Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III Review - We test the Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III, is this the ultimate compact camera for both photographers and videographers? Find out in our full review.
| Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III in Compact Cameras
Quick Verdict
The Canon Powershot G7X Mark III offers a whole host of upgrades and features that will make the video fans happy, including 4K video recording, and a built-in microphone socket. The camera also offers high-speed continuous shooting, being able to shoot at up to 30fps (raw burst), however, the 4.2x optical zoom lens could be considered a slight weakness for stills photography, and for photographers, the 5x optical zoom lens on the G5X Mark II may be more appealing.
+ Pros
- 4K video recording
- Microphone socket
- Canon colour reproduction
- Easy to use
- Fast and responsive, with 30fps shooting
- Cons
- Soft towards the corners of the frame (wide-angle)
- Lacks 24fps video recording option
- Control ring clicks can't be switched off (anymore)
The Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III updates the Canon Powershot G7 X Mark II, with a new design, 4K video recording, a new 20mp Stacked BSI CMOS sensor, allowing higher speed continuous shooting, with up to 30fps raw shooting possible, and the camera will be available in two colour options. It now features a microphone socket, which will be of particular interest for video use.
Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III Features
The Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III offers several new features designed to keep the "vloggers" and videographers happy, including live-streaming support, vertical video support (for Instagram, etc), and updated video options, including 4K video recording, as well as adding a microphone socket on the side. The Canon Powershot G7 X Mark II was and still is, according to Canon, one of the most popular cameras used by vloggers, and Youtubers. The screen remains the same, with a 3inch tilting touch screen than can be used for "selfies" and "vlogging".
The Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III has been introduced as the ideal compact camera for photo and video, alongside the G5 X Mark II, which is aimed more directly at photographers, with a 5x optical zoom lens, built-in EVF, and no microphone socket.
The 20mp "Stacked" BSI CMOS sensor, is a Sony "Stacked" BSI CMOS sensor (offered in the RX100 IV, and V), offering ultra-high-speed shooting, with up to 30fps continuous raw shooting available at the full 20mp resolution. The G7 X III will let you shoot at 20fps for up to 89 shots in C-Raw, 55 shots in Raw, or 118 shots in JPEG. Using the "Raw burst mode" you can shoot at 30fps, for approximately 70 shots. The camera can shoot at 8fps, with continuous AF active. (The RX100 IV offers 16fps, and the RX100 V offers 24fps).
The lens is a 4.2x optical zoom lens, with a bright f/1.8 aperture at the wide-end, and f/2.8 at the telephoto end, with the zoom range equivalent to 24mm up to 100mm in 35mm terms. Optical Image Stabilisation is built-in and offers up to 4-stops. Macro focus is down to 5cm, or 40cm at the telephoto end of the lens. There are 31 AF points. The camera offers an extended ISO range, up to ISO25600.
The mode dial sits on top of the exposure compensation dial on top of the camera, and there is a built-in pop-up flash. As you would expect from a serious compact camera, it features P, A, S, M shooting modes, giving you manual controls, as well as raw shooting. The camera offers up to 265 shots, or up to 320 shots with ECO mode enabled.
The camera now offers 4K video recording, at frame rates of 30 or 25fps, for up to 9 minutes and 59 seconds. You can record up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds of FullHD video, and frame rates are available from 24 to 120fps. As previously mentioned, there is a microphone socket on the side.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built-in, and there's a dedicated wireless button on the side of the camera to make it quick to start the process of transferring images to a compatible smartphone or tablet.
Key Features
- 20mp 1inch Stacked BSI CMOS sensor
- 4.2x optical zoom lens, f/1.8-2.8, 24-100mm equivalent
- Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS)
- 3inch tilting touch-screen, 1040K dots
- 30fps continuous shooting (raw burst), 20fps continuous shooting (C-Raw / JPEG)
- ISO125 to ISO25600 (Extended)
- 5cm macro focus, 49 AF points
- Built-in ND filter (3 stop)
- Built-in pop-up flash
- Live-streaming supported
- 4K video recording, 30, 25fps
- FullHD video, 120fps, 100fps, 60fps, 50fps, 25fps, 24fps
- USB Type-C, Microphone socket
- Available in black or black/silver
- Buy now on Amazon UK, Amazon USA
Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III Handling
Using the Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III, we found the camera easy to hold, and easy to use. With a combination of metal and plastic parts, as well as a good-sized, and grippy rubber grip at the front and back, the camera feels well built, and in some ways* feels better than the more expensive G5X II. (*rear of G7X III is metal, and the lens control ring feels better)
The layout of controls is clear, and easy to see, with the touch-screen giving additional options and controls, making it easy to change settings when needed. The Q-Menu button brings up a number of settings on the screen. The menu system is the same as the one you find on Canon EOS DSLRs, so if the camera is used as a backup camera, or an alternative to a Canon EOS camera, then users of this system should find themselves very familiar with all of the options. There's also a "MyMenu" section so you can get quick access to your favourite settings.
The control ring around the lens can be customised, and this can be used as a quick way to change settings, although it does have a noticeable clicking sound when you turn it, so it's best avoided when recording video (you can't turn this off, unlike the G7X II, which gave you the option). There's also the scroll wheel surrounding the 4-way controller on the back of the camera, and this gives quick access to focus, drive mode, and flash settings. You can customise the movie record button, as well as the * (AE Lock) button.
The 3inch touch-screen is clear and bright, with a resolution of 1040K dots. With the screen tilting forwards, it's perfectly suited for "vlogging" and selfie shots, although the pop-up flash can get in the way slightly if you need it. You can use the touch-screen to set the focus point, and this can be anywhere on-screen, even into the far corners. There are 49 AF points, and face-detection works well, although there is no built-in eye-detection.
You can connect the camera to your smartphone or tablet using Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth, but for remote shooting, it will re-connect with Wi-Fi. You can also connect the camera to your own Wi-Fi connection, and then you can setup (using Canon Image Gateway), the camera to upload photos to Canon's website, and other web services such as Twitter and YouTube.
Battery life - Battery life is rated at 265 shots according to Canon / CIPA test results, which is fairly average for a compact camera. This can be extended to 320 shots using the ECO mode, but we'd recommend buying the battery pack, which comes with a second battery. There's a USB Type-C connection, and you can use this to charge the camera battery or use it to power the camera while you're using it.
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III Hands-On Photos of Equipment
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I've been trying to set up YouTube livestream for a couple of days now and there is always error 132. I turned on all the settings in my Youtube account which allow livestreams but nothing helps. Maybe you know what else I can try?
Best regards,
Inna
There are a number of things you need, in order to stream live to YouTube, and you'll need 1000 subscribers on your account, before you can "Mobile" live stream. Less than this and you'll need to use the Desktop or Webcam streaming options:
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9228390
Thanks
Josh
Do you know anything else I can test out?
Best regards,
Inna
Quote:Hi Inna,
There are a number of things you need, in order to stream live to YouTube, and you'll need 1000 subscribers on your account, before you can "Mobile" live stream. Less than this and you'll need to use the Desktop or Webcam streaming options:
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9228390
Thanks
Josh
solved you the problem??? I have now the same.
Quote:Hi guys, thank you so much for such a detailed review! I have a question and feel desperate because can't find the answer anywhere and it seems to be you can be the one who saves me.
I've been trying to set up YouTube livestream for a couple of days now and there is always error 132. I turned on all the settings in my Youtube account which allow livestreams but nothing helps. Maybe you know what else I can try?
Best regards,
Inna
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