The Canon Powershot G7's rating may surprise those who see a well-built 10 megapixels compact digital camera with a stabilized 6X optical zoom lens and full feature set. The G7 is all that. However, it should not surprise those who see its lengthy list of shortcomings. This is not grade-school, there are no points for effort, no points for what a camera was meant to do and no points for what its maker says it can do. It is the performance that counts. With that perspective, the G7 is just another camera with a 10 megapixels sensor made to impress buyers. This 10 megapixels sensor is not much better than that of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 and it is probably the same as the Canon Powershot A640. Luckily, with so much resolution, midsize prints are even possible at ISO 400.

 

Now, lets look at this camera's problems. Several problems, such as softness, loss of detail and noise, are related to the image sensor. These problems are not so bad if we consider its 10 megapixels resolution. After all, it can still produce usable prints at ISO 400. The tendency to overexpose, however, is a serious problem. This was noticed by both DP Review and The Luminous Landscape in rather common situations. The G7 is slower than other modern cameras - although it may appear quick compared to previous generation compact digital cameras. Looking at this camera, its squarish body design clearly stands out. Unfortunately for Canon, the resulting design proved to be problematic, leaving little room to hold the camera's back. Given the lack of a front grip and an overcrowded back, the G7 is difficult to hold securely. It is always disappointing when a unique feature such as body design becomes the source of problems! The 4-way-controller-wrapped-by-a-control-wheel is also less than intuitive. Then, there is an optical viewfinder that looks at the lens! An optical viewfinder is a rare thing these days, so camera makers get points for providing one, but only if they get it right. Then, there is the short battery life using a proprietary lithium-ion battery. Together this is enough to keep a Good rating out of reach from the G7. Finally, the Canon Powershot G7 has a current price that rivals entry-level DSLR cameras (no points deduced for this since it may change).

 

Among Canon's 2006 lineup, the G7 shares its sensor with the Canon Powershot A640 and its lens with the Canon Powershot A710 IS. Against the A640, the G7 has nothing but sleek looks and a longer lens with stabilization. The A640 has much longer battery life using 4 AA batteries, focuses faster and handles a lot better thanks to a deep hand-grip. Against the A710 IS, all the G7 has is resolution and sleek looks. The G7's resolution advantage will be visible in large prints, but not by much due to softness, loss-of-detail and excessive noise. Then again, the A710 has superior battery life using 2 AA batteries, is faster and is easier to hold safely. As for non-Canon alternatives, the 9 megapixels Fuji Finepix E900 is probably the closest competitor feature-wise, although it sports a wide-angle non-stabilized 4X optical zoom. Price-wise, the Pentax K110D DSLR can be had for $397 USD without a lens. Once a decent lens is added, the K110D is vastly superior to the G7, despite the total cost being slightly higher. Note that the K110D works on AA batteries and SD cards, which helps keep its total cost of ownership low.