Can Canon’s PowerShot G7 X Beat Out Sony’s RX100 Series?

Can Canon’s PowerShot G7 X Beat Out Sony’s RX100 Series?
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Canon perceived premium compact users to want a bright powerful zoom lens with relatively large sensor and a viewfinder in the PowerShot G1X Mk II and G16, but Sony proved astutely there was a huge demand for a quality compact that could slip into a pocket.
When Canon was busy building old-school destroyers, Sony designed a sleek modern frigate in the form of the RX100 with a 1” sensor. It took Canon two years to respond, but they finally launched a compact with but one purpose – to regain the throne of best compact from Sony.
Sibling Rivalry
Spec for spec, the Canon PowerShot G7 X matches the Sony very closely on paperwith battery such as Panasonic CGA-S101A Battery, Olympus Li-10B Battery, Olympus BLM1 Battery, panasonic NV-GS10 battery, panasonic VHS-C Battery, canon EOS 400D Battery, panasonic VW-VBD1E Battery, panasonic VW-VBD1 Battery, Panasonic CGA-S002 Battery, HITACHI DZ-HS300E Battery, Olympus FE-230 Battery, canon MV930 Battery, beating the RX100 Mk III on some fronts and losing out in some aspects. I can only imagine Canon engineers pasted a RX100 poster on the office wall with a bull’s eye painted on it. But is the Canon a worthy rival to the camera that redefined the premium compact class?
Surprisingly the Canon G7 X and Sony RX100 III could be stepbrothers. Canon allegedly admitted the 20MP 1″ sensor was not developed internally, fueling speculations that G7 X could be using the same Sony 20-MP 1” BSI CMOS sensor. Any difference between the two rivals can be attributed to the lens and design philosophy of the engineering teams from both sides.
Similar in size and weight to the RX100 III, the G7 X pips the Sony with a key advantage — its 24-100mm (equivalent) f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens. Using high-tech wizardry, the Canon engineers managed to match Sony’s maximum aperture throughout the range, and yet squeeze in a wider focal range than the Sony’s 24-70mm without a size increase. Canon didn’t explain how they pulled it off, but I shall explain later why the additional reach is invaluable.
Sony RX100III’s technological coup d’état though is the inclusion of a built-in LCD viewfinder. Where you’d expect a tiny flash to pop up, a glorious 1.44MP OLED electronic viewfinder rises up to offer a new way of seeing the world. In contrast, there is no viewfinder (integrated or otherwise) for the Canon. So if you must have a viewfinder, the Sony will be your choice. Both cameras feature built-in flash, but neither comes with hot shoe.
Both rivals feature control dial around the lens for quick change of settings, but while Canon has click detents on the wheel to help you feel the changes with tactile feedback, Sony opted to do away with click detents for a totally smooth control wheel so there are no audible clicks during video recording. Once again, each engineering team has chosen different paths with very different focus and results – the Canon is perfect for stills, while the Sony excels in video.
Out of the box, the PowerShot G7 X feels compact yet substantial. It fits into the palm well, with the controls falling in place nicely. The newcomer feels more like a supersized version of the PowerShot S120 in terms of design, rather than G-series family. The body is covered in smooth splattered black paint, which looks great but is really a recipe for disaster (the Sony is no better). It is fortunate that they included a thumb rest at the back, which helps give a better grip on the camera. Canon should really consider an optional rubberized grip like they did for the PowerShot G1X II.
The buttons at the back may seem to be clustered too closely together, but in practice it is easy to access each button accurately without depressing another button accidentally. The control ring has just the right resistance, with slight detents for tactile feedback. The 3″ touchscreen LCD flips up 180 degrees in one orientation for creative low-angle shooting… and selfies. It doesn’t flip downwards, so the only way to shoot from high angle is to hold the camera upside down. In this respect, the Sony RX100 Mk III has the better-designed hinge mechanism to do everything the Canon can, and more.
It is impossible to miss the sexy set of dials sitting to the right of the shutter release button. Nicely knurled for easy gripping, the stacked dials give you instant access to the shooting modes and exposure compensation. A dedicated exposure compensation dial is a rare commodity on many digital cameras, and I’m excited to see this old-school approach on the Canon PowerShot G7 X for on-the-fly exposure adjustments.
Peering into the box, it’s a relief to see a battery charger inside. It sounds like a trifling thing to be excited about, but as the owner of a RX100 II I’m frustrated with Sony for not providing a proper charger (it’s an optional accessory). Using the camera to charge batteries means I will not able to charge additional batteries while shooting. Seeing the Canon battery charger in the box makes me a happy camper.
While it is great to see battery charger being included, the reason may not be such good news. The small Canon NB-13L lithium-ion battery has a CIPA rating of 210 shots, which is pretty dismal by any standard. Which means that enthusiastic users will very likely need to buy additional batteries for extended periods of shooting, in which having a dedicated charger will be more convenient.
At the camera base, Canon fitted WiFi and Near Field Communications (NFC) contacts for pairing up with a NFC equipped smartphone. The PowerShot G7 X has its tripod mount positioned next to the battery/card compartment, which makes it troublesome to replace the SD card or battery when it’s mounted on a tripod.