Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II review: The G7 X Mark II is a good choice when you're ready to step up to better photos
Canon's changes to the G7 X make its successor a much better camera.
Lori Grunin
Senior Editor / Reviews
I've been writing about and reviewing consumer technology since before the turn of the century. I'm also a photographer and cat herder, frequently at the same time.
I like the Canon G7 X, one of the company's 1-inch sensor enthusiast compacts -- the one without the viewfinder -- but that model just can't keep up when it comes to speed. Given that its successor, the G7 X Mark II, is fundamentally the same camera (albeit with some important enhancements), it's not surprising that I like the Mark II as well. But while the $700 (£570, AU$950) camera improves on the earlier model in some respects, the admittedly better performance still lags in places.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Good where it counts
The Mark II's photo quality is a definite improvement over the original, and it does have improved noise at higher ISO sensitivities. Since raw images don't have noise reduction applied, they aren't affected, but I think the JPEG processing is generally better in the newer model. The video looks good too, with less jumping in the continuous autofocus.
Analysis samples
JPEGs shot with the Auto Picture Style look pretty clean through ISO 800, though you can see the sharpness drop slightly at ISO 400.
Details in JPEGs start to smear noticeably at ISO 1600.
The new Fine Detail Picture Style doesn't improve JPEG results significantly at all sensitivity levels, but it makes a difference at ISO 800, and helps preserve sharpness a little at higher ISO sensitivities.
Though the white balance is a little better in the G7 X, you can see the quality improvement from the G7 X Mark II at ISO 1600.
Canon's Auto setting produces pleasing colors, but does shift some hues, most notably reds, by boosting saturation.
You can bring out quite a bit of shadow detail by shooting raw (as well as get rid of fringing), but as with similar cameras, blown-out highlights are pretty much gone.
A processor update brings with it faster startup and an increased continuous shooting speed we clocked at 5.6 frames per second with autofocus and autoexposure. And it's also faster to focus in low-contrast conditions, as Canon claims. Its biggest holdup is when it needs to process images, such as taking a couple of consecutive nonburst shots or doing HDR. However it does start up a little faster than big-name competitors. And it's fast enough for slowish action, such as the occasional kid, pet or jumpshot.
Shooting speed
- Shutter lag (typical)
- Shutter lag (dim)
- Typical shot-to-shot time
- Raw shot-to-shot time
- Time to first shot
Continuous-shooting speed
Better design
Canon has added a much-needed grip, which makes single-handed shooting more comfortable, and a flip-up/tilt-down touchscreen display that adds a lot more flexibility. Also, there's now a switch on the front to silence the otherwise clicky control ring (for operation while shooting video) and the display not only flips up for selfies, but can also tilt down. The changes have made the camera slightly larger and heavier than before, but not by much.
Grip!
It incorporates a few more features, including in-camera raw-to-JPEG conversion, time-lapse movie and an image stabilization mode for panning shots (so it only stabilizes vertical movement). It also adds Picture Styles, the image-control presets formerly only available in the dSLRs. That's important given Canon's tendency to apply too much saturation in reds and high contrast by default; these give you an easier way to render more neutral photos and videos. That said, there's less leeway in the images produced with the small sensor than with the dSLRs -- for instance, when it comes to sharpening or dynamic range.
And of course, Canon brings it up to date with Wi-Fi and NFC; and the Canon Connect app works pretty well and offers a reasonable set of remote shooting and downloading controls.
Despite the added features, though, it still trails behind competitors for video capabilities, breadth and depth of filters, a hot shoe and other frills.
Conclusion
A big improvement in all respects over the original G7 X, the Mark II doesn't quite catch up to competitors when it comes to features or speed, but it's fast and feature-filled enough that it's a good choice if you're looking to step up from a phone or older compact.
Comparative specifications
| Canon PowerShot G7 X | Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II | Fujifilm X70 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV | |
| Sensor effective resolution | 20.2MP HS CMOS | 20.2MP HS CMOS | 16.3MP X-Trans CMOS II | 12.8MP MOS | 20.2MP Exmor RS CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8mm) | 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8mm) | APS-C (23.6 x 15.6mm) | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13mm) | 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8mm) |
| Focal-length multiplier | 2.7x | 2.7x | 1.5x | 2.0x | 2.7x |
| OLPF | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Sensitivity range | ISO 100 - ISO 12800/25600 (exp) | ISO 125 - ISO 12800 | ISO 100 (exp)/ISO 200 -ISO 6400/ISO 51200 (exp) | ISO 100 (exp)/ISO 200 - ISO 25600 | ISO 80 (exp)/ISO 125 - ISO 12800 |
| Lens (35mm equivalent) | 24-100mm f1.8-2.8 4.2x | 24-100mm f1.8-2.8 4.2x | 28mm f2.8 1x | 24 - 75mm f1.7-2.8 3.1x | 24 - 70mm f1.8-2.8 2.9x |
| Closest focus | 2.0 in/5 cm | 2.0 in/5 cm | 3.9 in/10 cm | 2 in/5 cm | 1.9 in/5 cm |
| Burst shooting | 4.4 fps 31 JPEG/n/a raw (6.5fps with focus and exposure fixed on first frame) | 5.4 fps 46 JPEG/n/a raw (8fps with focus and exposure fixed on first frame) | 3 fps unlimited JPEG/n/a (8fps for 10 frames JPEG) | 6.5 fps n/a (40 fps with electronic shutter and fixed AF/AE) | 5.5 fps (with electronic shutter; 16 fps with fixed focus and exposure) n/a |
| Viewfinder (mag/ effective mag) | None | None | None | EVF 0.4 in/10.2mm 2.764m dots 100% coverage 1.39x/0.7x | OLED EVF 0.4-inch/10.2mm 1.44m dots 100% coverage |
| Hot shoe | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Autofocus | 31-area Contrast AF | 31-area Contrast AF | 77-point phase-detection AF 49-area Contrast AF | 49-area Contrast AF | 25-area Contrast AF |
| AF sensitivity | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Shutter speed | 250 - 1/2,000 sec | 250 - 1/2,000 sec; bulb | 30 - 1/4,000 sec (1/32,000 electronic shutter); bulb to 60 minutes | 60 - 1/4,000 sec (1/16,000 electronic shutter); bulb to 2 minutes | 30 - 1/2,000 sec (1/32,000 electronic shutter); bulb |
| Metering | n/a | n/a | 256 zones | 1,728 zones | n/a |
| Metering sensitivity | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Best video | H.264 QuickTime MOV 1080/60p | H.264 QuickTime MOV 1080/60p | H.264 QuickTime MOV 1080/60p @ 36 Mbps | MP4 UHD/30p, 25p, 24p @ 100Mbps; 1080/60p, 50p | XAVC S 4K 2160/30p, 25p, 24p @ 100Mbps |
| Audio | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo |
| Manual aperture and shutter in video | Yes | Yes | n/a | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum best-quality recording time | 4GB/29:59 minutes | 4GB/29:59 minutes | 14 minutes | 15 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Optical zoom while recording | Yes | Yes | n/a | Yes | Yes |
| IS | Optical | Optical | None | Optical | Optical |
| LCD | 3 in/7.5 cm Flip-up touchscreen 1.04m dots | 3 in/7.5 cm Flip-up, tilting touchscreen 1.04m dots | 3 in/7.5 cm Tilting touchscreen 1.04m dots | 3 in/7.5 cm Fixed 921,000 dots | 3 in/7.5cm Tilting 921,600 dots (plus another set of white dots for brightness) |
| Memory slots | 1 x SDXC | 1 x SDXC | 1 x SDXC | 1 x SDXC | 1 x SDXC |
| Wireless connection | Wi-Fi, NFC | Wi-Fi, NFC | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi, NFC | Wi-Fi, NFC |
| Flash | Yes | Yes | Yes | Bundled optional | Yes |
| Wireless flash | No | No | n/a | No | No |
| Battery life (CIPA rating) | 210 shots (1,250 mAh) | 265 shots (1,250 mAh) | 330 shots (1,800 mAh) | 300 shots (1,025 mAh) | 280 shots (LCD); 230 shots (Viewfinder) (1,240 mAh) |
| Size (WHD) | 4.1 x 2.4 x 1.6 in 103 x 60.4 x 40.4mm | 4.2 x 2.4 x 1.7 in 106 x 61 x 42mm | 4.4 x 2.5 x 1.8 in 113 x 64 x 44mm | 4.5 x 2.6 x 2.2 in 114.8 x 66.2 x 55mm | 4.0 x 2.3 x 1.6 inches 101.6 x 58.1 x 41mm |
| Body operating weight | 10.7 oz 302 g | 11.3 oz (est.) 319 g (est.) | 12.4 oz 350 g | 13.9 oz 394 g | 10.4 oz 294 g |
| Mfr. price | $650 £390 (est.) | $700 £570 AU$950 | $700 (est.) £540 (est.) AU$1,000 (est.) | $700 £520 (est.) AU$1,000 | $950 £850 AU$1,400 |
| Release date | October 2014 | May 2016 | February 2016 | November 2014 | July 2015 |
