Camera Test: Canon Powershot G7

	Click photo for more images of the Canon G7.

Canon describes the 10MP 6x (35-210 f/2.8-4.8 equivalent) Image-stabilized zoom Canon Powershot G7 as the Flagship of the G-series. In fact, the G7 isn't just the flagship, it's the whole fleet.

With its vintage black metal finish with silver highlights and accents, it is a great-looking camera. Knobs and dials sit on the top, alongside an EX-series hotshoe mount. There is a big, bright 2.5 inch TFT LCD (207,000 pixels) on the back, below an actual, functional optical viewfinder. To the right of the viewfinder sits an array of buttons and dials for quick control of image quality functions.

At $529 street, the G7 is pricier than the priciest Elph, the $425 SD900 and slightly cheaper than the EOS Rebel XT with the 18-55mm kit lens. ($575.) As DSLRs have come down in price, and compact point-and-shoots have become more feature-rich, the "advanced" compact digicam category has gotten squeezed from both sides.

So is the G7 for the Elpher looking to move up to a more feature-rich camera, or is it meant to be the pocket cam for the EOS enthusiast and pro who doesn't want to let go of too much creative control when traveling light? Can one camera actually bridge the Elph-EOS gap successfully? In some ways yes, it can, but in some significant ways, the answer is no.

The menu style and layout is reminiscent of those found throughout the Elph line, and many of the camera functions are borrowed from the EOS series. As is common with most point-and-shoots, the G7 has a small selection of image optimization settings for various scenes. But there's also flash exposure compensation, exposure lock and flash exposure lock, DSLR features for both the built-in or EOS accessory strobes. The G7 captures photons on a 1/1.8 CCD, like the SD900 Elph, not on the APS-C sized CMOS of most EOS cameras.

Previous G-series cameras used BP-511 series batteries, like the EOS 30D and 5D, but the G7 goes with the NB-2LH, like the Rebel series, presumably for compactness.

This camera is built very solidly. It weighs in at about 14 ounces with battery and SD card, and every dial and button works smoothly -- not too stiff, but not chintzy either. That big LCD lives in a sturdy window and is protected from pressure damage. The zoom is well damped, and has a very quiet motor. The appearance and handfeel is all high-quality. The size of the camera (4.2x2.8x1.67) means that it can actually be held to the eye comfortably when using the optical viewfinder. There is a minimalist rubberized grip strip on the front of the camera, below the shutter button, which isn't all that effective, and no finger catch on the back to speak of. If your hands are even the slightest bit sweaty, this camera can be  slippery.

The  G7 writes to SD media, like the entire current Elph line, but unlike every EOS until you get to the top of the line 1D Mark II N and 1Ds Mark II N, which then only write JPEGs, and not RAW to the SD media in default mode. Acting very Elphish, the G7 eschews RAW, writing and processing only in a couple of JPEG compression settings. Despite the new Digic III processor in the G7, our thinking is that Canon chose JPEG-only for write-speed reasons, to keep the camera from getting bogged down in writing all that RAW data. But as memory card prices drop, more and more shooters are moving to the RAW workflow for making the most of their captured data. It isn't a fatal flaw, but it is a big oversight in a pricey camera aimed at serious shooters.

Unlike previous G-series cameras, the LCD on the G7 is fixed to the camera, and doesn't swivel or swing to assist in framing shots at high or low angles. But since the LCD has such a wide angle of actual readability, this isn't a big deal at all. The LCD shows accurately without color inversions as far as your arm can swing. The LCD gains up and down automatically, but often shows blooming and hotspot bleed, especially in scenes with large exposure value ranges. These blooms and bleeds don't affect the final image, but they can make framing challenging at times. Again, this is not a fatal flaw. In fact it's pretty typical for compact cams with live preview, but it can be just a bit unsettling at times.  Especially in low light, the LCD preview tends to be very noisy.