Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon PowerShot G7 Digital Camera - Black (10.0MP, 6x Optical Zoom) 2.5" LCD

I had a Pentax Optio 550 until Christmas festivities damaged it beyond repair! Seeking a suitable replacement which allowed me to get more creative I ended up with a shortlist of 2: the Canon G7 and the Panasonic LX2. The G7 won and I have no regrets. Nor am I going to add much to the reviews above, particularly that by 'Planet-G'. It is a superb bit of kit, and after three weeks of constant use, I am still discovering new features!

Anyway, the reason for writing this is to emphasise a few points and make one recommendation:

a. A spare battery is essential - once the low power warning comes on I get about 30 non-flash shots before it is completely dead. And it is probably best to stick with genuine Canon batteries.

b. By comparison with its Mk II predecessor, the SanDisk 1 GB EXTREME III card significantly improves the SD card read/write speed.

c. The User Guide comes as a .pdf file - print it out (2 pages per A4) and spend some time reading it with the camera in your hands - essential!

d. Finally, I spent some time looking for a suitable case (and wasted some money too!). Eventually I found one which is an exact fit with a front compartment just big enough to house a spare battery and memory card. Nicely lined with a soft material and a non-slip base, it is the Samsonite Trekking Premium DF10 Camera Case (available from Amazon for £9.15) - great case and good value.

I hope this is of some use and no, I don't work for Amazon!

Having owned a Nikon 3200 and all the low light and slow response issues with it, I decided time to change. Choice was between the G7 and EOS400D, mainly because I already own a speedlite 420EX flashgun (from my EOS300N days) - Yes it does work.

After having read loads of reviews (negative and positive) and checking out the specs, opted for the G7 with a 133x SD card. I decided that there is no point going over what the G7 lacks as some others do like RAW, wide angle etc, instead focussed on what it has. My decision was based mainly on the size and the capabilities as I didn't fancy another SLR just yet but wanted comparable quality and features in a small(er) package.

I am certainly impressed with the features, the photo quality and the capabilities (in all lighting conditions). Sure, IXUS900ti will come close but this has far more like manual control, 6x zoom and a hot shoe and many more. "IS" works well too. Only bugbear is the battery life - must have a backup.

I highly recommend this - may not be as good as a DSLR or as small as the 900ti - but this gives great control, very good speed (continuous shooting), great low light photos (excellent with an external flash) and in a package much smaller than a DSLR.

I read all the reviews here plus a load of expert ones before I decided to buy this camera. I could see that a few people have some niggles, whilst the pro's compare it with the G6 and whilst recommending it, are disappointed at the loss of 'RAW' amongst a few other things. But generally, everyone says its a good camera.

I've had it a week now and I think it is a great camera. I'm used to compacts and if you want to use this as a point and shoot camera (and contrary to an earlier review), this is ideal and very easy to use - turn it on, press the button. And the results will most probably be better than you are used to with a compact. Reviewing photo's is easy with a big button for that. The LCD is probably about the best you can get. All the controls and functions are very good and simple to use. The video facility is simple too - press the button to start, you don't need to hold the button down, press again to stop. The optical zoom is great - very ample and no loss of quality as I used to get with the digital zoom on a previous compact. Very solid camera and nothing flimsy on it like you normally get somewhere on a compact. The niggles people had in the reviews are almost unnoticeable to me - very minor. Yes you can see the lens through the viewfinder if you really think about it (I didn't notice it at all until I read the reviews on here again and then checked), but then its got a viewfinder - which is rare in a compact. You have to appreciate that its packed with so many features but nevertheless, it is as easy to handle and use as any compact I have had.

Then there's also all the features that appeal to the more serious photographer too. It's like a mini SLR so is ideal for me to experiment if I want to. Because of this, it evidently draws attention from pro's who want a compact. The problem there is that in their reviews, they cannot help compare it with the capabilities of their expensive SLR's - or with the G6. One reviewer was too put off by the loss of RAW - but then he did add that after he gave the G7 back after the test, he realised he had become so fond of it, he went out and bought one. In another, the journalist reviewer was comparing it with her Leica M8 and appeared to prefer the M8 - but that costs around £2,500! I think she also however found herself buying a G7. But there does seem to be disappointment that they think this camera is supposed to be the pro's compact - isn't it?! And it should have all the features a pro needs - shouldn't it?! One reviewer said the G7 is neither one nor the other.

I think canon have actually got it spot on with this camera. Most of us are not pro's and need a camera for holiday-type snaps and movie clips etc. So we want all the features cannon have added - like the better zoom, bigger LCD display, better movie facility etc. But we want good quality. And also many of us - although not professional - want to experiment with SLR functions and do a bit of proper photography. We don't want to spend thousands on lenses and camera's, or to carry all that gear around on holiday. I suspect Canon are aiming at this market as opposed to the pro - although in the reviews I read, pro's evidently still appear to recommend and buy the camera. What better recommendation is there than that!

Overall, great camera, a real all-rounder that can do probably everything you would want from a camera and at a good price. Packed with features, well built, a camera you will probably have for many years and lead you into a greater interest in photgraphy. I'm very glad I got one.

Having owned many cameras and two digitals, an Olympus C-2020 that had a great lens and then a Pentax Optio S30 that is small and not that great I wanted something that was more of a match for the old 35mm Olympus Trip. After lots of searching and reading reviews I too noted the lack of RAW (not something I was that concerned about though).

Now having used the camera for a few weeks it has the feel of a solid camera of old, the ability to control all settings manually is great. The best bit of all is the fact that when you press the shutter release it takes a picture. The delay always annoyed me on the previous cameras. Even with flash on the cycle time is very good.

This is a great camera.

I'm a semi-pro photographer, but I'm not going to get technical on this review - just straight to the point...
this camera is great! Purchased it for a trip to Scotland and I was extremely impressed with the results. Build quality is excellent with NO fiddly breakable connection covers, which you tend to find on compacts.

Very impressed with the screen - reliable reproduction which is essential with great manual exposure controls. Absolutely love the control you have over the built in flash, very useful for close-up work, also depth of field preview when using AV mode makes this a special little camera indeed for £280.
I purchased Sandisk extreme lll 2GB SD cards at under £20 through Amazon which perform extremely well. Though if you want to do a lot of filming in hi resolution [which is great quality, even when viewed on a large television screen] you might be better off with a 4GB card which would give you around 30 mins.

One tip, as with all digital compacts - turn off the digital zoom. Stick to the great optical zoom, then use one of the many software packages available to enlarge your images later. I recommend Genuine Fractals 5, available from Amazon that allows you to enlarge images by up to 700%.

You won't be disappointed.