Canon - PowerShot G7 X Mark III 20.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black

So, I got this to try and increase my quality for my YouTube tech reviews and to possibly use on my Twitch stream for a face cam. For the most part it is a good choice, as it does a lot of things right, but as many other reviews have mentioned, there are some glaring negatives that will make a lot look elsewhere. I’m not an expert at cameras. I’m almost as run of the mill as you can get. I’ve been using my cell phone (iPhone X) to do any of my picture and video recording needs but wanted to upgrade. The first thing you’ll want to do when you receive the camera is install the two firmware updates that have been released since the camera first came out. The first includes an improved autofocus that is substantially better but still doesn’t fully rectify the issue. The second adds a 24-fps option to video recordings. Two things that were desperately needed and should have been available at launch. The update process is relatively simple. It’s strange to me that this camera has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but you can’t download a firmware update through that. BUILD QUALITY/USE: The materials on this camera are a mix of plastic and metal. Overall, it feels well built. It has a small spot for your thumb on the back right and a small hump on the front right with a matte material to help with grip but because it’s so small and light it’s not the most comfortable. Most of the time I tried to use two hands just to insure I didn’t drop it. When vlogging there is a nice area to grab even when the screen is flipped up so there shouldn’t be any problem there. On the front of the camera you have a 20.1 MP, 1-inch sensor, 24-100 mm f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens with a control ring around the lens, which can be used to perform multiple functions such as shutter/aperture control, zoom, EV compensation, and ISO adjustment. On the front right is the small handgrip I previously mentioned. In single shot mode you can track subjects and take advantage of face detection. This works well but as you can see from other reviews, it isn’t flawless, and can leave a lot to be desired. These options don’t work with burst capture. It supports 4k 30 fps but only for 10 minutes at a time or else it will overheat. You can also do 1080p 120fps slow motion capture, but it is not as sharp as the other modes. Stabilization is good. I didn’t have any problems and it was better than my phones. When in focus, image/video quality is very good with low image noise, nice colors, and good detail. There is softness at the edges of the lens and tends to overexpose itself. Image quality and overexposure is better on this camera than on my phone. On the top of the camera going left to right you have a power on/off button, shutter release, below the shutter release is the zoom, then a mode dial, and under the mode dial you have an EV compensation control which goes from -3 to +3. All these buttons feel solid without wobble. Some may say they are a bit tight as it can be hard to switch the modes with just your thumb. On the rear of the camera, going left to right, top to bottom, you have a high quality (but not quite as high quality as some smart phone’s) LCD touch screen with an adjustable tilt that goes up, down, and forward for vlogging/selfies. A lock exposure (*), record video button (usually 1080p 30/60fps), a command dial that has four direction presses. On the outside of the command dial is a rotational dial that does the same thing as clicking in a direction. Up is for drive/delete, right for flash on/off/auto, down for info, and left for macro/manual focus. In the center is a q/set button. Under that you have a play button to review previously taken photos/videos on the memory card, and a menu button to adjust settings. By pressing the q-button it gives you a lot of other options to select either through touch or through using the direction buttons to further adjust your picture depending on the setting you are on. On the right-hand side, you have a micro-HDMI, USB-C port, and Wi-Fi button. The camera has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Setup is straight forward and easy. Via Bluetooth you can connect to your phone and send pictures and then upload to social media that way. You can also control the camera with that as well. Wi-Fi allows you to upload your photos to certain cloud platforms and certain social media sites. You can live stream directly to YouTube but during a live stream it does not capture the footage to your memory card. In camera charging is supported but it also comes with an external charger. On the left you have your flash slider which pops the flash up and a 3.5 mm microphone connector. On the bottom right, you have a battery port with the memory card holder. It supports SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards. Battery life for my use was great. However, it won’t last you all day shooting with a CIPA rating of 235 images. PROS: • Ease of use • Everything except the auto focus just works and works well. • Picture/video quality (at this price point and when in focus) • Ability to manually control a lot of features. • Wi-Fi/Bluetooth. • Zoom • Touch screen • Excellent pocket camera for vlogging. • Works well on streams (twitch) as you can passthrough without anything on the screen. • Literally pretty much everything about the product except for price and autofocus. • Has better quality photos/video than my iPhone when setup correctly. CONS: • No EVF • Auto focus is much improved with new firmware update, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. My phone’s focus is so much better. • Battery won’t last all day for shooting. CONCLUSION: This camera is packed full of features and the spec list for this price point is great. Build quality, operation, and ease of use works great except for the focus. It is a good pocket camera that is made as a point and shoot camera for noobies like me. It was easy to setup and learn. Picture/Video quality is good when it is in focus. I have very little negatives. However, the focus leaves a lot to be desired and makes me not want to use the product. As I feel like I spend more time trying to get the stupid thing to focus on what I want than I do making content. It also takes me more time because I must go back and record or take a photo of something if it is out of focus. Or skip forward when editing video to wait for it to focus. You can also miss moments waiting for the camera to focus. Yes, the picture/video quality is better than my iPhone X in all regards. I can also take photos in dark or bright environments better because the lens is better. Though not dramatically and at this price point it is a very hefty tax to pay for it. I reverted to just doing manual mode for almost everything (including focus) and my experience with that is great and has made me enjoy the camera a lot more. But doing so made me learn a lot more about cameras than I was at first expecting. With all that said. I just don’t know if I can recommend this camera strictly due to the focus. As I think the target demographic for this camera is for individuals like me who have very limited knowledge of cameras and just want it to work. But you must fiddle with settings to get the best quality out of it which requires a learning curve. Most reviews from people who know what they are doing don’t seem too put off about the focus. Likely because they are doing manual mode in which the camera is great. For those who are more casual users and aren’t as serious about picture quality and learning new things, then I just don’t see why the camera on your cellphone wouldn’t be adequate enough and allow you to save $750.

If I can sum up my review in a short manner, it is only that you NEED to ignore these reviews that are outdated and/or ignorant of the fact that Canon has released a firmware update to address the problems this camera was having with autofocus etc. Before I did anything shooting or filming, I made sure to update the firmware first. The steps to do this are fairly simple, but there are only a couple of poorly shot videos on the internet that outline how to do it in simple terms. I will give a crack at it in this written review. The equipment required is an SD card, a computer with internet access for downloading the firmware update (version 1.2.0 as of December 12th, 2019), and a bit of time. I formatted the card in the settings on the Camera (this wipes it completely clean, so be careful) and then plugged it into the SD card reader for my computer. On Canon's website, I looked up the firmware on the support page where I was able to download the Zipped folder containing the update file and PDFs in different languages on how to perform the upgrade. There are both Windows and Mac OS X versions available. I unzipped this folder and dragged the file PSG7X3_120.FIR onto the SD card (not inside a folder, just the main page). I then flipped the setting wheel to 'P' and pressed the view button to turn it on. On the settings page, go to number 5 and scroll down to firmware. It will show you the current firmware version (1.0.1. is what mine displayed) and it will ask you if you want to update the firmware. Select OK. It will then go through the process and shut off. When you boot it back up to check, it is updated! It then gives you the option of two autofocus modes; Mode 1 is what you want for a quicker, more adaptable autofocus while filming. The process is simple enough, taking less than 10 minutes, and is worth taking the time to do for a camera whose predecessor is so esteemed and loved by many. I hope this review and like I said, ignore the negative reviews that make no mention of updating their camera first with the latest firmware! Thanks for reading this and have a good day!

The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III is a high quality camera with many great features. It gives the user extreme portability while allowing for professional level photos and videos. The camera was paired with the SanDisk Extreme Plus 128 GB UHS-I microSD card, which is ideal for 4k video due to its fast read and write speeds and for storing a large number of high resolution photos. Features to note: * 3" multi angle touchscreen LCD: The touchscreen is responsive and is easy to view from any angle. I did not have any issues with hitting a wrong button. When it is flipped up or down it is firmly attached and doesn't feel like it is going to snap off. The versatility of this screen allows the user to position the camera at angles other cameras could not while maintaining the ability to see what the camera is seeing. I think this is great because nothing is worse than recording something and finding out you or the intended object are not even in the frame! Overall, this screen is well implemented and a great feature. * 4K video: The camera has the ability to record 4K video at 30 fps and HD video at 120 fps. It can be recorded in both horizontal (landscape) and vertical (portrait) positions. It has a multi angle touchscreen that can be flipped up 180 degrees so the user can see themselves while recording in both the horizontal or vertical orientation. Streaming is only available on YouTube and there are some additional requirements/limitations. There is the option to add an external mic to the camera in addition to the standard stereo quality mic that is included; however, the standard microphone delivers clear sound. Lastly, there is a HDMI output so videos can be played back on a large TV. These features allow the user to create high quality videos without needing to purchase a stand alone video camera. The quality of the videos are excellent, especially when recording in 4K. 4K is very power intensive/heat producing and I found recording shorter segments (a few minutes at a time) was the most efficient so the camera wouldn't get too hot. When recording in lower resolution, the camera did not experience any overheating issues. If you are thinking about vlogging/streaming or creating home/casual videos, this camera hits the mark. * WiFi/Bluetooth technology to transfer photos/videos: Using WiFi technology, it was straight forward to transfer files from the camera to a smart phone. I used an iPhone 11 Pro Max running IOS 13.3. You download the CameraConnect App from the Appstore and follow the onscreen instructions. It gives you the option to connect via Bluetooth or WiFi. The directions are clear and even the most novice user should be able to successfully pair the camera and phone. ***A note for connecting via WiFi - If you have an installed VPN that connects on demand, you will be unable to connect to the camera until you turn off this option in the VPN settings on.*** Within the App you can turn on/off geotagging on photos if you do not want that information available. Please note there was a known issue with auto focus but this has been addressed by Canon with a firmware update on 12/12/2019. Overall, this camera is excellent. It is compact in size but packed full of amazing features. It allows you to take beautiful high resolution photos with its 1 inch 20.1 MP sensor and up to 4k 30 fps videos. I believe it out-competes all smart phone cameras in both photo and video quality. It is highly competitive in its camera class. I highly recommend this camera.

Although smartphones have made it easier for anyone to be a "photographer", there is still a need for high quality standalone cameras. The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III continues to prove the need for cameras by offering high end specs but while also conforming to the smartphone era. PROS: - Once unpackaged, you notice how small the camera feels and overall how elegant it feels. It’s a nice mix of having so weight and form to it so that it feels high end - but not too much to make it feel clunky. I am a big fan of the black design and I think overall its very pleasant to have and hold. - Set-Up is mainly a breeze! There are a few options you set up on the front end and then its ready to go. Of course you can do a deep dive into the options menu to change preferences etc…but if you want to you could start using this camera almost right out of the box which is great. - I would highly recommend you utilize the Canon Camera Connect App and I think most users will. This app is overall what you will use to communicate from your smart phone to your camera. It offers tons of great features including taking a pic, quickly transferring that picture to your phone, and then you can edit/post/send that to whatever you need to. Very easy to use and great idea for many people as they want content instantly. - The 3 inch touchscreen is one of the best feature of this camera. It really provides clarity for the images/videos as well as offers incredible ease of use. The multi-angle view is fantastic when taking different angles but also for the selfie view, it’s a way where you can take a picture or take video and see exactly what is being taken. It really helps makes your content better overall. - I was very impressed with how great the 4K video looks on this Camera. It just adds to much depth to whatever you are recording and playback looks wonderful on it. Very pleased that Canon did so well on the 4K! - Finally, most importantly this Camera takes pictures so well! The lighting is always great, there is great definition in the picture, and the auto-focus is great. I know some people had issues with the focus at first but Canon has a Firmware update out and its essential to download as you should update firmware on anything you use. CONS: - The box does not come with a few items I wish it had which is a USB-C Cable, carrying case/pouch, and a memory card. All of those you will have to provide on your own. - Updating the Firmware requires you to plug your Camera into your computer via a USB-C cable and downloading the firmware from the website. You would think a camera like this could do it all via WiFi with no cables but it doesn't and I think it’s a step back for the ease of use for the camera user. BOTTOM LINE: - The Canon G7 X Mark III will make so many people happy: travelers, vloggers, social media users, and those who just want to just capture family memories. It has enough ease of use to just grab it and go, but enough deep features for people who really want to dive into making the best content possible. I used to think my Smartphone took pictures that were just as good as professional cameras, but after using this I know how far off I am!

My knowledge of cameras and photography boils down to can I trust my cellphone to capture my subject quickly, accurately and look good enough on Auto settings to share. But since I received the Canon PowerShot G7 Mark III, I've been trying to branch out and fiddle with White Balance, ISO, Focal Length, RAW and the likes that comes with working with a real camera. I've learned a little bit to get better shots but Auto mode works just fine for me. Overall, I definitely see the benefits of owning and using a Real camera but just whipping out my phone and snapping my subject such as my cats is just so much easier. Back to the camera. It's packed full of features that make it a compelling option for a beginner like myself. Has WiFi, and Bluetooth to connect to my phone, laptop or email to get my images to things I use everyday from the app. The charging/transfer over USB-C is a great touch for future proofing. The flippable view finder is great for vlogging if you're into that. 16x zoom helps you get in On the downside, the camera has issues with my SD card saying it can't be found or requiring a reformat only to end up working again through a power cycle. In the end, I do enjoy using the Canon, when I remember I have it around and wish to use it. A great beginner option in features and price until you can get into DSLR and Mirrorless options.

I find it very amusing that the example for a review title that the website gives me is "great camera for a beginner", because that is exactly what this is. I wouldn't want to use this as a professional camera, but for a casual photographer, this is probably about the best that you are going to get. The pictures are amazing (I'm kind of sad that I had to resize the photos and lose a lot of the quality in order to upload them), the different filters and settings are fun to play with. My favorite is the analog film mode (I don't have any pictures that I took with that which don't have my son in them and I don't want to upload pictures of him publicly). And it works in all kinds of lighting (including practically no light, the picture of the black jacket was taken in a room with nothing but a tiny bit of light coming in from a hallway). It isn't quite as responsive as a DSLR, but it is definitely faster than any other point and shoot camera that I've used. The video quality is really good too and while the built in mic isn't amazing, it is better than most built in mics out there (and there is an option to add an external mic, I haven't bothered though). The feature that I am geaking out the most about though is the built in wifi and the ability to directly upload to photo sharing/storage sites. It is a bit slow (especially compared to removing the memory card and inserting it into a card reader), but it sure is handy.

This camera has been long waited for and honestly has let me down alot. The audio on this camera was ok, so I used a small microphone on side and worked amazing. This issue I could overcome, what I cant get past is the horrible focus system. I know it doesn't have the dual pixel system like m50 but for the price the auto focus could have a better computer system for it. Vlogging with the camera for Our Micro Family we need a good camera, and this one did not work. I would be interested in canon releasing a firmware update to improve the camera but the other issue is adobe does not support cr3 the new raw file format from canon so i had raw files I could not edit either. Long story short, canon is amazing brand but did not deliver enough to impress this vlogger.

Absolutely love this camera it's good for youtubing and blogging also great for taking really good shots vacations I would highly highly recommend this camera it is way worth the $750