Canon G7X Mark II Review

Overview

Canon's updated PowerShot G7X II takes what made the original G7X so appealing -- a compact form factor, large 1"-type sensor, and versatile 4.2x optical zoom lens -- and introduces a wide array of new features and improvements. While the 20.1-megapixel 1"-type CMOS sensor and 24-100mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 lens are the same, much has changed with the Mark II.

While generally similar in appearance, the Mark II includes numerous changes to the camera body design. There is now a small front grip on the camera. Absent on the G7X much to some users' dismay, the Mark II's new front grip is also rubberized for additional grip and comfort. A second change to the front of the camera is a redesigned front control ring, which now gives users the option to select between smooth or stepped rotation by using a small lever switch located near 4 o'clock position on the control ring.

Moving now to the back of the Canon G7X II, button layout is essentially identical, although some functions on the directional pad have changed. The 1,040K-dot screen can now tilt downward 45 degrees in addition to the 180 degrees of upward movement of its predecessor.

The G7X II includes the same 4.2x optical zoom lens found in the original G7X (and also last year's Canon PowerShot G5X). The 24-100mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 lens with a 9-blade iris diaphragm and optical image stabilization can focus as close as 2 inches (5 centimeters) at 24mm and 1.3 feet (40 centimeters) at 100mm. The 1"-type 20.1-megapixel CMOS sensor remains unchanged, although with new processing, image quality is said be improved, particularly at higher ISOs.

The first Canon camera to feature the all-new DIGIC 7 image processor, the G7X Mark II includes a variety of performance improvements. In addition to improved noise performance throughout its ISO 125-12,800 sensitivity range, there is also much faster continuous shooting performance. The Mark II's top burst speed is now rated at 8 fps, up from 6.5 fps on the G7X in One Shot H continuous shooting mode, which locks focus at the first frame. But more importantly, RAW mode is now also rated at 8 fps, a huge improvement over the 1.2 frames per second continuous RAW shooting rate of its predecessor. In Servo H mode, this speed drops down to 5.4 fps, with continuous AF. Additionally, RAW images captured by the G7X II are now 14-bit, rather than the 12-bit RAW files captured by the G7X. This brings the G7X II in line with the G3X, G5X, and G9X PowerShot cameras.

Autofocus performance is said to have been improved as well, particularly with regards to low contrast scenes and subject tracking. A new panning feature has been added as well, allowing users to photograph a moving subject with locked-on autofocus and automatic shutter speed adjustments to create motion blur in the background. Depending on the direction you're panning, the camera's Intelligent Image Stabilizer (IS) will automatically turn on or off.

Primary video features remain unchanged, however, with the Canon G7X II capturing 1080p video at up to 60 fps in MP4 format with stereo sound. Not all is the same, though, as the camera includes a new time-lapse movie feature. Capturing images at preset intervals, the camera automatically combines them into a short time-lapse movie clip.

Its new processor also affords the G7X II the ability to process RAW files in-camera, making it the first PowerShot camera to include this feature. A new Picture Style function from the EOS camera line also makes its way to the G7X II, granting users the ability to control color, contrast, and sharpness in camera.

With the G7X II's dedicated Wi-Fi button, you'll be able to easily share these images using the camera's built-in Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity and companion smartphone app (for iOS/Android). You'll also be able to shoot for longer too as battery life has been improved from 210 shots to 265 shots (355 shots using ECO Mode), using the same NB-13L battery pack. And the Mark II now supports in-camera charging via USB even though it ships with a dedicated charger, however a USB cable is not included in the bundle.

The new and improved PowerShot G7X Mark II builds upon its predecessor adding numerous new features and improving overall performance. The Canon G7X II began shipping in May 2016 for an estimated retail price of US$699.99.

In the Box

The Canon G7 X II retail box includes (may vary by region):

• Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II digital camera
• NB-13L Lithium-ion battery pack
• CB-2LH battery charger
• WS-DC12 wrist strap
• 1-Year Limited Warranty

Recommended Accessories

• Large capacity SDHC/SDXC memory card. We recommend 16GB as a minimum capacity. Speed Class 10 or higher is required for recording Full HD movies and UHS-I types are supported.
• Extra NB-13L battery pack (~US$50)
• Camera case

Optics

Lens

Zoom
A generous zoom ratio for its size and speed, with mixed optical performance.

The Canon PowerShot G7X II's 4.2x zoom lens covers the equivalent of about 24-100mm on a 35mm camera, offering a more generous zoom ratio than most cameras in its class. Maximum aperture ranges from a very fast f/1.8 at wide angle to a fast f/2.8 at full telephoto.

The following table reflects the maximum and minimum apertures at various focal lengths as reported by the camera:

Focal length (eq.)	24mm	28mm	35mm	42mm	56mm	100mm
Maximum aperture	f/1.8	f/2.0	f/2.2	f/2.5	f/2.8	f/2.8
Minimum aperture	f/11 at all focal lengths

Sharpness is very good over much of the frame at full wide angle and f/5.6, but corners are somewhat soft, likely because of the strong distortion correction applied (see below). Little chromatic aberration is visible as it is effectively suppressed in JPEGs, though some minor flare is evident around the bright white elements of this shot. At medium focal length (~49mm eq.), far-field performance appears to be superb at f/5.6 with excellent sharpness and contrast, and flare doesn't appear to be an issue. Results at full telephoto and f/5.6 are quite good, with good sharpness and contrast across the frame. Again, chromatic aberration is negligible because the G7X II suppresses it in JPEGs, though we have seen some significant purple or red fringing around strongly backlit subjects in some shots.

The G7X II also offers digital zoom up to 4x, and what Canon calls a "digital teleconverter" at preset magnifications of 1.6x and 2.0x, and we've got a 2.0x example above.

Overall, very good to excellent far-field performance at f/5.6 at medium to telephoto focal lengths, but the lens does not perform that well in the corners at maximum wide angle. See below for our lab results.

Macro
A larger than average macro area, with very good detail in the center. Flash overexposed and is partially blocked by the lens at closest focus.

The Canon PowerShot G7X II's lens captured a larger-than-average minimum area of 3.26 x 2.17 inches (83 x 55 millimeters). Sharpness is very good in the central area of the frame, though corners and edges are very soft from field curvature. (Most cameras have some softening in the corners in macro mode, but usually not this much.) The Canon G7X II's built-in flash is partially blocked by the lens at closest focus distance, resulting in a very dark shadow in the bottom right and overexposure in the top left. You'll likely want to use external lighting for close macro shots with the G7X II.

Distortion
Lower than average distortion in JPEGs; very high at wide angle in uncorrected RAW files.

In-camera JPEGs
Barrel distortion at 24mm eq. is about 0.3%
Barrel distortion at 100mm eq. is less than 0.1%

JPEG: The Canon G7X II's just under 0.3% barrel distortion at wide angle is low compared to the average digital camera, especially considering its generously wide 24mm-equivalent focal length (see below for the explanation). The less than 0.1% barrel distortion at the telephoto end is very low and not the pincushion type of distortion we normally see at telephoto. This is the tendency for the lens to bend straight lines outward (like a barrel -- usually at wide angle) or inward (like a pincushion -- usually at telephoto).

Uncorrected RAW
Barrel distortion at 24mm eq. is about 4.8%
Pincushion distortion at 100mm eq. is about 0.3%

Uncorrected RAW: When converting RAW files using dcraw (no corrections applied), we see that actual barrel distortion at wide angle is extremely high, at about 4.8%. Also note how the image circle does not cover the corners of the sensor at maximum wide angle, leaving them very dark. Uncorrected distortion at full telephoto is just over 0.3% pincushion, so the in-camera JPEG was overcorrected slightly. Canon's bundled Digital Photo Professional and Adobe Camera Raw automatically reduce geometric distortion, producing distortion measurements similar to in-camera JPEGs.

High distortion is quite common at wide angle in smaller lenses these days, and most RAW converters will automatically correct for it. There is however going to be a loss of resolution as well as possible interpolation artifacts as a result of such strong correction, because pixels in the corners of the frame are being "stretched" to correct for the distortion. And in the case of the G7X II, the image circle does not cover the entire sensor at wide angle (we also saw this with the G7X, G5X and G1X II), requiring even more interpolation back to full 20-megapixel image dimensions. If you look closely at the corners in the G7X II's wide-angle JPEGs, they are soft and detail is a little rough with straight edges in the resolution target looking jagged. Obviously, a lens that doesn't require such correction and is also sharp in the corners to begin with would be preferable, but relaxing constraints on distortion brings other benefits in the lens design, such as a compact, lower-cost design.

Chromatic Aberration and Corner Softness
CA is low to moderate at wide angle, and lower at telephoto in JPEGs. Mild to moderate blurring in the corners of the frame at wide angle, but good corner sharpness at full telephoto.

Maximum Aperture
24mm eq. (f/1.8): Upper left CA: Moderately low Softness: Moderately soft	24mm eq. (f/1.8): Center CA: Low Softness: Sharp
100mm eq. (f/2.8): Lower right CA: Low Softness: Fairly sharp	100mm eq. (f/2.8): Center CA: Low Softness: Fairly sharp

Chromatic Aberration. Lateral chromatic aberration is moderately low in the corners at wide angle, but not very bright, however some axial chromatic aberration can be seen in the center, though it's fairly low. At full telephoto, lateral chromatic aberration is low in the corners, though some axial chromatic aberration can be seen in the center again. We have however seen some relatively bright purple or red fringing around bright objects in real-world shots. See below for examples of uncorrected C.A. Chromatic aberration is a type of distortion visible as a slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.

Corner Softness. The Canon G7X II's lens produces moderately soft corners at full wide angle when wide open. Blurring is strongest in the top left corner, but the other corners are pretty close. Softness doesn't extend very far into the frame, though, and the center is sharp. Rough edges and much of the softness in the corners are due to the strong geometric distortion and CA correction taking place at wide angle. Corners at full telephoto are fairly sharp but not as contrasty as the center with clear signs of CA suppression, and the center is not quite as sharp as at wide angle.

Corner Shading. Vignetting is fairly low at either end of the zoom, even wide open.

Aperture f/5.6
24mm eq. (f/5.6): Upper left CA: Low Softness: Soft	24mm eq. (f/5.6): Center CA: Very low Softness: Sharp
100mm eq. (f/5.6): Lower right CA: Very low Softness: Fairly sharp	100mm eq (f/5.6): Center CA: Very low Softness: Fairly sharp

F5.6. When the lens is stopped-down to f/5.6, corner sharpness actually degraded a bit at wide angle, while the center remained sharp but with better contrast and less CA. At full telephoto, corner sharpness and especially contrast improved, while sharpness in the center remained about the same, though contrast and CA improved. Vignetting is not significant at either end of the zoom range.

Chromatic Aberration Correction

In-camera JPEG	Uncorrected RAW
24mm eq. (f/1.8): Upper left CA: Moderately low	24mm eq. (f/1.8): Upper left CA: Moderately high
100mm eq. (f/2.8): Upper left CA: Moderately low	100mm eq. (f/2.8): Upper left CA: Moderately high

Not surprisingly, chromatic aberrations are much higher in uncorrected RAW files than in camera JPEGs. As you can see, the Canon G7X II's new DIGIC 7 image processor does a pretty good job suppressing most of the chromatic aberration in JPEGs (crops on the left) versus RAW files converted with dcraw (on the right) which does not correct for C.A. Note that most commercial converters like Adobe Camera Raw will automatically correct for C.A, as the G7X II's .CR2 RAW files have a built-in lens profile.

Localized Flare at Maximum Aperture

When we reviewed the Canon G7X, we noticed its lens produced what looked like localized flare that can also be described as a glowing softness or a halo effect that is sometimes accompanied by axial chromatic aberration. The defect was most noticeable in high-contrast subjects that were slightly outside and usually behind the plane of focus, and diminished as you stopped down. The aberration appeared to be worst-case at wide angle and closest focus, however, we also saw it in shots at more normal subject distances, and at other focal lengths.

Since the G7X Mark II's lens remains unchanged from its predecessor's, we were not surprised to see it exhibit the same trait, as you can see in a few of our gallery shots.

Viewfinder

Coverage
Excellent accuracy from the LCD monitor.

The Canon PowerShot G7X II's LCD monitor displayed excellent accuracy in record mode, showing just over 100% coverage at both wide angle and at full telephoto.

The images above were taken from our standardized test shots. For a collection of more pictorial photos, see our Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II Photo Gallery .

Exposure

Color

Saturation & Hue Accuracy
Slightly below average mean saturation levels with excellent hue accuracy.

In the diagram above, the squares show the original color, and the circles show the color that the camera captured. More saturated colors are located towards the periphery of the graph. Hue changes as you travel around the center. Thus, hue-accurate, highly saturated colors appear as lines radiating from the center. Click chart for a larger image.

Saturation. The Canon G7X II produced realistic saturation levels, with only mild boosts to most colors and moderate oversaturation of reds. Greens and blues are not boosted as much as its predecessor, while bright yellow, light green, aqua and cyan were undersaturated by small amounts. Mean saturation at base ISO is 106.2%, or 6.2% oversaturated, which is a little below average these days. Overall, the Canon G7X II's images still appear to have pleasing saturation levels and you can always adjust saturation using the camera's "My Colors" options. Most consumer digital cameras produce color that's more highly saturated (more intense) than found in the original subjects. This is simply because most people like their color a bit brighter than life.

Skin tones. With Manual white balance in simulated daylight, the Canon G7X II rendered lighter Caucasian skin tones just a touch too yellow. Auto white balance produced more pleasant, pinkish skin tones. Where oversaturation is most problematic is on Caucasian skin tones, as it's very easy for these "memory colors" to be seen as too bright, too pink, too yellow, etc.

Hue. The Canon PowerShot G7X II produced a few color shifts relative to the ideal hues with Manual white balance in simulated daylight, most visibly pushing cyan toward blue (probably for better-looking skies), orange to yellow, and yellow toward green, but all shifts were quite minor. Mean "delta-C" color error after correcting for saturation at base ISO was only 3.49 which is excellent and much better than average, with hardly any yellow-to-green shift we often see. Hue is "what color" the color is.

Sensor

Exposure and White Balance

Indoors, incandescent lighting
Strong color casts with Auto and Incandescent settings, but very good with Manual white balance setting. Average exposure accuracy..

Color balance indoors under incandescent lighting was pretty awful with Auto white balance setting, producing a strong red/magenta cast. The Incandescent white balance option was better, but too warm, with a strong yellow/orange cast. The Manual white balance setting was pretty accurate, though, but a touch cool. The PowerShot G7X II's exposure system handled this lighting well, requiring a typical amount of exposure compensation (+ 0.3 EV) for this shot. Our test lighting for this shot is a mixture of 60 and 100 watt household incandescent bulbs, a pretty yellow light source, but a very common one in typical home settings here in the U.S.

Outdoors, daylight
Slightly cool colors, with high default contrast. Above average exposure compensation required.

The Canon PowerShot G7X II performed fairly well in the simulated outdoor lighting of our "Sunlit" Portrait shot. Although above average exposure compensation of +1.0 EV was needed to keep the mannequin's facial skin tones bright, the number of blown highlights in her shirt and the flowers is actually not bad for such a compact camera, and detail in the shadows is pretty good. The G7X II underexposed our outdoor far-field shot at default exposure a bit producing some very deep shadows, but as a result very few highlights were blown. Luminance noise is a bit high in deep shadows, however chrominance noise is well controlled. Color outdoors was good with the Auto white balance setting, just a touch cool, and Auto WB produced more pinkish, healthy-looking skin tones than Manual WB did for our "Sunlit" Portrait shot.

See full set of test images with explanations
See thumbnails of all test and gallery images

Resolution
~2,600 lines of strong detail from in-camera JPEGs, about the same from converted RAW files.

Our laboratory resolution chart revealed sharp, distinct line patterns up to about 2,600 lines per picture height in the horizontal direction, and to about the same in the vertical direction in JPEGs straight out of the camera, although some aliasing artifacts can be seen as early as 1,300 lines. Extinction of the pattern occurred at around 3,000 lines in the horizontal direction, and at around 3,200 lines in the vertical direction. An Adobe Camera Raw conversion of the matching CR2 file didn't really produce higher resolution numbers, however total extinction of the pattern was extended to between 3,200 and 3,400 lines, with obvious false colors past the resolution limits. Use these numbers to compare with other cameras of similar resolution, or use them to see just what higher resolution can mean in terms of potential detail.

See full set of test images with explanations
See thumbnails of all test and gallery images

Sharpness & Detail
Fairly sharp, detailed images overall, though with some visible sharpening artifacts on high-contrast subjects. Noise suppression limits detail in low-contrast areas.

Sharpness. The Canon PowerShot G7X II captures fairly sharp JPEG images at default settings, though some edge enhancement artifacts are visible on high-contrast subjects such as the noticeable halos around lines and text in the crop above left. Sharpening appears a little higher than its predecessor which give G7X II images a bit more "pop" straight out of the camera, but enthusiasts might want to shoot with a lower sharpening setting and apply additional sharpening in post processing, try the new Fine Detail mode (see below), or shoot RAW for complete control over sharpening. Edge enhancement creates the illusion of sharpness by enhancing colors and tones right at the edge of a rapid transition in color or tone.

Detail. The crop above right shows some significant smudging of low-contrast detail due to noise suppression at base ISO, as individual strands of hair are blurred together in midtones and shadows, but noise is quite low as a result while still holding onto a decent amount of detail. Noise-suppression systems in digital cameras tend to flatten-out detail in areas of subtle contrast. The effects can often be seen in shots of human hair, where the individual strands are lost and an almost "watercolor" look appears.

In-Camera JPEGs: Standard vs Fine Detail Picture Style setting
The Canon G7X II is the first PowerShot to offer the Fine Detail Picture Style first seen on the Canon EOS 5DSR/5DS and then on the 80D. Below is a comparison with the default Standard Picture Style.

Base ISO (125)
Camera JPEG, defaults	Camera JPEG, Fine Detail

In the table above, we compare the Canon G7X II's default Standard Picture Style setting (left) to its new Fine Detail preset at base ISO. Like the Canon EOS 5DS/R and 80D DSLRs, the Canon G7X II offers users much more flexibility in sharpening than other PowerShot models, allowing you to adjust not only the "Strength" (from 0 to 7) but also the "Fineness" (1 to 5) and "Threshold" (1 to 5) operators. We believe these parameters correlate to unsharp mask options for strength, radius and threshold available in photo editing software such as Photoshop, although we don't know what the equivalent units might be.

The result is a slightly improved, more natural-looking rendering of fine detail along with slightly less obvious sharpening halos than the default Standard setting. However, noise is more visible in flatter areas, and contrast is lower, making the Fine Detail image appear to have less "pop" than the default Picture Style. There also appear to be minor differences in color, even though Color Tone, Saturation and Contrast settings are identical between these two Picture Styles presets. Given the flexibility in settings, though, you may be able to find a better combination than the defaults compared above.

RAW vs Default In-Camera JPEGs
As noted above the Canon G7X II produces fairly sharp, detailed in-camera JPEGs at base ISO. But with a good RAW converter, more detail can often be extracted with fewer sharpening artifacts. See below:

Base ISO (125)
Camera JPEG, defaults	RAW via Adobe Camera Raw

In the table above, we compare an in-camera JPEG taken at base ISO using default noise reduction and sharpening (on the left) to the matching RAW file converted with Adobe Camera Raw 9.1 via DNG Converter 9.6 using default noise reduction with some strong but tight unsharp masking applied in Photoshop (300%, radius of 0.3 pixels, and a threshold of 0).

Looking closely at the images, it's clear that ACR extracts additional detail that isn't present in the JPEG from the camera, particularly in the red-leaf swatch where the thread pattern is likely treated as noise by the JPEG engine. Fine detail in the mosaic crop is also improved, but as is often the case, more noise can be seen in the bottle crop. You can of course apply stronger noise reduction (default ACR NR used here) to arrive at your ideal noise versus detail tradeoff. As expected, sharpening halos aren't nearly as strong as the default camera output but the conversion doesn't have the same "pop" as the in-camera JPEG because of lower contrast, and we actually prefer Canon's colors. Still, as usual, you can produce finer detail with a good RAW converter, as well as have more control over noise reduction, color, saturation, contrast, etc.

ISO & Noise Performance
Very good high ISO performance for a camera its size.

Default Noise Reduction
ISO 125	ISO 200	ISO 400
ISO 800	ISO 1,600	ISO 3,200
ISO 6,400	ISO 12,800

The PowerShot G7X II performed very well here for its size, with improved color and crispness compared to its predecessor at low to moderate ISOs. ISO 125 and 200 are quite clean and detailed with much better crispness than our G7X's indoor portrait shots. ISO 400 shows some softening due to stronger noise reduction, but detail and clarity in the hair are noticeably better than from the G7X. ISO 800 is noisier and softer from more aggressive noise reduction however it's still better than the G7X's image. ISO 1600 is of course softer but still better than the G7X's, and this is true of ISO 3200 as well. Image quality drops off rapidly at ISO 6400 and 12,800, though, with strong luma noise as well as strong blurring from noise reduction, no longer giving the G7X II an edge over the G7X except in color.

Overall, noticeably improved JPEG image quality at low to moderately high ISOs compared to the G7X, at least here under incandescent lighting.

Of course, the impact of noise and detail loss are highly dependent on the size the photos are printed at, and pixel-peeping on-screen has surprisingly little relationship to how the images look when printed: See the Print Quality section below for recommended maximum print sizes at each ISO.

Extremes: Sunlit and low light tests
Pretty good dynamic range for its class. Good low-light performance, capable of capturing bright images in near darkness at all ISOs.

Sunlight. The Canon PowerShot G7X II did well under the deliberately harsh lighting in the test above. To keep facial tones bright, +1.0 EV compensation was required, which led to some clipped highlights in the mannequin's shirt and flowers, but not as many as one might expect, and they are easily recoverable from the RAW files. Some may prefer the +0.7 EV setting for its reduced highlight clipping, but we found the face a bit too dim. Detail is quite good in the shadows at +1.0 EV, though very deep shadows are a little grainy and discolored, however chroma noise is well controlled. Very good results in harsh lighting for such a compact camera, but consider using fill flash in situations like the one shown above; and it's better to shoot in the shade when possible.

Because digital cameras are more like slide film than negative film (in that they tend to have a more limited tonal range), we test them in the harshest situations to see how they handle scenes with bright highlights and dark shadows, as well as what kind of sensitivity they have in low light. The shot above is designed to mimic the very harsh, contrasty effect of direct noonday sunlight, a very tough challenge for most digital cameras. (You can read details of this test here.)

Face Detection Examples
Aperture Priority 0 EV	Face Detection 0 EV	Smart Auto 0 EV

The table above shows results with the default exposure using Aperture Priority AE, as well as with face detection enabled, and Smart Auto mode. As you can see, the G7X II's face detection and Smart Auto modes both increased exposure dramatically compared to the default exposure in Aperture Priority mode, going from very underexposed to bright images. Smart Auto mode selected an aperture of f/3.5 instead of f/4 we used in Aperture Priority and reduced ISO slightly to at 116 according to EXIF.

Highlights and Shadows
Previous PowerShot models offered an Intelligent Contrast (i-Contrast) feature, with "Dynamic Range Correction" to help tame highlights, and "Shadow Correct" to bring out more shadow detail, however the G7X II is the first PowerShot to implement Highlight Tone Priority as well as Automatic Lighting Optimization, just like Canon's EOS models.

Highlight Tone Priority
While very few highlights were blown to begin with at default exposure, below you can see the Canon G7X II's Highlight Tone Priority (HTP) option still toned down highlights while essentially leaving shadows and midtones alone. (Mouse over the Off and On links to load the corresponding thumbnail, histogram and crops.)

Highlight Tone Priority (0 EV)
HTP Setting: Off On
Highlights
Shadows (Levels boosted to reveal noise.)
Histogram

Both shots above were captured at the same exposure, the only difference being that HTP was enabled for the second shot which necessarily increases the minimum ISO to 250; part of how HTP works. If you look closely at shadows (the levels in shadow crops above are heavily boosted to reveal noise that would be difficult to see otherwise), you'll notice an increase in noise is the price you pay when ISO is boosted (here, from 125 to 250).

Auto Lighting Optimizer
Like Canon EOS models, the G7X II offers three selectable levels of Automatic Lighting Optimization (ALO), plus Off. In fully automatic mode (Smart Auto or Hybrid Auto) and some scene modes, ALO is automatically enabled and it's available in P, Tv, Av and M exposure modes. Mouse over the links below to load the associated thumbnail and histogram, and click on the links to load full resolution images.

Automatic Lighting Optimizer (0 EV)
ALO Setting: Off Low Standard (default) High

As you can see above, ALO has the effect of shifting shadows and darker mid-tones in the histograms to the right, brightening shadows and indeed most of the image without affecting highlights much. ISO is not boosted for ALO so increased noise is not an issue, though it may be slightly more visible in shadows that have been boosted significantly.

Dynamic Range Analysis (RAW mode)
While we once performed our own dynamic range measurements based on in-camera JPEGs as well as converted RAW images (when the camera was supported by Adobe Camera Raw), we've switched to using DxO Labs' results from their DxOMark website. As technology advanced, the dynamic range of modern high-end cameras in some cases exceeded the range of the Stouffer T4110 density scale that we used for our own measurements. DxO's approach based on RAW data before demosaicing is also more revealing, because it measures the fundamental dynamic range of the sensor, irrespective of whatever processing is applied to JPEGs, or to RAW data by off-the-shelf conversion software.

In the following, we use DxO's "Print" dynamic range results, which are scaled based on camera resolution. As the name suggests, this scaling corresponds to the situation in which you print at a given size, regardless of how many megapixels the camera might have. (In other words, if you've decided to make a 13x19 inch print, that's the size you're printing, whether the camera's resolution is 16 or 300 megapixels.) For the technically-minded, you can find a discussion of the reasoning behind this here on the DxOMark website. Also note that DxO Labs uses a signal-to-noise (SNR) threshold of 1 when defining the lower boundary of acceptable luminance noise in their dynamic range measurements, which corresponds to the "Low Quality" threshold of the Imatest software we used to use for this measurement.

Unfortunately, DxOMark has not tested the G7X II at the time of writing. We'll come back and fill this section in after they do, but in the meantime, check out their G7X test results which should be very similar.

	1 fc 11 lux	1/16 fc 0.67 lux	1/16 fc No NR
ISO 125	0.5s, f1.8	8s, f1.8	8s, f1.8
ISO 3200	1/50s, f1.8	0.3s, f1.8	0.3s, f1.8
ISO 12800	1/200s, f1.8	1/13s, f1.8	1/13s, f1.8

Low Light. The Canon PowerShot G7X II performed very well in our low-light tests thanks to its fast lens, capturing bright images at the lowest light level (1/16 foot-candle), even at the lowest sensitivity setting (ISO 125). As expected for a 1"-type sensor, luma noise is a little high at ISO 3200, but fairly fine-grained, while chroma noise is very well-controlled. The G7X II's highest ISO of 12,800 is quite grainy with strong blurring, but that's no surprise.

Color balance is pretty good with Canon G7X II's Auto white balance setting, just a touch cool, even at highest ISO and lowest light level. We didn't notice any significant issues with hot pixels, pattern noise or heat blooming.

LL AF: The camera's AF system was able to focus unassisted on our low-contrast AF target down to -3.8 EV at wide angle, and on our high-contrast AF target down to -6.4 EV, which is excellent. And the G7X II was able to focus on both targets in complete darkness with the aid of its AF assist lamp.

How bright is this? The one foot-candle light level that this test begins at roughly corresponds to the brightness of typical city street-lighting at night. Cameras performing well at that level should be able to snap good-looking photos of street-lit scenes.

NOTE: This low light test is conducted with a stationary subject, and the camera mounted on a sturdy tripod. Most digital cameras will fail miserably when faced with a moving subject in dim lighting. (For example, a child's ballet recital or a holiday pageant in a gymnasium.) For such applications, you may have better luck with a digital SLR camera, but even there, you'll likely need to set the focus manually. For information and reviews on digital SLRs, refer to our SLR review index page.

Output Quality

Print Quality
Excellent, high-resolution prints up to 24 x 36 inches at ISO 125-200; Nice 8 x 10 inch prints at ISO 3200; and usable 5 x 7 inch prints at ISO 6400.

ISO 125/200 images look great all the way up to 24 x 36 inches. At this print size, you're pushing the limits of the 20MP sensor, but from a typical viewing distance for a print this large, image quality is impressive. There's a lot of crisp fine detail and pleasing, vibrant colors. ISO 200 images look practically identical to base ISO ones, especially in prints, with no visible increase in noise or decrease in detail that would impact print sizes.

ISO 400 prints start to display a slight drop in fine detail and a bit of visible noise back in the shadow areas. Therefore, we're putting the print size limit at a still-healthy 20 x 30 inches.

ISO 800 images show stronger noise, which subsequently reduces fine detail further and softens things up a bit more. At prints sizes up to 13 x 19 inches, quality is very good; there's still a lot of detail at this size, and noise remains limited to the shadows and has a rather fine-grained appearance. However, we'd be okay with a 16 x 20 inch print for less critical applications at this sensitivity.

ISO 1600 prints top-out at a respectable 11 x 14 inches. Noise is quite visible now at higher print sizes and is also taking its toll on low-contrast detail -- detail the red-leaf fabric of our test target images has become pretty soft and mushy. At 11 x 14, however, noise appears under control and not overly problematic from a quality standpoint.

ISO 3200 images really start to show the impact of the rising ISO sensitivity. There's an overall softness to lots of detail (and our red-leaf fabric swatch is nearly devoid of any detail whatsoever), but, by keeping sizes at 8 x 10 inches or below, you can still make some excellent prints with good detail and great colors.

ISO 6400 prints should be kept at 5 x 7 inches at maximum. Noise is quite apparent and really hurts fine detail at larger sizes.

ISO 12,800 images, unfortunately, are too soft and lacking in detail for us to comfortably consider usable for a print. However, for less critical applications, we'd be okay with a 4 x 6 inch print.

While the Canon G7X Mark II uses the same or very similar 20-megapixel 1-inch-type sensor as well as the same lens as the original Mark I model, it brings an all-new DIGIC 7 image processor to the table. Overall, it does a great job in the print quality department, offering about a print size larger than the G7X at the lower ISOs. At base ISO or ISO 200, the Canon G7X II is capable of crisp, colorful prints up to an impressive 24 x 36 inches. Even at ISO 800, the G7X II matches its predecessor with a very nice 13 x 19 inch print, and even a solid 8 x 10 all the way until ISO 3200. Despite its pocketable size, the G7X Mark II can still make nice, usable 5 x 7 inch prints up to ISO 6400. But at ISO 12,800, the Canon G7X II, like the original, captures images that are simply too noisy and lacking in detail to make acceptable prints.

The images above were taken from our standardized test shots. For a collection of more pictorial photos, see our Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II Photo Gallery .

Not sure which camera to buy? Let your eyes be the ultimate judge! Visit our Comparometer(tm) to compare images from the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II with those from other cameras you may be considering. The proof is in the pictures, so let your own eyes decide which you like best!

Performance

Image Quality

Below are crops from our laboratory Still Life target comparing the Canon G7X Mark II's image quality to its predecessor's, the G7X, as well as to a range of compact enthusiast cameras: the Canon G5X, Panasonic LX100, Panasonic ZS100 and Sony RX100 IV. All cameras in this comparison use 1"-type sensors except for the Panasonic LX100, which uses most of a Four Thirds sensor.

NOTE: These images are from best quality JPEGs straight out of the camera, at default settings including noise reduction and using the camera's actual base ISO (not extended ISO settings). Clicking any crop will take you to a carrier page where you can click once again to access the full resolution image as delivered straight from the camera. For those interested in working with the RAW files involved, click these links to visit each camera's respective sample image thumbnail page: Canon G7X II, Canon G7X , Canon G5X, Panasonic LX100, Panasonic ZS100, and Sony RX100 IV -- links to the RAW files appear beneath those for the JPEG images, wherever we have them. And remember, you can always go to our world-renowned Comparometer to compare the Canon G7X II to any camera we've ever tested!

Canon G7X Mark II vs Canon G7X at Base ISO

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 125	Canon G7X at ISO 125
Right off the bat, we see better color from the G7X Mark II than from its predecessor at base ISO, with much less of a green shift in yellows and beiges, and more accurate pinks. The G7X II image looks a bit punchier with slightly lower noise as well, though the G7X retains a bit more detail.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Canon G5X at Base ISO

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 125	Canon G5X at ISO 125
Unsurprisingly, image quality from the GX5 is nearly identical to the G7X as they use the same generation sensor and processor. Thus, again, the G7X Mark II shows better color, slightly higher contrast, slightly less noise, but not quite as much fine detail.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Panasonic LX100 at Base ISO

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 125	Panasonic LX100 at ISO 200
Here we compare the 20-megapixel 1"-sensored Canon G7X II to the 12.7-megapixel 4/3"-sensored Panasonic LX100. The resolution difference is very apparent here in both the relative element sizes and the higher detail from the G7X II at base ISO. But while the Canon's resolution is higher, noise is also a little higher, as you can see in the background of the bottle shoulder crop. The G7X II applies slighter stronger non-area-specific sharpening, though, which tends to exacerbate noise. Still, the Panasonic's larger pixels pay off in terms of slightly lower noise already at base ISO when comparing at 100% like this, but the G7X II still wins overall with a more vibrant, punchy image with better color.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Panasonic ZS100 at Base ISO

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 125	Panasonic ZS100 at ISO 125
The Canon G7X II "only" offers a 4.2x zoom lens compared to the 10x optical zoom of the ZS100, but it's a much brighter f/1.8-2.8 vs f/2.8-5.9 optic. However, both cameras use similar 1"-type 20-megapixel sensors, and are currently priced the same as well. Image quality here at base ISO is fairly similar, with about the same amount of detail captured along with comparable noise levels, however there are some notable differences. First, the Panasonic's tone curve is such that its image looks a bit darker than the Canon when middle gray is the same brightness, giving the G7X II's image a brighter look overall. Colors from the Canon are generally also more neutral and pleasing. The ZS100 does however hold onto more of the fine thread pattern our tricky red-leaf swatch, which the G7X II's default processing smooths over. Sharpening halos are also a little less noticeable from the Panasonic, though both produce visible haloing along high-contrast edges.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Sony RX100 IV at Base ISO

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 125	Sony RX100 IV at ISO 125
The Sony RX100 IV's image looks a little crisper and cleaner than the G7X II's at base ISO, and it retains better detail and contrast in the red-leaf and pink fabrics. However the Canon produces better color, a more natural noise pattern, and similar detail elsewhere. Both obviously do very well here at ISO 125, but keep in mind that unlike the Canon, the Sony can extend its sensitivity down to ISO 80.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Canon G7X at ISO 1600

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 1600	Canon G7X at ISO 1600
Similar to the differences we saw at base ISO, the Canon G7X Mark II offers brighter, more accurate colors than its predecessor at ISO 1600. Noise levels are quite similar, but the G7X II does a bit better at retaining detail in our mosaic crop, while the G7X does a touch better with our tricky red-leaf swatch although both smudge most of the fine detail away. Overall, though, the G7X Mark II produces a more pleasing image.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Canon G5X at ISO 1600

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 1600	Canon G5X at ISO 1600
Again, the G7X Mark II delivers a brighter, more pleasing image than the G5X at ISO 1600, with more accurate colors.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Panasonic LX100 at ISO 1600

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 1600	Panasonic LX100 at ISO 1600
At ISO 1600, we see the LX100 start to pull ahead of the G7X with better detail despite the lower resolution, as well as lower luma noise. The Canon does a little better with controlling chroma noise, though, with much brighter and more accurate colors. Both struggle with the red-leaf fabric with the Canon displaying more noise.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Panasonic ZS100 at ISO 1600

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 1600	Panasonic ZS100 at ISO 1600
The ZS100 produces a cleaner looking image here at ISO 1600, however the G7X Mark II is sharper, holds on to more detail, and generates fewer noise reduction artifacts. Contrast and colors are still more pleasing from the Canon as well.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Sony RX100 IV at ISO 1600

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 1600	Sony RX100 IV at ISO 1600
Both cameras work hard to keep noise at bay which causes a loss of fine detail as well as some unwanted noise reduction artifacts, especially from the Sony. Overall, the Sony still produces an image with more pop, but it also looks more processed, with less accurate color. The Sony produces higher contrast, lower noise and a bit better detail in our tricky red-leaf fabric, however much of the fine detail is heavily distorted.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Canon G7X at ISO 3200

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 3200	Canon G7X at ISO 3200
Once again, although both siblings struggle with reproducing fine detail at ISO 3200, the G7X Mark II comes out on top with a brighter, higher-contrast image with better color. The G7X is noisier in our mosaic crop, however more noise reduction artifacts are seen from the Mark II. The G7X continues to do a bit better in the red-leaf swatch, however there's very little detail left.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Canon G5X at ISO 3200

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 3200	Canon G5X at ISO 3200
Pretty much the same results here as seen with the G7X comparison.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Panasonic LX100 at ISO 3200

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 3200	Panasonic LX100 at ISO 3200
Once again, the LX100 comes out on top in this contest in terms of better detail and lower noise in most areas, however the Canon continues to produce brighter, more pleasing colors. Both struggle to reproduce fine detail in our red-leaf fabric, however the Panasonic does noticeably better.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Panasonic ZS100 at ISO 3200

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 3200	Panasonic ZS100 at ISO 3200
Here at ISO 3200, the Canon G7X II shows much higher luminance noise, but it arguably manages to reproduce fine detail in our mosaic crop a little better than the ZS100, however both show strong noise reduction artifacts and mottling. Both cameras really struggle to reproduce any detail in our red-leaf swatch, but the ZS100 does show a touch more. Once again, color and contrast are better from the Canon.

Canon G7X Mark II vs Sony RX100 IV at ISO 3200

Canon G7X Mark II at ISO 3200	Sony RX100 IV at ISO 3200
Here at ISO 3200, noise appears a little higher from the Sony except in the red channel, and the Sony produces more noise reduction artifacts while smudging fine detail more in the mosaic crop. Again, color is generally better from the G7X Mark II, but the RX100 IV provides slightly higher contrast and does a bit better in the fabrics. Overall, though, we give the Canon the edge here.

Canon G7X Mark II vs. Canon G7X, Canon G5X, Panasonic LX100, Panasonic ZS100, Sony RX100 IV

Canon G7X Mark II ISO 125 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Canon G7X ISO 125 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Canon G5X ISO 125 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Panasonic LX100 ISO 200 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Panasonic ZS100 ISO 125 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Sony RX100 IV ISO 125 ISO 3200 ISO 6400
Detail comparison. High-contrast detail is also important, pushing the camera in different ways, so we like to look at it, too. Here, we can see the G7X Mark II does a bit better than the G7X in terms of contrast, however the G7X does a bit better with fine detail at higher ISOs. Interestingly, both G7X models do a bit better than the G5X, particularly at ISO 6400. While the Panasonic LX100 produces lower contrast, it actually holds it own in terms of detail despite being lower resolution, besting the 1"-type models at ISO 6400, no doubt thanks to its bigger pixels. Compared to the Panasonic ZS100, the G7X II does a bit better in both contrast and detail across the range of ISOs shown here. The Sony RX100 IV did well at base ISO though with slightly lower contrast, however it couldn't retain as much fine detail as the G7X II managed at the higher ISOs.

Excellent, high-resolution prints up to 24 x 36 inches at ISO 125-200; Nice 8 x 10 inch prints at ISO 3200; and usable 5 x 7 inch prints at ISO 6400.

ISO 125/200 images look great all the way up to 24 x 36 inches. At this print size, you're pushing the limits of the 20MP sensor, but from a typical viewing distance for a print this large, image quality is impressive. There's a lot of crisp fine detail and pleasing, vibrant colors. ISO 200 images look practically identical to base ISO ones, especially in prints, with no visible increase in noise or decrease in detail that would impact print sizes.

ISO 400 prints start to display a slight drop in fine detail and a bit of visible noise back in the shadow areas. Therefore, we're putting the print size limit at a still-healthy 20 x 30 inches.

ISO 800 images show stronger noise, which subsequently reduces fine detail further and softens things up a bit more. At prints sizes up to 13 x 19 inches, quality is very good; there's still a lot of detail at this size, and noise remains limited to the shadows and has a rather fine-grained appearance. However, we'd be okay with a 16 x 20 inch print for less critical applications at this sensitivity.

ISO 1600 prints top-out at a respectable 11 x 14 inches. Noise is quite visible now at higher print sizes and is also taking its toll on low-contrast detail -- detail the red-leaf fabric of our test target images has become pretty soft and mushy. At 11 x 14, however, noise appears under control and not overly problematic from a quality standpoint.

ISO 3200 images really start to show the impact of the rising ISO sensitivity. There's an overall softness to lots of detail (and our red-leaf fabric swatch is nearly devoid of any detail whatsoever), but, by keeping sizes at 8 x 10 inches or below, you can still make some excellent prints with good detail and great colors.

ISO 6400 prints should be kept at 5 x 7 inches at maximum. Noise is quite apparent and really hurts fine detail at larger sizes.

ISO 12,800 images, unfortunately, are too soft and lacking in detail for us to comfortably consider usable for a print. However, for less critical applications, we'd be okay with a 4 x 6 inch print.

While the Canon G7X Mark II uses the same or very similar 20-megapixel 1-inch-type sensor as well as the same lens as the original Mark I model, it brings an all-new DIGIC 7 image processor to the table. Overall, it does a great job in the print quality department, offering about a print size larger than the G7X at the lower ISOs. At base ISO or ISO 200, the Canon G7X II is capable of crisp, colorful prints up to an impressive 24 x 36 inches. Even at ISO 800, the G7X II matches its predecessor with a very nice 13 x 19 inch print, and even a solid 8 x 10 all the way until ISO 3200. Despite its pocketable size, the G7X Mark II can still make nice, usable 5 x 7 inch prints up to ISO 6400. But at ISO 12,800, the Canon G7X II, like the original, captures images that are simply too noisy and lacking in detail to make acceptable prints.

Field Test

Notable improvements make the G7X II a good compact camera

By Jeremy Gray · 06/29/2016

Introduction

Following up on 2014's G7X, Canon's G7X Mark II maintains many of the same features, including the sensor and fast 4.2x optical zoom lens, but brings with it a number of improvements to the camera body as well as a new DIGIC 7 image processor (which itself leads to better performance). The premium compact camera has a lot of competition, but delivers good image quality and impressive optical specs. What are its biggest strengths and weaknesses? Let's find out.

Canon PowerShot G7X II Key Features

• 20.2-megapixel 1"-type CMOS sensor
• 24-100mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 lens
• Compact 11.3-ounce body
• Tilting 3-inch touchscreen
• Native ISO range of 125-12800, expandable to ISO 25600
• Continuous RAW capture at up to 8 frames per second
• 1080p video at up to 60fps
• Built-in Wi-Fi and NFC

The Canon G7X II handles well despite its compact size

While the camera body has seen many improvements since the original G7X, the Mark II is basically just as compact and still lacking a built-in viewfinder. Without adding much bulk or weight, however, the G7X II now includes a small rubberized front grip. This seemingly small change makes it a very comfortable compact camera to hold and use. It's a clear case where a little bit goes a long way. Also new is toggle switch for the lens control ring that switches between smooth and stepped rotation. It's another small detail, but a very handy one; the stepped rotation is ideal for controlling something like aperture changes.

The 3-inch rear touchscreen display still has 1,040,000 dots of resolution but can now tilt 45 degrees downward in addition to the 180 degrees of upward motion found in G7X. The touchscreen display itself is really nice. The user interface is well-suited to the touchscreen and proved to be responsive during use.

Button layout is good and the shutter release feels particularly nice for a compact camera. I quite like the "Ring Function" button on the rear of the camera, which lets you quickly change the function of the control ring around the lens. The control ring itself has an excellent feel, particularly when set to click as you rotate it. While it's narrow, the diamond-knurled texture allowed me to get a good grip.

On the top of the camera features both an exposure compensation dial with the mode dial stacked on top, just like with the original model. You have to be careful to rotate only the mode dial if trying to use just your thumb to make exposure mode changes, as I found that it was easy to accidentally rotate the exposure compensation dial.

Overall, the G7X II brings only a handful of changes to the camera body, but they're all excellent changes and help to make this compact camera feel really good in the hands. It's small, but it doesn't feel cramped. It's light, but it doesn't feel cheap. Add in its touchscreen-friendly menu system, and you have a very fun compact camera.

Built-in 24-100mm f/1.8-2.8 lens is fast, but underwhelms

The built-in 24-100mm equivalent (8.8-36.8mm actual) f/1.8-2.8 lens is unchanged from the original G7X, which is a bit of a disappointment. The focal length and max effective apertures are both great, but the lens leaves something to be desired in terms of optical performance.

24mm equivalent (8.8mm actual), f/1.8, 1/1600s, ISO 125. At f/1.8, the G7X II can show some poor optical performance in certain lighting conditions, such as this shot taken in bright sunlight. Stopping down removed the aberrations around the high-contrast edges. Click for full-size image.

Center sharpness is good throughout the focal length range. Part of the appeal of the G7X II is that it offers a 24mm equivalent focal length, which is quite wide. Unfortunately, at this focal length, corners are rather soft. Another issue at wide angle is distortion. It's handled well by in-camera JPEG processing, but RAW files show a considerable amount. It's clear the G7X II is applying a lot of correction in-camera. Chromatic aberration is also more noticeable at wider focal lengths than at telephoto. At a 100mm equivalent focal length, sharpness is pretty good across the frame.

The G7X II can close focus to two inches when set to macro focus mode, but the macro focus range does come at the cost of a severe loss in corner sharpness.

Overall, the G7X II offers a decent built-in lens. The focal length range is useful and the maximum aperture of f/1.8 is very good. While optical performance is not excellent at the wide end due to a lack of corner of sharpness and significant distortion, considering the compact size of the lens, it remains quite impressive.

Canon G7X II offers a positive user experience

Metering

Offering the usual array of metering modes -- evaluative, center-weighted average, spot and face detect AE -- metering performance is pretty good overall. Spot metering can linked to the autofocus point, which is very helpful, and exposure compensation is available via a dial on the top deck of the camera for up to 3EVs in 0.3EV steps.

100mm equivalent (36.8mm actual), f/10, 1/200s, ISO 320. While using f/10 introduces some diffraction with a sensor of this size, I wanted to keep the loon in the background as sharp as possible. The camera impressed me with its ability to meter the loon, a notoriously difficult subject to expose well. Click for original image.

Evaluative metering does a good job in many situations, although I did find that I had to use exposure compensation slightly more than I typically do when field testing a camera. It's not a big issue whatsoever as the exposure compensation dial is convenient, but worth keeping in mind when shooting with the G7X II. Auto white balance metering performs well, delivering consistently good results.

Modes

There is a good variety of modes available with the G7X II. Standard P, A, S and M modes are all present and accounted for, but there are also creative modes. On the mode dial, there's a scene mode (designated "SCN"), which contains a wide variety of shooting presets that include portrait, fireworks, panorama, star and more. The scene mode also includes special effects filters such as fish-eye effect, art bold effect, miniature effect and more. It's nice to have these options, but they're nothing special, and it's worth noting that you can only record JPEG images in SCN mode.

When shooting in aperture priority and shutter speed priority exposure modes, the ring around the lens works very well for controlling your settings. I particularly like the control ring with the new stepped rotation setting because it allows for easy, quick adjustments and provides good tactile feedback. In addition to the control ring, the G7X II has a second command dial on the rear of the camera, which feels somewhat loose when you rotate it. This made it more difficult to make precise adjustments, overshooting a desired setting, for example, but I didn't have any issues accidentally pressing directional buttons though. When shooting in manual mode, the rear dial is used for adjusting the shutter speed while the ring around the lens controls aperture. In Program Auto mode, the lens ring changes function, however, acting as step-zoom ring to quickly adjust the focal length to 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 100mm.

As a side note, the fastest shutter speed available with the G7X II is a relatively slow 1/2000s, so you may need to make use of its built-in neutral density filter when shooting at fast apertures during the day.

Menus

The menus themselves are pretty standard, but I like that they are all navigable using touch. However, some of the system menus have rather small elements, which can make them slightly difficult to tap on accurately. While shooting, the 'Q' menu is very useful and helps make up for the lack of physical buttons on the camera (which doesn't have a lot of free space to place buttons anyways).

Sensor and image quality

The Canon G7X II utilizes a 20.1-megapixel 1"-type CMOS sensor, the same one found in the original G7X. It produces detailed JPEG images, and I found that its RAW files contained a lot of data for rescuing highlights and shadow areas. While you can alter many image quality parameters for JPEG images (as well as in-camera RAW conversions), I found the default settings produced good saturation and sharpness.

Overall

The overall user experience is quite good with the Canon G7X II. The tilting touchscreen proved very useful out in the field, particularly for quickly adjusting various settings. The shooting modes are plentiful, and the camera is surprisingly well-suited for more enthusiast-style shooting, though it handles nicely for fully automatic modes as well. Overall, it strikes a good balance between being user-friendly and intuitive while not handcuffing the photographer when he or she wants to take more control over their shooting.

Canon G7X II offers simple but dependable autofocus

While Canon didn't give any specific numbers, autofocus performance is supposed to be improved with regards to low-contrast scenes and subject tracking. I can't comment on how much this has changed, but I can say that its autofocus performance is impressive overall.

Utilizing a contrast detect autofocus system with 31 points, the G7X II provides reliably quick autofocus. The fully automatic AiAF focus mode works well at determining the appropriate subject and locking in autofocus, provided that your subject fills a decent portion of the frame. With that said, I much prefer using 1-point autofocus because it works very well with the touchscreen display.

One-shot autofocus performs well, as does continuous autofocus for the most part. When you set the camera to continuous autofocus, you can tap the screen on the subject you want to track, although it can also detect faces automatically and track them as well when that option is enabled.

In relatively low light, the G7X II still manages to autofocus with good success. Naturally, this performance needs to be considered in the context of it being a $700 compact camera, but nonetheless I was generally impressed. It has an autofocus assist light that does a good job with close subjects.

Now, this isn't a camera that is going to track subjects as well as a DSLR or high-end mirrorless camera, but it nonetheless has solid one-shot autofocus, decent continuous autofocus and a very good touchscreen focus experience. One thing I noticed is that if you're trying to get precise focus on a small subject (or a small part of a subject, such as a particular part of a flower) then you are better off utilizing manual focus and magnifying in to nail the focus, as the camera's autofocus system is not precise or sophisticated enough to handle very fine focusing situations.

New DIGIC 7 processor provides improved performance

Whereas the G7X was powered by a DIGIC 6 processor, the G7X II includes a faster DIGIC 7 processor. This new processor leads to improved performance and features. Not only are images captured at a faster rate, but the G7X II can now record 14-bit RAW files compared to the 12-bit RAW files captured by its predecessor. In addition, single-shot cycling times are also improved when using the G7X II in single-shot mode, cut essentially in half compared to the original G7X when recording RAW+JPEG files.

There's a 1.5 frames per second improvement to max continuous shooting speeds for both RAW and JPEG files, bringing the G7X II up to a respectable 8fps. Note that at this fastest shooting speed, focus, exposure and white balance are all locked with the first frame. However, you can still shoot with full AE and AF at 5.4fps.

Buffer depths are improved with the inclusion of the DIGIC 7 as well. We were able to capture 32 fine JPEG frames and 21 RAW frames when burst shooting. Buffer clearing is unfortunately still quite slow at 8 and 15 seconds respectively. Ultimately, the DIGIC 7 processor addresses one of the predecessor's more frustrating aspects, its continuous shooting performance. As a nice bonus, it also allowed the G7X II to become the first PowerShot camera to offer in-camera RAW image conversion.

It is also worth noting that despite using the same NB-13L battery pack, the G7X II's battery life is improved from the 210 shots of the original to a respectable 265 shots (up to 355 shots when using ECO mode).

Solid high ISO performance, particularly with JPEGs

The Canon G7X II produces pretty clean RAW images up through ISO 1600. At 1600, fine details become fairly soft with a noticeable amount of visual noise, but the images still look okay to me when viewed at smaller sizes. At 3200, the image becomes quite soft and noise is considerable, but I think you could still make a small print from a processed ISO 3200 file. The situation becomes a lot poorer at ISO 6400, and I wouldn't consider ISO 6400 or 12800 to be usable at all.

Canon G7X II Noise Comparison 100% Center Crops from RAW images with ACR defaults applied (Click images for full-size files).
ISO 125 Full Scene
ISO 125	ISO 200
ISO 400	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 3200
ISO 6400	ISO 12800

When considering JPEG files with default noise reduction applied in-camera, the situation is essentially the same with ISO 3200 JPEG images looking okay when viewed at smaller sizes. I don't think it would be too much of an issue to use ISO 3200 JPEG files on the web or perhaps a small print.

In-camera noise reduction options are low, standard (default) and high, and I strongly prefer the standard option. I'd generally steer clear of low, at least at very high ISOs, because it doesn't do enough to reduce visible noise, while on the other end of the spectrum, I think that high is absolute overkill.

Canon G7X II Noise Reduction Comparison 100% Center Crops from JPEG images straight from camera. (Click images for full-size files).
NR Low	NR Standard	NR High

The fact of the matter is that the sensor in the G7X II isn't very big, in the grand scheme of things, and you have to temper your expectations for high ISO performance. With that said, the DIGIC 7 image processor is designed in part to provide the G7X II with slightly better high ISO performance than its predecessor, and I think that it shows improvement, at least when viewing files at 100%.

Built-in flash

The G7X II has a built-in flash (but no hotshoe) that provides decent power. The flash's range with auto ISO is 1.6 feet to 23 feet at wide focal lengths and 1.3 feet to 13 feet at telephoto focal lengths (due to the maximum aperture changing from f/1.8 to f/2.8). The maximum flash sync is 1/2000s, which is quite impressive.

The Canon G7X Mark II In the field: Night shooting

A nice thing about the Canon G7X II for night shooting is its maximum aperture of f/1.8 (at the wide end), which lets in plenty of light for a decent night shooting experience considering its high ISO performance. It's not all positive, however, as there were a few aspects of the G7X II that make it frustrating to use.

For starters, the G7X II has manual focus, but it's not very user friendly. There's a distance scale on the right side of the display, but it's slow to react to you pressing up and down on the directional pad (which is how you adjust focus), and it would occasionally get stuck, forcing me to hold down a button and then wait for the scale to react, at which point it would go beyond where I intended.

Further, the focus kept resetting to beyond infinity for some reason. I don't understand why it kept changing, but when you want to adjust focus after shooting you need to go into the focus menu by pressing left and then selecting "MF." All in all, manually focusing was frustrating.

If the camera turns off, not only do you have to set the camera to manual focus again, but you also need to re-enable the self-timer (which I was using for night shooting) again because the camera doesn't save these settings.

Sparse video features but decent performance

Video is something of a letdown with the Canon G7X II, I'm afraid. The camera, like its predecessor, does not shoot 4K video but is instead capped at 1080/60p. Full HD video at 60 frames per second is nice, but a lot of cameras offer 4K video these days so the G7X II is lagging behind in this regard.

Full manual exposure mode is available for video recording, though your only other option is a fully automatic video mode that doesn't allow for any control over ISO. It would be nice to have an aperture priority video mode, at least. You can record video at any time by pressing the dedicated movie record button, including while in aperture and shutter speed priority modes, but once video recording starts, it switches to a fully automatic exposure mode. For manual video exposure control, you'll need switch the camera into its dedicated video shooting mode on the mode dial.

Video quality itself is fine and autofocus performance is acceptable as well. Maximum ISO when recording video is 3200, and 1080p looks surprisingly decent at ISO 3200 despite the small sensor size. There is quite a bit of noise, but it is still a relatively clean file considering, I think.

Unfortunately, although not particularly surprising, the G7X II lacks headphone and microphone ports. It does offer a wind filter for audio, but no other controls over the sensitivity of the built-in mic are available.

Overall, video feels like something of an afterthought for the G7X II considering its somewhat limited offering of features, especially with the lack of 4K video recording. On the plus side, it's full HD video recording performance is still pretty good with decent high ISO performance and a handy 60p frame rate option.

Solid wireless performance with a versatile app

The G7X II has built-in Wi-Fi and NFC and can connect via the dedicated wireless button on the side of the camera to iOS/Android devices. I tested the wireless functionality on an iOS device, which means that I had to go through iOS's wireless settings menu before being able to connect to the camera. Once connected, performance was good: the connection was stable, and the live view display on my phone's screen was close to real-time.

Canon Camera Connect application screenshots

There are quite a few options and controls available in the Canon Camera Connect application, including drive mode and autofocus settings, and the touchscreen works well for selecting focus. It's a relatively standard assortment of features and offers good remote control functionality; I can certainly see the utility of the app when using the G7X II, especially for things like family portraits.

Canon G7X Mark II Field Test Summary

Canon G7X II is a fun, capable compact camera

What I like:

• Compact but comfortable form factor
• Maximum aperture of f/1.8 is nice
• Very good touchscreen functionality
• Consistently good autofocus performance
• Good image quality overall

What I dislike:

• No built-in viewfinder or option to attach an external one
• Lens' optical performance leaves something to be desired
• No 4K video

While the Canon G7X II doesn't address all of the shortcomings of the G7X, it does make numerous improvements to both the camera body itself and overall performance. Ultimately, it's an enjoyable camera to use and it does well capturing still images. The camera is well-designed, captures good quality images and delivers solid performance across the board. If I'm looking for a good compact camera for $700 or less, the Canon G7X II is definitely on my shortlist.

Flash

Canon G7X II Flash

Built-in Flash Test Results

Coverage and Range
A weak flash (common in compacts), with uneven coverage at wide angle.

Coverage
24mm eq.

Coverage. Flash coverage was quite uneven and narrow at wide angle (that's not unusual, though). We no longer test this at full telephoto, as wide angle is invariably the worst case.

Exposure
Normal Flash, Auto ISO (640), +1.0 EV

Exposure. Here with our standard Indoor Portrait scene with Auto ISO and f/4, the G7X II's flash required +1.0 EV flash exposure compensation (most cameras need +0.7 EV for this shot), and the camera boosted ISO to 640, resulting in a somewhat warm and orange exposure. The camera selected 1/60 second shutter speed, which is good. Of course you can always shoot at a wider aperture, but f/4 is our standard for this test.

Manufacturer-Specified Flash Range
13.0 feet ISO 640, 1/120s, f/2.8

Manufacturer Specified Flash Test. Canon rates the PowerShot G7X II's flash range at 4 meters or 13 feet at telephoto and maximum aperture, when using Auto ISO. In the test shot above, the PowerShot G7X II's flash performed to Canon's specifications, producing a well-exposed flash target image wide-open at full telephoto, with the camera boosting ISO to 640.

We shoot at manufacturer-specified camera settings, at the range the company claims for the camera, to assess the validity of the specific claims.

Conclusion

With improved technical performance and a refined camera body, the DIGIC 7-equipped Canon G7X Mark II takes advantage of its mostly good built-in 24-100mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 lens and very good 20.1-megapixel 1"-type sensor to deliver solid results. Addressing many of the shortcomings of its predecessor, the G7X II is a good compact camera that offers a lot of performance for the price.

Canon G7X II body is improved and more comfortable to use

Among the changes made for the Canon G7X Mark II are some excellent improvements made to the camera body itself. While the general form factor is basically the same, there is now a rubber grip on the front, which we found made the camera more comfortable and easier to hold considering its overall compact size.

Despite the lens itself being the same, the Canon G7X II now includes a switch next to it that lets the user toggle between smooth and stepped rotation of the control ring. The new stepped rotation option is nice when controlling aperture, for example, as it allows for quicker adjustments with tactile feedback.

The 3-inch touchscreen display keeps the same resolution as the predecessor and overall tilting design, but it can now also tilt downwards to 45 degrees. Other than that, the body is essentially unchanged. Unfortunately, the Canon G7X Mark II still lacks a built-in viewfinder and doesn't include a hot shoe so there's no way to attach an external one (or a flash, for that matter).

Built-in 4.2x zoom lens provides mixed results

Featuring the same 24-100mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 lens as its predecessor, the Canon G7X II delivers similarly mixed performance. The 4.2x zoom lens provides more range than most other cameras in its class, but it comes at a cost. Far field performance is good across the board, particularly around f/5.6 where the lens is very sharp, albeit with slightly soft corners. However, wide angle performance leads to severe distortion when using RAW images (heavy distortion correction is applied in-camera to JPEG files) and thus corners are quite soft at wide angle. Despite some shortcomings with the lens, we did find it to be capable for the most part, and it offers strong telephoto performance.

The G7X II's 20MP 1"-type sensor captures good images

Like the lens, the Canon G7X II's sensor is unchanged, though it's now paired with a faster DIGIC 7 image processor. The PowerShot G7X II captures very detailed images, especially when using RAW files. (The G7X II now also includes the ability to perform in-camera RAW processing, something missing on the original.) Regarding resolution, images are fairly crisp, and JPEGs are sharper at default settings than those from the G7X, although there are sharpening artifacts on high-contrast subjects. Noise suppression on lower contrast subjects limits some fine detail, but the resulting images are still quite good overall.

The G7X II is the first PowerShot camera to include the "Fine Detail" Picture Style preset that was introduced in the 5DS/R DSLRs. The preset allows you to fine-tune sharpness settings including strength, fineness and threshold parameters. The resulting image is more natural-looking and has fewer sharpening artifacts than the default settings. To get the most out of the sensor, though, RAW images converted using good software can produce sharp images with more detail than in-camera JPEGs and fewer artifacts.

Noise performance is very good with the Canon G7X II given its sensor size. Compared to its predecessor, the G7X II produced better results at every ISO through 3200. At ISO 125-200 the G7X II produces excellent prints up to 24 x 36 inches. At ISO 400, we still consider it capable of producing a good 20 x 30-inch print. Images captured at ISO 800 show quite a bit more noise so a good print is only possible up to 13 x 19 inches. 11 x 14-inch prints are possible at ISO 1600, which is quite impressive for a camera with a 1"-type sensor. ISO 3200 and 6400 images can result in good prints at 8 x 10 and 5 x 7 inches, respectively.

Solid automatic performance makes for a good user experience

Thanks in large part to its excellent touchscreen functionality and strong automatic shooting performance, the Canon G7X II proved to be an intuitive, easy-to-use camera that still offered enthusiasts the ability to take control of all of the camera's shooting settings.

Excellent touchscreen makes the G7X II fun to use

The 3-inch touchscreen display on the Canon G7X II is very good. The camera's system menus are generally well-organized and can be navigated via touch. In a move that helps compensate for the relative sparsity of physical buttons on the compact body, the Quick Menu is very touch-friendly, as well, and puts many important shooting settings at your fingertips.

Single shot autofocus is dependable, but G7X II struggles with continuous AF somewhat

Utilizing a contrast-detect autofocus system with 31 points, the Canon G7X II provides generally good autofocus performance, and while it's not the most sophisticated AF system, it proved to be dependable in many situations. When shooting stationary subjects, the autofocus was reliable, particularly when using 1-point autofocus and the touchscreen to select your subject. The fully-automatic 'AiAF' focus mode was decent, but would occasionally get confused by a busy or a low-contrast scene and fail to lock onto the appropriate subject. While specific figures are unavailable, Canon states that the G7X II's low-contrast autofocus performance and subject tracking are improved compared to the original G7X. Continuous autofocus worked well when shooting slowly-moving subjects but struggled to keep up with fast subjects. By selecting your subject using the touchscreen, the G7X II manages to track it fairly well, but your subject needs to be well-isolated. Considering its price point, we found the Canon G7X II's autofocus performance to be generally impressive.

DIGIC 7 processor gives the G7X II the performance boost it deserves

With its new DIGIC 7 processor, the Canon G7X II is able to offer a sizable increase in performance over its predecessor. Other than an inexplicably slower start-up time, the G7X II is faster than the G7X pretty much across the board.

Single-shot cycling times are improved from 0.9 and 1.3 seconds for best quality JPEGs and RAW + JPEG files, respectively, to just 0.6 seconds for both image quality settings. Continuous shooting performance has seen a particularly impressive improvement. Whereas the G7X could only record RAW images at 1.2 frames per second, the G7X II can capture 14-bit RAW files (compared to the 12-bit RAW files captured by the G7X) at just over 8fps with locked focus and exposure and at 5.4fps with full autofocus capabilities. JPEG shooting has been improved from 6.6 to 8fps, which is still a nice improvement, but not as significant as the RAW shooting improvement.

Buffer depths have been expanded too. We could record 32 JPEG, 21 RAW and 19 RAW+JPEG images before exhausting the buffer. This is dramatically improved from the G7X's buffer depth of 14, 4 and 2 photos respectively. All in all, the G7X Mark II represents a very significant upgrade over the original camera with regards to performance.

1080p video is fine, but 4K video is notably absent

Unfortunately, video features haven't been upgraded with the G7X II, and it is still capped at 1080p resolution at frame rates up to 60fps. The lack of 4K video recording makes the Canon G7X II fall behind some of its competitors in the video department. You also won't find any microphone or headphone ports on the camera, but that isn't too surprising given its class.

Fortunately, video itself is generally quite nice with overall pleasing image quality and good autofocus and metering performance. The lack of more modern features is disappointing, but if you're interested in solid 1080p video recording capabilities, the G7X II will fit the bill. However, those who place an emphasis on 4K video should look elsewhere.

Canon G7X II is a much-improved, very good compact camera

Besides the lack of 4K video, there aren't many notable shortcomings of the Canon G7X II. The lens could be better, especially at the wide end, but the 4.2x zoom and compact size of both the lens and the camera itself help to offset that disappointment. Its sensor captures sharp, detailed images and offers very good high ISO performance for its class. With its newer processor, the PowerShot G7X II is a much faster camera too, although the continuous autofocus performance still comes up a bit short. Overall, this is a great compact camera that packs a lot of performance for the price. Given that it addresses many of the shortcomings of its predecessor, the Canon G7X Mark II definitely gets a Dave's Pick this time around.

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