Canon PowerShot G7

I think a lot of people miss the point of this camera.
It is not a DSLR.
It is not really a P&S.
It is more along the lines of a Leica M8 without the steep price or the interchangeable lenses.
What it is great for is street shooting...documentary grab shots of people that you just would not get pointing a big DSLR with F2.8 megazoom in there face.
It is quiet...it is unobtusive...yet it has full manual control and a good lens.
And just like my M6 loaded with Tri-X it is a bit grainy, especially when pushed to 800.
It's a tool designed for a specific kind of shooting in my mind. Sure, if I want perfectly noiseless/grainless images I'll get out the DSLR/SLR, put the rig on a tripod and shoot away.
But if I want that next to impossible shot, handheld in low light, trying to be unobtrusive, I'll put up with a bit of grain/noise.

There is no 'do everything' camera.

Good lens.
Easy to use manual control
Good resolution.
Perfectly acceptable noise at 400, not bad at 800.
(face it, if there was no noise at 800 on a camera, why would they even bother with 100)
Build quality
Not so dinky that it is hard to hold

No raw
Not the most intuitive menu

Nikon P5000 (terrible lag time...otherwise good camera)
Leica M6...still the best for B&W

It's Canon...as good as it gets

I like the retro look and solidity of this camera, but and there is a big but with this camera, it's the 10 megapixels of G7, due to the small sensor its almost impossible to take a shot without noise unless the lighting is absolutely perfect.

I have a Nokon D70 also and compared I spend hours more in Photoshop trying to compensate for the noise.

The noise in the pictures is a really big problem for this camera.

I recently talked to a very big importer of digital cameras, and he admitted that the 10 megapixels cameras simply do not make better pictures than 6 megapixel cameras.

And you should be aware that the reason Canon do not fit it with RAW is, that the noice problem would further enhanced in RAW mode

Solid

Noise

Fuji FD31, which do much better suppressing noise

Since this camera falls into the "compact digitial" category, most of my opinions are based off of a camera I'm already pleased with, the Fuji F30 (see domments below).

For my full report, go to:
http://www.60hzproductions.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=1

In general, though, I do think the G7 is one of the better compact digital cameras out there. It is NOT a replacement for a dSLR, speed-wise nor image-quality-wise. BUT, if you realize its limitations, you will be happy with its performance and the portability it affords.

*More/better manual controls - it is MUCH easier to get to and change camera settings and parameters than the F30. F30 is much more menu dependent; G7 has more accessible, useful buttons and dials.

* More "creative" features - Things like external flash (comment below regarding this), ND filter, manual focus, etc. give more creative control and more image possibilities with this camera than the F30. Also, I'm a big panorama fan, and the photo-stitching capabilities are a real treat. You can still do it without the feature or PhotoStitch software, but it can be more difficult. PhotoStitch tends to do a very good job combined with the G7's stitch feature.

* Lens/Shutter Capability - G7 has IS, which helps when trying to shoot in the 1/10 to 1/30 shutter speed range. The lens also has a longer reach, 6X vs the 3X of the F30. Also, the F30 tends to lock focus even though the object you're shooting may be too close. Unless you realize you are too close and switch it to macro mode, the focus will lock but the image will be blurry. The G7 seems to not struggle as much in these situations; it seems to do better at short distances in focusing before needing to switch over to macro mode.

* Portabilty - Not as compact as the F30. Also, the F30 feels much easier to grip. It's lighter, and has a grip area for your thumb on the back of the camera. The G7 is heavier. You need to have a tighter grip on the camera.

* Noise - This is a tossup, in my opinion. Fuji's noise, as defined by the industry, is much lower than the G7, especially at ISO 400 and above. However, the F30 still suffers from what I call "artifacts" or "dots" that make the image not nearly as "clean" as those seen from a dSLR. Still, F30 is still considered "best in class" G7 is good but again, is more noticeable than the F30 or a dSLR

* Speed - Much to my dismay, the focus speed and shutter lag were noticebly faster on the F30. This is especially true when using the LCD or flash; it is much slower on the G7. Using an external flash on the G7 is downright laughable. Someone else said it best regarding this: "That's not a lag - it's a siesta" Compared to my D30, is isn't even in the same class.

I really like this camera. It is significantly bigger than a point & shoot, but small enough to go into a small fanny pack. I bought this camera because none of the P&S cameras I have owned have worked very well for action photos in dim light. While I still have a lot to learn, it has many auto and manual features that really help getting decent shots. Pretty easy to change settings on the fly, very intuitive.

nice LCD screen
Image stabilization
solid build & quality
easy to use controls

a little shutter lag, but not bad
faster lens would be nice

Canon SD-400, various Olympus digitals

This is a very good camera in many respects, but I'm personally not happy with the compromises that Canon's marketing department chose. You may disagree. Being my first digital point and shoot, after using various digital and film SLRs, I'm holding it to very high standards. This camera seems to be marketed towards photo enthusiasts, not just your average point and shooter, but it's full of compromises that I think will leave many serious photographers dissatisfied.

This camera is a good example of how pixel count does not equate to usable resolution. Maybe I had a bad sample, but I never took any shots that looked sharp at 100% zoom, even in perfect conditions. I don't know if this was a limitation of the lens (doubt it) or a result of heavy noise reduction. It makes me wonder why all those pixels are there if I can't use them. I read in professional reviews that this camera's noise levels are pretty good compared to the competition. If so, I don't think it's enough better to make any practical difference. (If low noise is your top priority, look at the Fuji F30 or a dSLR) See my gallery for a few full size samples at various ISOs.

Manual controls are better than on many p&s cameras, but you still have to use the same dial to adjust shutter speed and aperture, switching between the two with a second button. Why not a second dial? There is an optical viewfinder, which is nice to have, but it cuts out so much of the edges of the picture that you can't frame accurately using it. But it's there, so Marketing can check that off the list.

Exposure is generally good, but clipped highlights are more common than I'm used to. I usually shot with -1/3 exp compensation. Colors are very good. Image Stabilization is also very good...one of the best new features you can get on a digicam. And as I'm sure you've read elsewhere, the build quality of this camera is top notch. Unfortunately, the beautiful LCD screen sticks out further on the back of the camera than any other feature. I never scratched mine, but I would expect it to happen sooner or later.

All in all, I think this camera is very good, but overpriced and not marketed well. It will no doubt take excellent photos when used properly. I just think it could have been so much better if Canon's marketing department would get off the fence and make a compact digital that's really for the photo enthusiast.

Image stabilization let's you shoot 2-3 stops slower than otherwise possible.
Big beautiful LCD screen.
Top notch build quality.
Good color and over all image quality.

Small enough to make it difficult to hold but not small (or light) enough for your pocket.
High ISO could be better.
Usable resolution lower than expected for such high pixel count.
Optical viewfinder cuts out too much of the image.

no other compact digitals
Nikon D70s
many film cameras

not needed