The Canon Powershot G7 is about as powerful as any compact digital camera you are likely to find. It is not just the fact that the camera has ten megapixels and a six times optical zoom lens that makes this camera a cut above the rest.
One of the main areas that places it apart from other compact models is the design of the Powershot G7. This helps to give a photographer easy access to the many controls the camera has. For example you will find a button giving you immediate access to you favourite settings. There is also a dial on the back of the camera making it easy to manually focus the camera.
As you would expect the Powershot G7 has manual exposure modes. These are fully manual, aperture priority and also shutter priority. Image stabilisation is also available. These make this camera a good choice for someone who is looking for a fully featured camera that is much smaller than an SLR or perhaps a second more portable camera for someone who already owns an SLR.
Despite all the buttons and dials the camera can be used as a simple point and shoot camera in automatic mode. Although this would mean a lot of useful features are going to waste this could be the ideal solution in a family or partner situation where some of the group are looking for more advanced features while others are after something simple and straightforward.
Not surprisingly if you want to get the most out of this camera then you will need to put aside some time to get to know it thoroughly. I would not describe the camera as easy to use, but any time spent getting to know the ins and outs of the camera will be time well spent in the long run.
Canon tell me that the body of the Powershot G7 is plastic based. Even so I found that the camera had a solid feel and felt good in the hand.
There are a range of accessories available to further expand the capabilities of the camera. These include a tele converter lens and also a wide angle converter. There is also a hot shoe available for adding an external flash unit. The Powershot G7 is one of only a very small number of digital cameras to offer such a feature.
In terms of size and weight, the camera is 42mm wide and weighs 320g. Although this is larger and heavier than many compact models this means the Powershot G7 is still smaller and lighter than many compact digital cameras with manual exposure controls and also digital SLRs. It is a good size to get a grip of and hold steadily when taking a photo.
Battery power is supplied by a lithium ion rechargeable. Both a battery and charger come in the box. Canon suggests you should be able to take around 220 shots between charges. This is dependent on how you use the camera. Shooting videos and excessive use of the flash is likely to have a detrimental effect on battery usage. Although it adds to the overall cost of the camera it may also pay to invest in a spare battery as I can envisage people who own this camera are likely to use it on a regular basis.
