the danger of overshadowing Canon’s current champion by vying for the RX100’s title.
It should be evident that the G7 X does not always get its way. The video shooting capabilities of the Sony RX100 III are exceptional, and neither the G7 X’s specs nor Canon’s recent track record of tiny cameras indicates that they will be able to equal the Sony in this regard. There’s no denying that Sony’s love-or-hate click-less control dial comes in handy when recording video. The Canon has a very poor battery life as well.
In addition, the RX100 III comes with an integrated viewfinder, while the G7 X does not. This is probably what makes the difference for some photographers. However, the Canon’s longer, brighter lens and a wider selection of external settings can make a strong case against it.
Sensor and Image Processing
The G7X’s sensor has striking similarities to the Exmor R CMOS chip used in the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 Mark I and Mark II cameras, which also employ back-illuminated technology. Sony recently upgraded the RX100 series with the RX100 Mark IV, which features an all-new 1-inch stacked CMOS sensor with an on-board DRAM (memory) chip to improve response times, support 4K and high-frame-rate (HFR) movie recording, and enable minimally distorted shutter speeds of up to 1/32000 seconds. Therefore, in terms of technology, Canon lags behind its primary rival.
The G7X can shoot continuously at up to 6.5 frames per second (fps) with focus fixed on the first frame or 4.4 fps with Live View and/or AF tracking when paired with Canon’s DIGIC 6 processor with iSAPS Technology. Along with full HD movie recording and 14-bit RAW picture capture (a significant advantage over the Sony cameras, which are only capable of 11-bit lossy compression), it also offers a sensitivity range of ISO 100 to ISO 12800.
The monitor screen’s aspect ratio and the sensor’s natural aspect ratio are both 3:2. The G7X can also create 4:3, 16:9, 1:1, and 4:5 aspect ratios by cropping the frame, just like other Canon digicams.
Video
Movies are compressed with AVC.H.264 and recorded in MPEG-4 format with a configurable bit rate. When the movie mode is chosen and the Manual mode is configured via the Func/Set menu, the shutter speed, lens aperture, and ISO may be changed. The camera switches to the P or auto modes else.
In movie mode, exposure compensation, AE and AF lock, manual focusing, touch AF, dynamic range correction, ISO and white balance adjustment, and focus peaking are all available. There is a wind-suppression filter available, and users may benefit from both dynamic and continuous picture stabilization. In addition to recording movie clips, users may record still images and star trails using the new Star time-lapse feature.
Performance
Still photos were a touch soft right out of the camera, but after a little unsharp masking in Photoshop, they came out very sharp. The colors displayed the customary marginal improvement in saturation that we are used to seeing from small digital cameras. Imatest had a propensity to emphasize warm colors over cold ones, producing skin tones that appear “healthier.”
Even on a very wet day with extremely low contrast, autofocusing was quite quick and accurate in most lighting conditions. Sometimes hunting was done in extremely low light, but when the illumination was good enough, the camera had little trouble focusing for still images.
The evaluation camera was only able to satisfy expectations for the sensor’s resolution at the longest focal length setting a stop down from the maximum aperture, according to the examination of CR2.RAW files are converted into 16-bit TIFFs using Adobe Camera Raw. JPEG images captured concurrently performed predictably worse.
When CR2.RAW files from the camera were converted into 16-bit TIFFs using Adobe Camera Raw, Imatest clearly demonstrated the difference in resolution between JPEG and CR2.RAW files from the camera. Sharpness gradually decreased at roughly ISO 1600, although resolution held up well till then. The results of our experiments are plotted over the sensitivity range of the review camera in the graph below.
Conclusion:
Best wishes! Now that you’ve read the comprehensive guide on Canon G7X photography, good job. Now that you’ve got inspiration, information, and a capable camera, it’s time to concentrate, press the shutter, and watch as the magic happens on your personal photographic adventure. Recall that practice, experimentation, and a healthy dose of imagination are the keys to mastery. Have fun with your shooting!
