Canon Canon G7X shooters impressions

Ray, can you tell me why I, or anyone, shouldn't buy this camera? I understand that it is working very nicely for you, but can you see where it would not work, like if an EVF was a must-have, for example?

BTW, your commitment to providing info about this camera here and on DPR is very impressive. Well beyond what any of us should reasonably expect. Nicely done! It almost made me refrain from asking yet another question of you. ;) Almost.
 
Ray, can you tell me why I, or anyone, shouldn't buy this camera? I understand that it is working very nicely for you, but can you see where it would not work, like if an EVF was a must-have, for example?

BTW, your commitment to providing info about this camera here and on DPR is very impressive. Well beyond what any of us should reasonably expect. Nicely done! It almost made me refrain from asking yet another question of you. ;) Almost.

Not really Dean. It might be too small and not comfortable enough to grip for some folks, although I'm sure there will be good 3rd party grips for it soon enough. It's flash doesn't bounce. It doesn't have an EVF. it doesn't have the resolution or detail or corner sharpness of the RX1, among other cameras. :D It is what it is and, as a pocket zoom, compromises are inevitable. I'm pretty excited about it because for my very specific wants and needs, it seems like the least compromised small zoom camera yet. But that's just me and I've always been really specific in what I like and don't.

So the best I can do, which I try to do with cameras I'm really excited about, is explain the specific things I like about it and how they apply to my shooting, as well as anything I don't like about it. People can read that and form their own ideas about whether any of the things I like about it apply to them as well and whether some of those things are of no use to them at all. And maybe that helps them make a decision. For example, I've developed insanely specific preferences for how an auto-ISO system should work today - most makers don't do it the way I like but more and more are starting to as they realize the power of auto-ISO as an tool with today's crazy-good sensors. I may never buy another camera that doesn't handle auto-ISO the way I like it. The G7X doesn't do it exactly as I'd like it, but it does it close enough and is the first compact zoom that's come close at all - the first I'd find really usable in this sense. Do most people care about this? Probably not. Does ANYONE care about it as much as I do? Very possibly not and surely the numbers who might are very very small!

Whether this camera is a better fit for anyone than the LX100 or RX100 or G1X mkII or X30 I can't say. I've just concluded its a better fit for me. If one of those others is a better fit for you, THAT'S a reason you shouldn't buy this one! But I can't tell you that.

I can't even tell you how much shooting time it will earn with me over time. This type of camera has always had a tough time finding it's way off of my shelf and into my bag or pocket because I always seem to have something better for whatever I want to shoot that day. That will still be the case. Will this one be good ENOUGH at enough things to make me want to grab it more often than it's predecessors? Well, it has a better chance than any compact zoom so far, but that doesn't tell me if it will or won't. Only time will answer that question for me. So a reason I possibly shouldn't have bought it is because I may end up not using it and then selling it inside of six months and feeling like an idiot. But I'm the eternal optimist so I gave it a shot. Can't say how any of those things work out for anyone else though!

Sorry man, you're on your own! :D

-Ray
 
I get it Ray. You are answering the question. Beyond the obvious stuff like size and evf you are not seeing any glaring holes. Which is a good thing.

Thanks for the quick answer!
 
Ray - one question. My wife is about as far from a camera lover as you can get, but when we travel she likes to have one along. For the past few years that has been a Canon Powershot SD960, which I generally leave in P mode for her. And aside from occasionally switching the top switch to MOVIE accidentally and not realizing it, she is generally pretty happy with it. But I want something better - for those times when I want to just have a small camera along and because though her "eye" has gotten much better over the years, the results from the 6 year old Powershot are not great compared to my newer cameras (which I am sure is not entirely due to photographer error/inexperience).
How comfortable do you think she will be with the G7X? I see from the pictures that there is an AUTO mode and a P mode and I am sure I can teach her initially not to touch the other controls aside from the zoom.
Thanks,
Steve
 
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just got the G7X SHOT IN AUTO:)
 
Ray - one question. My wife is about as far from a camera lover as you can get, but when we travel she likes to have one along. For the past few years that has been a Canon Powershot SD960, which I generally leave in P mode for her. And aside from occasionally switching the top switch to MOVIE accidentally and not realizing it, she is generally pretty happy with it. But I want something better - for those times when I want to just have a small camera along and because though her "eye" has gotten much better over the years, the results from the 6 year old Powershot are not great compared to my newer cameras (which I am sure is not entirely due to photographer error/inexperience).
How comfortable do you think she will be with the G7X? I see from the pictures that there is an AUTO mode and a P mode and I am sure I can teach her initially not to touch the other controls aside from the zoom.
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Steve,

Haven't shot it in auto, but I'm sure it would work fine. That's what happened when I gave up on trying to like the RX100 - I gave it to my wife who's been happily shooting it in auto mode ever since. And it was a big upgrade for her too from an old Fuji P&S.

-Ray
 
I've never been too high on Canon either Bart. I was OK with the S90 I had a few years ago. But nothing else has impressed me all that much.

Nice review, Ray. I was particularly struck by what you said about never having been too high on Canon. Me neither. I think there have been a number of reasons for this over the years. I remember the first Canon that really interested me was the G7 but as everyone ranted at the time, it had no RAW shooting capabilities. Canon fixed a lot of that with the G9 which appealed to me quite a bit. My brother had one and shot with it in various wild parts of the world for several years and it seemed to me to be one of the first possible replacements for my ancient, indestructible and semi-legendary Olympus C-8080.

Since then, I haven't been drawn much, or too much, to Canon's offerings. But it's possible that one of the reasons why, which I didn't suspect or understand, is a curious psychological phenomenon - that 'we' tend to like things we have 'invested in' (or 'chosen') in some way - and reject or criticize ones that don't make our own inner cut. Kirk Tuck just published a thoughtful and fascinating post on this selfsame subject, titled "Why are we so in love with the cameras that we own and so disparaging of those brands we don't own?" In your case, obviously since you owned a few earlier Canons, Kirk's analysis doesn't apply. But it's a good read, nonetheless; here a link to it - Why are we so in love with the cameras that we own and so disparaging of those brands we don't own?

I found myself in a similar boat. After being quite enamored but not totally convinced by the Coolpix A, I decided to try out one other compact camera, also a Canon, the EOS-M. Mainly because a photographer whose work I admire, Jeff Damron, has been shooting with one for the past few years and said a number of nice things about it. And, like you, in addition to not being 'high' on Canons - I also wasn't (and am not) high on cameras with a lack of buttons or external manual controls, and a plethora of touch-screen-centric adjustments. To my intense surprise, the EOS-M has turned out to be, for my uses at least, both powerful and logical, and also with most of the attributes I was searching for in an almost pocketable compact with serious IQ. Including the (vital for me) ability to manual focus lenses. But that's another story, for another time.

But for my tastes, Canon nailed this one. I'd have done a couple of small things slightly differently, but not much and nothing serious.

Sounds to me like they really have. I think my big gripe with Canons over the last few years, apart from size, has been the seemingly outmoded sensors they persist in continuing to use up and down their product line. But, damn, they have always had a knack for making really nice lenses, something which dates back to their early roots in rangefinder cameras. And from the photos you've taken with yours and posted, I'd say they seem to have really nailed the lens in the G7X. I wonder, halfway seriously, if their choice of a model designation for it.....might not be a subtle nod back to its philosophical roots in the G7....the notion of a very powerful, and very capable, compact....which could become a good tool for serious photographers.
 
I ordered a G7X from a Hong Kong ebay seller on Sunday evening after 9 EDT in the US. Free express shipping. Rec'd a confirmation from Fed-Ex today that it will deliver before 10:30AM tomorrow. Seriously? What did that cost?
 
Hey Ray

wonder if you'd looked at the Pentax MX-1 at all ? seems to tick some of your boxes.

Different aspect ratios
exposure comp dial
you can set auto iso to a maximum level
quick access to many menu items

Nice little camera - I love mine.
 
So $580 in Hong Kong and $699 here? Leaves a lot of room for HK sellers to offer it for way below retail to US buyers and everyone comes out ahead. Unless you need the full warranty... Which I'm hoping I won't, obviously...

-Ray

Ray, Canon is good about registering and servicing gray market hardware. They'll even let you sign up for their pro membership using that gear. If I was going full frame with canon I wouldn't hesitate to go gray market even on a $3k camera. The G7x should be covered.
 
Hey Ray

wonder if you'd looked at the Pentax MX-1 at all ? seems to tick some of your boxes.

Different aspect ratios
exposure comp dial
you can set auto iso to a maximum level
quick access to many menu items

Nice little camera - I love mine.

Nope, small sensor. Nothing wrong with it, but I KNOW (from experience) I wouldn't end up using it... If I was OK with that sensor I'd still have an LX7...

-Ray
 
Great string, Ray. So here's the question I ask about any camera without a viewfinder - electronic or optical: How is the rear LCD in daylight? Any issues with seeing the image in bright sunlight or usability in terms of framing/focus? And how about battery life? I know what the early "hands-on" reviews have said. How are you doing in the real world, especially if you potentially have to crank up the LCD brightness when shooting outdoors?

Hey Steve,

I had the camera out all day in Philly today and it was incredibly bright out. AND I was walking along a new walkway that was just opened that's essentially built out over the Schuylkil River, so there was a lot of reflection off of the water as well.l And I mostly did fine, but there were moments when the glare was pretty overwhelming and I had to play around with the angle of the screen a little bit to see it clearly. It wasn't a problem - didn't cause me to miss anything. But it not quite as good as my report from the other day which, while involving shooting in sunlight, wasn't as incredibly bright as today. I'm not sure any screen would have done better, but in the interest of full disclosure, I thought I should let you know...

-Ray
 
I ordered a G7X from a Hong Kong ebay seller on Sunday evening after 9 EDT in the US. Free express shipping. Rec'd a confirmation from Fed-Ex today that it will deliver before 10:30AM tomorrow. Seriously? What did that cost?

I guess I didn't manage to talk you out of it... :cool: Enjoy! Let me know what you think...

-Ray
 
I guess I didn't manage to talk you out of it... :cool: Enjoy! Let me know what you think...

-Ray

Hell, those boys in HK should at least be kicking you a twenty for every one of these they sell on here or DPR. ;)

Bottom line for me that I enjoy playing with something new. Your musings on the 7 solidified my thoughts that it was a good choice for me vs the LX100.
 
Finally got my hand on a compact camera... I have been whinning about getting one for ages... and that was one of the reasons I have join this great forum. I almost gotten the RX100mkII... then mkIII and finally, settle for the Canon G7X (so glad that I waited).

Great camera, nice IQ and excellent speed. No regret here.

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Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Didn't actually got a chance to shoot alot with this camera, just a shot from out of my window. I sprained my leg again...
 
I did a lot of shooting in Philly today at various focal lengths - a combination of street and land/city-scapes. From a preliminary look at some of the files, I'm REALLY impressed with the IQ from this camera. Certainly not AS good as my larger sensor cameras (particularly when mated with particularly good lenses), but surprisingly good. I'll try to get some processed tomorrow and get a few up here. I've always wanted a compact that I'd be satisfied with to take for some light travel where I didn't want photography to be too big a part of the trip, but wanted to do some shooting anyway. I've done that with the LX5 and X10 in the past but was never really happy with the tradeoffs. When the RX100 came out and I loved the sensor but didn't like the camera, I remember thinking (and probably saying/writing) that if somebody put that sensor in a camera I actually liked with a reasonably fast lens, I could see using a camera like that for a lot of shooting and frequently take just that out with me. Well, this is that camera. Whether I used it as I'd predicted time will tell. But I did today and my initial feeling is not much was lacking except wider and longer focal lengths and that last few percentage points of IQ...

My wife and I are going to New York City for the weekend later this month. If I was going by myself for a longer period of time, I'd take the works, but for this trip I might just take the little Canon. Or maybe it and the RX1 for a few better IQ night shots, but mostly just carry the Canon.

-Ray
 
Did a bunch of shooting in Philly yesterday, of all types, or as many as I can do in Philly. The only thing I haven't done much of with this camera yet is using the long end for portraits, but I did a handful of test shots on my wife and am fine with how it does. It's kind of soft at f2.8 (at 100mm, but not much as 85mm) and still a little soft at f3.2, but is tack sharp by f3.5. F2.8 is still very usable, but it requires a bit of care in PP or you can just decide you like the sort of soft rendering for portraits. There's not a huge difference in background blur at 3.5 relative to 2.8, so my instinct would be to shoot at f3.5 when the light allows, and use the faster apertures as needed. And then use my Nikon for really serious low light candid portraits - right tool for the job and all that...

I got something close to 400 shots on a battery - i had to switch at that point and put another 250 or so on the next and it still showed full. So two batteries should get you through almost any day of shooting unless you're going crazy with burst mode or something. I like this camera fine for landscapes and architecture. For those who are obsessed with the software corrections at 24mm, well, feel free to be obsessed - I have to look waaaay too hard to see anything there to worry about it. I had mixed results with street shooting but I think that was because I was using the touch screen for the first part of the day and I was getting way too many misses, maybe from extreme camera movement when hitting the touch screen? Then I switched the touch-screen off and just shot as I normally do with the Coolpix A and I had a much better keeper rate (and was more comfortable shooting that way as well). I don't think this camera will ever replace the Coolpix A for street work, but it's a competent stand-in, even in reasonably low light.

I'm gonna start a G7X sample image thread and I'll start it off by posting a bunch from yesterday there...

-Ray
 
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