Want to go back to a Canon Powershot, which one?

Over time, I've owned and used just about all the cameras mentioned in this thread.  We (my wife and I) still have an A710 IS and an A720 IS.  They are mainly my wife's; but I did carry one around in my car 24/7 so that I always had a camera with me.  That is, until I finally got around to getting a modern phone with a good camera, a Samsung S9.

We are getting pretty old now, so we're not cruising anymore; but back in 2009 we went on a cruise in the Galapagos Islands.  At the time I had a G7, and my wife brought the A710 IS.   The shots from the two cameras look identical if shot in daylight; but the G7 is a little better indoors.

The G7 and G9 both used the same viewfinder, and both have the same design defect.  Since the viewfinder is above the lens, it sees a little different view than the lens.  The G7/G9 finder sees the same view as the lens at about 5-6 feet.  But the A710IS and just about every other Powershot with an eye level finder sees the same view at long distances (beyond 50').   Canon corrected this in the G10 and all later models.  I did eventually get used to the G7 viewfinder and learned to adjust where the viewfinder was pointed to get a properly framed image at different distances.

I missed owning a G10; but had the G11 and G12.  Image quality is virtually the same from those two - the main difference being a second control wheel on the front of the G12.  I found I preferred the feel of the G11.  Both have quite low noise sensors.

I bought a G15 in 2012 and still have one, although the one I have now was bought in late 2018 as I missed having one.  The benefit of the G15 is the fast lens.  The G16 uses a different processor (the DIGIC 6) and I swear it's not as sharp as a result.  That's also true of the S120 versus the older S90 or S95, or the S100 or S110.  Yes, I still have an S95.

I bought a G7X Mk II a while back, and it was supposed to replace both the S95 and G15.  Well, I do use the G7X II the most of all my cameras; but the fact that I still have the S95, and replaced the G15 should tell you something.

If you should decide to stick with the A 710 or A720 IS here's a tip.  Instead of using rechargeable AA cells, we use Energizer lithium.  They are good for around 600 shots in those cameras and don't self discharge in the camera, so it's ready to go when ever you pick it up.  We do carry a spare pair in it's bag.  A set of 4 batteries goes for around $10.  my wife loves that she doesn't have to worry about charge management.