G7 Mini review with full size samples.

I appreciate when others benefit from what I post here. I get a lot from participating here and I am glad to share my experiences, too. Sometimes I think I buy new cameras so I can review them. The G7 is worth the purchase because it is far better than I expected. At first I thought I would give it to my daughter if I wasn't happy with it. After a weekend with it I know it is a keeper.

The images from the G7 average 4 Mb. Some images use up to 7.4Mb. Others use around 3 Mb. Good thing I have a 2 Gb SD card.

OvinceZ said:

The macro mode is superior to all the G series and the S3, IXUS and

Click to expand...

The S3 goes to 0cm in super-macro mode... yes, 0cm

--
Stephane

You have to use all these cameras to see the difference. First of all, when you use supermacro mode on the Pro1 or S3 the camera lens is 'locked' and you can't zoom in or out. With the Pro1 you can't shoot at the widest angle at that setting. The cameras are both cropping some of the image in supermacro mode. To frame different sized flowers you have to move the camera in and out.

Compare that to the G7 in macro mode. 10 Mp images to within 1 cm and you can zoom in and out. Combined with the bigger LCD it makes photographing flowers a pleasure.

With the S3 you can go up to the surface of subjects. I have done that with flower petals and leaves. 1 cm in macro with the G7 is close enough. LIke I have said, for me the G7 with the bigger LCD and macro mode is worth the price of the camera. I doubt there is an equal out there in compacts or DSLR and not for the money.

Which camera would you say has the sharpest pics.. the G7 or A710IS?

I have photos from both cameras on my Smugmug site.

The G7 has 3 Mp more but the image quality is similar. Both are fun to use and quick. The G7 is solid and heavy while the A710 is plastic and toylike. The G7 is well worth the extra money you have to pay. The LCD is worth the extra money.

A710is images: http://ovincez.smugmug.com/gallery/1886766

G7 full size images: http://ovincez.smugmug.com/Camera%20comparisons/249053

The light was dull on an overcast, windy day. The G7 was great to use and performed well. Nice LCD. Quick focussing and the colours were good except a bit of minus Exposure compensation was used for red roses.

Handheld available light photos on an overcast, dull day.









Crayons with flash:

One thing is very sad - it won't about G7 . We have almost winter in Europe, rain, clouds and there's no sun.

Photos are good, some of them very nice but this one with fly shows rather poor IQ - lack of sharpness.

Regards, swnw.

are very nice and like these two the best...

OvinceZ said:

The light was dull on an overcast, windy day. The G7 was great to
use and performed well. Nice LCD. Quick focussing and the colours
were good except a bit of minus Exposure compensation was used for
red roses.

Click to expand...

OvinceZ said:

Click to expand...

Now the true test - how do purples compare to Pro1 purples of flowers?

Thanks for the roses pictures.

--
----------------------------
My warmest regards,
sue anne

OvinceZ said:

The G7 is a much better camera than the G6. The G6 is plastic and
G7 is metal. The package of the G7 surpasses the G6 and is smaller
to boot. All the latest Canons beat the pants off the older ones
regarding speed and accuracy. The bigger, brighter LCD is reason
enough to buy a G7. Digic III is also better. I gave my G6 to my
son.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I'm not so convinced. First, G6 is made mostly of metal, at least the essential parts. Second, it has a much better and faster lens. Tilted screen, RAW and a better grip with a much better battery. So, for me the choice is clear and the DIGIC III would not tip the scale.

I hope at least they put center focus mark in it?

Cesare,

I live in Brussels but I buy my cameras in Germany from Topfoto in Düren. I paid 508€ (445€+Ridata 2GB 150x) plus a bit less than 20€ for the postal sending. They might send to Italy as well, check it out !

Best,

Karel

I knew I had a sharp image of the fly but made a mistake in selecting the one I did. My hand was moving a lot and I blame that and not the camera. Had the sun been out I am sure they all would have been sharp. Not all my G7 macro images were sharp but considering the lighting and wind I am impressed.

Better than G6: G7(-3 +1?). I have -2 and remember that I was at the limit with the G6. G7 viewfinder with cross.

Karel

Hi Sueanne,

My general impression is that the G7 depicts colours slightly better than the Pro1 and S3. It captures the jacarandas reasonably well which is a relief. I will have to find some violet and indigo pansies to see if it will capture those colours properly. Imagine, one macro mode and no reduced image size. My guess is that the G7 is probably the best macro camera out there. I had to use up to minus 1 on the dark red roses. Fairly close result for a dull day.

Vince

The G7 has two vertical and two horizontal dashes around the center. No other data is there. The image zooms in and out. At wide you can see a bit of the lens barrel. You can see an orange light when the camera is focussed. Also there is a beep. I have never paid much attention to the beeps. I would say the image is quite clear and very usable.

Much better

swnw

The G7 LCD is great to use in bright sunlight. The S3 is hopeless and the Pro1 is good but needs a bigger LCD. I miss the rotating LCD but did manage to get images of flowers from underneath and other angles by looking at the LCD obliquely. Please, Canon, add the varia-angle feature with this LCD on all future compacts.

I was wondering how the G7 was going to perform compared to the Pro1 and S3. Well, the results are in and here is what I can report. The G7 is the best all-rounder. Resolution is very good, indeed. It is the best macro camara by far. I have recorded the microscopic details of the inside of the Jacaranda blossom in incredible detail. A tiny insect was there, too! This is probably the best macro camera period. You can get so close and yet still have 10 Mp images. With the larger LCD this really is a superb camera for taking images of flowers. In dull light it performs well. In bright light there are many wow images.

The colours of the G7 are vivid and mostly accurate. There were some changes using flash on the Jacaranda blossoms but the other cameras do that, too. Instead of purple you see a pinkish colour.

I was a bit disappointed in the images of Sydney. I used a mini tripod to steady the shooting but when I looked at the images full size on my 24 inch monitor I wasn't pleased. There seemed to be too much noise and not enough detail. Maybe I have to do what others have done and change setting to lessen artifacts appearing. I took some Pro1 images and they were similar to the G7 so I guess that is about as good as it gets with these tiny sensors. The Pro1 was better for wide angle, of course. The S3, despite having only 6 Mp had more resolution on distant objects such as the golden Sydney tower. You can use the S3 maximum tele images to compare the detail of the G7 images. I honestly expected better from the G7. I don't know what it is about that position in Sydney for taking photos of the city skyline from there. Perhaps the air is rising over the water or is moving rapidly. I have yet to obtain really sharp images there except on one occasion.

On viewing the Pro1 images of Sydney I had to conclude the G7 images were about the same which means they have similar resolution lenses. That really surprises me because how can that little G7 lens perform as well as the larger L Pro1 lens?

Like I said before, if I had to bring only one camera with me it would be the G7.

I will get full size images up soon. I will post here when they are ready.

Oh, I took about 320 photos on the one battery charge. I used the LCD all the time and it was set at the brightest setting.

http://ovincez.smugmug.com/Camera%20comparisons/249053

Your points are right about the G6 but it doesn't feel solid no matter what it is made of. Neither is the S3. The Pro1 and G7 have been designed by a different team or so it seems. Better compartments, feel, and layout.

The G6 received rave reviews. I owned one for 2 years and gave it to my son. It wasn't close to the Pro1 and now the G7 easily surpasses it. The LCD was hopeless in bright sunlight and is too small compared to the G7.

Sometimes you have to forget about specs and see what the camera can do. Go and look at images on my Smugmug site and see for yourself. There are thousands of G6 images. Compare them to the Pro1, S3 and G7 and see for yourself. The quickness of the G7 really makes this a superb little camera.

It might sound like I am trying to convince you. Please make up your own mind. Go and hold a G7 and take some photos with it. The G7 is a keeper.

http://ovincez.smugmug.com