Photography News 14

Camera review

25

Of course where it really matters is with image quality and the G7 X doesn’t disappoint. It produces sharp images packed with detail and noise performance is good too. It depends how critical you are but shooting at ISO 1600 still gives low noise images fine detail. At a push ISO 3200 is useable. Not everyone wants Raws from their compact and the JPEGs out of the camera are of a very high standard. On pure resolution you will get more detail fromRaws but the gap isn’t great. Exposures were consistently accurate in low light, at night and in bright sunshine. Only strong direct into-the-light situations caused underexposure. I experienced more focusing failures than duff exposures but even here it was barely in a handful of instances. Performance-wise the G7 X has a lot to commend it.

save the battery but it’s annoying so I ignored the Eco mode. From one charge I got 342 shots, although it’s true none were with flash. Given Canon’s experience with menu structures I didn’t find the G7 X’s especially user-friendly. There are three tabs running across the top but the third can be discounted as it’s for My Menu Settings, so that leaves two tabs for a great many options – 28 in the camera icon menu. There seemed to be a great deal of scrolling up and down for the initial set-up. Canon has taken frequently used features and put them under the Func Set button at the centre of the command dial. So you have features like setting ISO, self-timer, bracketing and metering mode that you can access very quickly using the touchscreen.

ISO 125

ISO 200

ISO 400

FULL-FRAME IMAGE

ISO 800

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12,800

ISO 1600

ISO performance As a rule of thumb, the smaller the sensor, the greater the level of digital noise hence compacts suffer more. This Canon’s one-inch sensor measures 13.2x8.8mm. But if you’re thinking ‘how on earth does the sensor size relate to the actual sensor size?’ you’re not alone. Confusingly, the one-inch (or 1/2.3in or 1/1.2in) designation is no indication of actual sensor size. The system harks back to TV camera tubes and refers to the outer

a larger format camera’s. Images are very clean up to ISO 400 and perfectly good for critical use. ISO 800 is acceptable too, especially with some noise reduction in software (in Canon’s Digital Photo Professional 3.14.41) but don’t overdo it as NR impacts on fine detail. By ISO 1600 the impact on intricate detail is more significant although noise levels are still not too bad. Beyond that however noise levels rise quickly.

diameter of the tube; the working area is usually around two- thirds of that. The Four Thirds format was derived from the same sizing system, based on a tube with a 4/3in diameter. Anyway, all you really need to know is that the G7 X’s sensor is larger than many compacts’ but smaller than Micro Four Thirds and APS-C. Thus it is no surprise that noise performance is better than a typical compact’s and inferior to The verdict If you are in the market for a premium compact this Canon deserves to be on your shortlist, in all probability joining the Sony Cyber-Shot RX100 III (allegedly using the same sensor) and the Panasonic Lumix LX100. Each has their pros and cons and certainly a pro in favour of the Canon is that it’s around £120 cheaper. It’s also a very capable top-end compact camera with a high-quality lens that delivers well-exposed, sharp, low noise images. On the downside there are a few handling niggles, but there is no perfect camera for every potential buyer, and the things that bug me might not annoy everyone. In sum, though, there are many more pros than cons, so a thumbs up from me.

CANON POWERSHOT G7 X

21/25

FEATURES

Plenty packed into a small package PERFORMANCE Generally, the GX7 gets a thumbs up HANDLING

21/25

20/25

Handgrip design, articulating monitor, quiet and low VALUE FOR MONEY

22/25

Solid value for a top-end compact

OVERALL

84/100

Definitely a highly capable compact worth a serious look

PROS Lens – range and fast aperture, consistent exposures CONS The noisy control ring, menu, manual focus, limited tilt screen, no viewfinder

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Issue 14 | Photography News

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