Canon Powershot G7 Review
Date: December 21st 2006
Author: Gavin Stoker
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Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were taken using
the 10 megapixel Superfine quality mode, which gives an average
image size of around 4Mb - 6Mb.
Noise
There are 7 ISO settings available on the Canon Powershot
G7 which you can select at any time if the camera is in any
of the creative shooting modes. Here are some 100% crops which
show the noise levels for each ISO setting. Disappointingly,
but not unsurprisingly, image noise is readily visible in
images taken above ISO 400, even when viewed at just 25%,
leading me for the most part to steer well clear of ISO 1600
(or ISO 3200 selectable via the scene modes, unless you're
aiming for a homage to the Impressionists).
Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality
50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening
applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little
soft at the default setting ideally and benefit from some
further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You
can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your
tastes via the My Colors menu option.
Chromatic Aberrations
The Canon Powershot G7 dealt very well with chromatic aberrations
well during the review. There's some slight fringing between
areas of high contrast – bright skies and foreground for example
– but it's only noticeable on really close inspection.
Macro
The Canon Powershot G7 offers a Macro setting that allows
you to focus on a subject that is just 1cm away from the camera
when the lens is set to wide-angle. The first image shows
how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact
flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.
Flash
The flash settings on the Canon Powershot G7 are Auto, Manual
Flash On / Off, Slow Sync Speed and Red-eye Reduction. These
shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of
1.5m.
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Auto Flash - Telephoto (210mm) |
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And here are some self-portrait shots. If you opt to use
flash for portraits, it's difficult to completely avoid the
effects of red eye (despite the camera's anti red-eye flash
setting).
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Flash On (100% Crop) |
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Flash - Red-Eye Reduction (100%
Crop) |
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Night Shot
The Canon Powershot G7 maximum shutter speed is 15 seconds,
which is great for night photography. The shot below was taken
using a shutter speed of 1/80 second, f/4 at ISO 800. I've
included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality
is like.
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Night Shot (100% crop) |
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Overall Image Quality
As you'd expect from such an enthusiast's model, images appear
sharp, well exposed and crystal clear on the Canon Powershot
G7 camera back – and happily the same is true once downloaded
to the desktop and examined in closer detail. There's no doubting
that optical image stabilization is a real plus at the longer
end of the zoom, meaning that any blurred images among my
test shots were few and far between. The degree of highlight
and shadow detail is also acceptable at this level. Disappointingly,
but not unsurprisingly, image noise is readily visible in
images taken above ISO 400, even when viewed at just 25%,
leading me for the most part to steer well clear of ISO 1600
(or ISO 3200 selectable via the scene modes, unless you're
aiming for a homage to the Impressionists). I somewhat compromised
by flicking the dedicated dial to ISO 800 for our night time
test shots, and got what I think are still usable if not the
best results. Left on default, under daylight, the Canon G7's
colours are vivid enough for my tastes, with reds, greens
and blues nicely 'punchy'. Skin tones are warm and flatteringly
healthy without being unrealistically so. There's some slight
fringing between areas of high contrast – bright skies and
foreground for example – but it's only noticeable on really
close inspection, and certainly not on an A3 print, which
is probably the largest size most of us would typically output.
Overall the Canon G7 acquits itself very well in the area
that counts the most.
 PhotographyBLOG
is a member of the DIWA
organisation. Our test results for the Canon Powershot G7
have been submitted to DIWA
for comparison with test results for different samples of
the same camera model supplied by other DIWA
member sites.
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