Canon G7X vs Canon G7X Mark II

Introduction

The Canon PowerShot G7 X is an enthusiast-oriented, compact camera that at the same time, is Canon’s first 1″ sensor model that combines an attractive design, strong performance and a price tag that’s affordable for thousands of photographers on the market.

On the other hand, we have the Canon G7 X Mark II which is a successor of the well-known G7 X, and it didn’t take long before it became one of the strongest and most purchased, premium compact cameras on the market.

One thing is certain, both cameras are strong and they have their own advantages, disadvantages and shared capabilities, which I absolutely like because such cameras are always entertaining when it comes to making a head to head comparison.

Shall we start? I’d suggest that we should really do, and after I’m done with overviewing both cameras, you have the final words and decide which one deserves to be your primary shooting arsenal!

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Head To Head Comparison

Canon G7X

The Canon PowerShot G7 X boasts an attractive, matte-finished, metal body that measures 2.38 x 4.06 x 1.59″ (HWD), weighs around 9.84-ounces without a lens and if we take a closer look at these specs, I can easily say that you’d never have any difficulties bringing the camera with you anywhere you go, and your shooting experience will be very convenient since we are really talking about a compact, yet lightweight camera.

Unfortunately, this unit does not employ a grip due to its compactness, hence, people will smaller hands will unlikely face “issues” holding it or shooting for a longer period of time, however, people with larger hand may actually have a bit of a problem, even though this is unlikely.

As expected, there aren’t numerous controls, however, the ones that are included are simple and fairly easy to use. For instance, on the top-right, you will find a Mode dial, an exposure comp dial that sits underneath, as well as an On/Off button and a shutter release button.

On the rear, the right side employs 4 buttons that surround a four-way controller, and the control layout is compressed though, but still, I really doubt that you’d find it as a remark.

At the center, you can find a 3″, tilting, 1040k-dot touchscreen that is exceptionally flexible, which I absolutely favor because you will never feel restricted in terms of shooting, and as a matter of fact, you’d be able to shoot from awkward angles and even use it for self-portraits!

The screen is also bright, outputs strong visuals, and it is very responsive which definitely comes handy especially when you opt to make multiple adjustments, because all of your gestures are going to be detected exactly as you’d expect from a Canon camera!

In terms of the connection ports, the G7 X employs an HDMI port, a combined USB 2.0/AV out port, single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards, tiny microphones that sit on the top-plate, and what’s really cool is the built-in Wi-Fi and NFC support whose presence is going to be instantly felt once you start transferring your photos and videos to compatible devices!

Performance-wise, the Canon G7 X is powered by a DIGIC 6 image processor, has a 1″, 20.2MP CMOS sensor, burst shooting rate of 6.5 fps, 31-point AF, and an ISO range that stretches up to 12,800!

What got my attention the most regarding this camera, is its ability to output superb results even under low-light ISO settings. Namely, JPEG format images taken at ISO 400 have very little noise, and the overall image quality looks great! As you’re pushing a bit higher, at ISO 800, the presence of noise starts to appear, but isn’t that terrible that may affect the overall image quality negatively. At ISO 3200, details are preserved, and the color accuracy is really good, hence, I think that you will really like the results. Starting from ISO 4000-12,800, blur starts to overcome the image, especially at the highest levels, and I’d recommend you avoid the highest levels.

Aside from taking JPEGs, this camera will let you shoot RAW images as well, and the noise, in general, is properly handled even if you push up to ISO 6400, however, as you may had expected, at the highest levels, the noise becomes more prominent.

Finally, the G7 X is a strong performer also in the field of video creation, and you can try yourself as a videographer from time to time, and gain even more skills prior to becoming a true, versatile professional that knows how to records videos and capture photos.

This unit records 1080p videos at 60/30 fps, and the footage looks awesome indeed, because it is filled with numerous details that look sharp, whereas, the color accuracy is nearly perfect!

Canon G7X Sample Footage:

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Canon G7X Mark II

Design-wise, the Canon G7 X Mark II shares almost the similar look of its predecessor at glance, but of course, there are some differences for which I’m going to reveal more information throughout this review.

For your information, this model measures 2.4 x 4.2 x 1.7″ (HWD), weighs around 11.3 ounces and in comparison to the G7 X, it is larger and heavier, and it may not be the smallest camera that employs a” sensor. However, this doesn’t mean you won’t have a comfortable shooting experience, because the dimensions and the overall weight may not cause you to feel fatigued.

Also, as was the case with the G7 X this unit has a metal body that is finished with matte-black color and lacks a viewfinder, so as you can see, they are very similar to each other.

On the top, there is a Mode dial, a built-in microphone, Shutter release, Zoom rocker, power button, and EV compensation dial. On the contrary to the G7 X, the EV dial has a slightly different design, because the negative values are shown toward the back, whereas the positive, are oriented toward the front part of the body.

If you flip the camera over, you can notice that the rear part is almost identical to the G7 X, because the controls are spread on the right-handed side in a compressed fashion, whereas on the center, there’s a tilting 3″ 1,040k-dot touchscreen that can tilt upwards for 180-degrees and downwards for 45-degrees, giving you an opportunity to shoot from multiple angles, and even use it for self-portraits, as was the case with the G7 X. At this point, the G7 X and the G7 X Mark II share the same sized screen with the same resolution, hence, the result remains a tie here.

Moreover, the G7 X Mark II houses 2 physical connection ports, such as a micro-USB and micro-HDMI port, but you can also find a single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, and let’s not forget the best part – which is the built-in support for Wi-Fi and NFC, hence, yet again, both cameras share the same functionalities for now.

Speaking of the performance, the G7 X Mark II utilizes a 1″, 20.1MP CMOS sensor, burst shooting speed of 8 fps, 31-point AF, a DIGIC 7 image processor which will dramatically enhance the camera’s processing speed and the way it handles noise throughout the ISO levels that stretch from 125-12,800!

In comparison to the G7 X, this camera is also capable of shooting JPGs and RAW format images, and it does a really good job in maintaining the blur at minimum levels.

For example, JPGs taken through ISO 400 look fantastic, and it is hard to recognize the presence of noise, however, between ISO 1600-3200, blur starts to appear but not in a fashion that may drastically decrease the image quality, since images are still usable. However, once you reach ISO 6400 and reach the highest ISO 12,800 sensitivity level, photos do really appear blurry and I’d recommend you avoid the highest level.

RAW format images taken up to ISO 3200 look indeed fantastic, but, at ISO 6400, the result is nearly the same as was the case with JPGs. At ISO 12,800, images are still usable and the result is way better than JPGs.

Last but not least, the G7 X Mark II records 1080p videos at 24/30/60fps in MP4 format, and to be honest, I really like the footage quality because it does really look strong! Yet again, the result is nearly identical, hence, I consider it as a tie.

Canon G7X Mark II Sample Footage:

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Canon G7X vs Canon G7X Mark II Feature Comparison

	Canon G7X	Canon G7X Mark II
Camera Type	Point-and-Shoot	Point-and-Shoot
Megapixels	20.2	20.1
ISO Range	100-12,800	100-12,800
Flip-Out Screen	Yes	Yes
AF Points	31 AF Points	31 AF Points
Viewfinder	No	No
Touchscreen	Yes	Yes
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	BSI-CMOS	BSI-CMOS

Conclusion

In the end, I’d like to ensure that you are going to have the most accurate answer to the question ” Which camera wins the race”. That’s why, we will have to hold on for a minute, because prior to decide this, I will have to reveal the key areas of both cameras.

For Portrait photography, both cameras perform nearly the same, but, of course, thanks to the DIGIC 7 image processor, the G7 X Mark II has only a tiny advantage, whereas at Street photography, both cameras are excellent, but the G7 X Mark II is slightly better yet again.

For Landscape photography, both cameras output an average performance, while for Sports photography, the G7X Mark II has an advantage because it is by 2 fps faster than the G7 X.

Finally, if we take a look at their price tag, and compare it with their nearly the same performance, I’d go for the older, G7 X because it is more cost-effective and it doesn’t differ a lot with its performance in comparison to the G7 X Mark II.

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