Big test
PRICE: £699
CANON.CO.UK
Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III
SPECS
› Prices £699 › Sensor 1in stacked CMOS, 20.1 megapixels
› Sensor format 13.2x8.8mm, 5472x3648pixels in 3:2 format › ISO range 125-12,800 (25,600 extended) › Lens 8.8-36.8mm (24-100mm equivalent in 35mm format), f/1.8-2.8 › Image stabiliser Yes, optical, 4EVbenefit › Shutter range 30secs to 1/2000sec and B › Electronic shutter 30secs to 1/25,600sec Flash sync 1/2000sec › Drive modes Up to 8fps withAF, 20fps without AF, 30fps Raw burst › Metering system Evaluative, centre-weighted, spot › Exposure modes PASM, auto and custom › Exposure compensation +/-3EV in 0.3EV steps › Monitor 3in tilting LCD touchscreen, 1040k dots › Viewfinder No › Focus points 31-point, face detection and tracking, in single, continuous, servo and touchAF › Video 4K 3840x2160 at 29.97/25fps Full HD 1920x1080 at 119.9 /100/59.94/50/29.97/25fps, MP4 format, HD 1280x720 at 50fps › Connectivity USB-C, HDMI type-D,Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3.5mmmic › Storage media 1xSD card, SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS Speed Class 1 compatible) › Dimensions (wxhxd) 105.5x60.9x41.4mm › Weight 304g (including battery andmemory card) › Contact canon.co.uk
Claiming tomix high-end stills and video functions
in a lightweight and slimline package, is the G7XMark III the ultimate travel and vlogging camera?
WORDS & IMAGES BY KINGSLEY SINGLETON
CANON’S G7X MARK III was launched only a few months back, alongside the G5X Mark II, which was reviewed in PN 69. Both cameras aim to mix stills and video in a small, lightweight package, but the G7X Mark III gains a tiny edge in size by losing the former’s EVF. The G7X Mark III has a 24-100mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 zoom, so while it gives up 20mm on the G5X Mark II, it’s still versatile for lots of different subjects; cityscapes and landscapes at the wide end, street in the middle and some portraits at the long, as the compression and wide aperture combine to give some control over depth-of-field. On top of that are 1.6x and 2x digital teleconverters, and the former takes only a slight hit in
sharpness compared to the optical zoom, so it’s a handy option. Allied to the lens is a stacked 20.1-megapixel sensor and DIGIC 8 processor, which gives the G7X III some serious speed. You can shoot at 8.3fps with autofocus or 20fps with the focus and exposure locked to the first frame. On top of that there’s a 30fps Raw burst mode, and though it only lasts for about 15 frames it’s certainly impressive. Again focus is locked, so you’d need to use it where you sure there's no subject movement. Allied to the Raw burst mode is a pre-shooting mode, which starts recording with a half-press of the shutter button. Therein, about five frames are ‘safe’ if you miss the start
PN’S DAISYDICKINSON ON THE G7X MARK III’S VLOGGING CREDENTIALS
recording area is usually cropped into the sensor, meaning you need require wider lenses to get everything in, but the G7XMark III boasts 4K at 30fps with no crop factor. This is huge for such a dinky camera! There’s also 120fps at 1080p, a feature previously reserved for the Canon EOS- 1DXMark II, so it’s possible to create beautiful, cinematic slow-mo footage with a camera small enough to fit in your pocket. There are some nice handling upgrades from the previous model, too, like the flip-up screen, an on-screen record button whichmakes it easy to check you’re rolling, and a mic jack included, answering the prayers of many G-series fans –
though as there’s no hotshoe, you’ll need to find a way of mounting it.You can also run the camera via the USB C port, not just charge it, which shouldmean nomore blinking battery icon of death halfway through a recording. Vertical video shooting might make some classic videographers’ skin crawl but it’s a welcome addition for content creators shooting for Instagram stories, where footage can be sent straight to your device ready for upload at 16:9 without having to rotate it. On top of this, live streaming toYouTube is also possible. Having used the G7XMark III, I’d feel confident in using it as not just a second shooter, but as a main vlogging camera.
Canon’s PowerShot G-range is popular in the vlogging industry, and with good reason. They’re good at creating great-quality video, fast. And being small, light bodies they’re particularly useful, especially when you consider most footage will be shot from an extended armwhich wouldn’t appreciate extra weight. The G7XMark III certainly builds on this. It has plenty of new features that YouTubers have been waiting for.When it comes to shooting in 4K, the
Issue 70 | Photography News 51
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