Canon PowerShot G7 review

Canon's G-series high-specification compact digital cameras have been wooing photography enthusiasts since the start of the millennium.

This latest instalment is the most affordable to date, is better looking than its predecessor and comes with high specifications, including a 6x zoom lens with optical image stabilisation.

It's lighter than previous models but, at 320g excluding its battery, still heavier than most compact cameras. The stocky metal body inspires confidence, though. Unfortunately, some features have regressed since the G6, with no fold-out hinge for the screen, no passive display for camera settings and no RAW capture mode. The fast f/2 aperture that separated previous G-series cameras from its competitors has been replaced by a bog-standard f/2.8 aperture.

Even so, the G7's unusual, and plentiful, features mean there still isn't much to which it can be compared. The new DIGIC III processor includes face-detection technology to assist the automatic exposure and focus. Watching the camera frame your subjects' heads in white boxes is fun, but the net benefit is less measurable. There's a hotshoe for an external flash unit and the threaded lens ring accepts 0.7x and 2x converters, available for around £90 each. There's even a neutral density (ND) filter for cutting down the amount of light hitting the CCD. It's clearly not designed for the British climate, but could be useful if you want to accentuate motion blur.

The real highlight is how delightful it is to use. A mode dial covers the usual program, priority and manual modes, scene presets and video capture, plus two custom modes that store snapshots of camera settings. A second dial is dedicated to ISO speed, while a third sits around the circumference of the navigation pad, providing exceptionally efficient adjustment of shutter speed, aperture and manual focus. The 2in high-resolution screen provides excellent visual feedback for manual exposure and focus, including a beautiful analogue-style revolving display of shutter speed and aperture. Performance is decent, capturing a 10-megapixel image every 1.5 seconds, although this falls to around 2.7 seconds when using the flash. However, the chunky li-ion battery lasted for only 284 shots in our test. It also took longer to recharge than it did to drain in constant use, so you might need two spares (at around £45 each) on photo shoots.

Image quality was among the best we've seen from a compact camera, but wasn't truly mould-breaking. Pictures were sharp, vibrant and well exposed but detail, and image quality in general, was on a par with Sony's 8-megapixel W100 (What's New: Photography, Shopper November 2006), currently available for around £200. The G7's 10-megapixel rating is more of a hindrance than a help, giving soft images with a hint of noise even at ISO 80. However, it produced the cleanest, sharpest pictures at ISO 400 we have seen from a 10-megapixel non-SLR.

Rating the G7 is hard because there aren't many cameras like it. Panasonic's LX2 (which we are yet to review) challenges it in terms of quirky high-end features in a compact chassis, but it has only a 4x zoom. Demanding users on a budget should consider Canon's A710 IS, which provides a 6x zoom stabilised lens, a 7-megapixel sensor and full manual control for around £200. We'll review it as soon as possible.

The A710 IS won't appeal to the G7's obvious target audience: photography enthusiasts and professionals who want a classy compact camera for when they leave their SLR at home. Such people will love the classic styling and might not miss their SLR too much while adjusting the G7's manual controls. We expect fantastic image quality from a £300 compact, hence our image quality niggles. However, when we consider the whole package, the price does seem reasonable and the G7 is a good choice.

Author: Ben Pitt