Canon G7 X review

Image Quality

Image quality is the G7 X’s main selling point. It’s on a par with SLRs and CSCs at this price, and a step up from any other pocket-sized camera except the Sony RX100 series. Focus was a little soft towards the edges of wide-angle shots but excellent at other focal lengths. Face detection worked well to capture portraits in tricky lighting conditions, and colours were balanced and flattering. The shallow depth of field, made possible by the large sensor and bright lens, elevated portraits to the standard normally only possible from a much larger camera.

^ Superb colours, but focus is a little soft towards the edges of this wide-angle shot (1/1250s, f/2.8, ISO 125, 24mm equivalent)

^ Focus is outstanding from corner to corner in the middle of the zoom range. (1/1250s, f/4, ISO 125, 62mm equivalent)

^ The large sensor and bright lens collude to deliver low noise and a shallow depth of field for superb portraits, even in low light. (1/40s, f/2.5, ISO 500, 38mm equivalent)

^ Pushing up the ISO speed to 3200, details are a little vague but overall image quality is outstanding for such a small camera. (1/160s, f/4, ISO 3200, 30mm equivalent)

There wasn’t much to separate the G7 X and RX100 III for image quality, but to our eyes the Canon showed a slight advantage. Focus was a little sharper at most focal lengths, and colour gradients were smoother at ISO speeds between 400 and 1600. Both produced usable JPEGs at up to ISO 3200, with ISO 6400 OK at a push. However, we preferred the Canon’s slightly grainy output at fast ISO speeds to the Sony’s more smeary appearance.

^ Canon’s noise reduction looks different to Sony’s. Sony retains more fine detail, such as in the hair, but there’s a smeary quality. We prefer Canon’s slight grain and soft focus appearance.

Buying decisions

It’s not worth agonising too much over the Canon G7 X and Sony RX100 III. These are two of the best compact cameras we’ve ever seen, and both come with the highest recommendation. The Canon’s lower price and touchscreen and the Sony’s EVF are the main things to consider. It’s also worth mentioning the Panasonic LX100, which scores even higher for image and video quality, although at 70mm deep it’s quite a bit chunkier.

The Canon G7 X currently has the lowest price of the three. We suspect it’ll be the most popular.