For the person who wants a digital camera with top performance and extensive features in a stylish, retro-rangefinder package, the Canon PowerShot G7 is an excellent choice.

Positives: Excellent image quality with good light. Built-in Neutral Density Filter. Full range of shooting modes. High resolution 2.5-inch LCD monitor. ISO Speed dial. Very compact. Negatives: Some sensitivity to noise. Fixed LCD monitor. No RAW image format.

The Canon Powershot G7 may cost a bit more than other compact digital cameras, but in my view it is money well spent. It has many advanced features and its picture quality is very good. This type of camera has fallen a long way in price over the last couple of years and is now affordable to many more serious photographers.

While a disappointing G-series camera, the PowerShot G7 stands on its own, and it earns my recommendation. If you don’t mind parting with almost $600 for it, it’s worth a look. Don’t forget to check out the just as capable, and less expensive, competition closely, though.

Specification aside, the G7 is a camera I’d find a lot easier to wholeheartedly recommend if the cons list at the top of this page were a bit shorter, but as I discovered, once you tame it, most of them can be overcome. It’s not for everyone (and it’s not the best ‘social camera’ as the focus can struggle in low light unless you stick to the short end of the zoom), but after a month or so of testing I find myself liking it more and more.

There’s a slight element that the G7, having been cut down to size, has rather lost something. It has a number of admirable features and is genuinely nice to use, but the performance is slightly off. The loss of the flip-out LCD is a real shame, but for those wanting a camera that’s convenient to carry, the large weight and size loss is surely a good thing.

While the G7 is unquestionably a superb camera, head and shoulders above anything else at the same size or price, the slower lens, smaller profile and lack of RAW mode will deter many potential buyers from trading in their G6. Instead of the best semi-pro camera on the market, Canon has produced a well specified general purpose camera that will appeal to the more ambitious casual user, rather than as an SLR-alternative for the serious hobbyist.

Overall I was very impressed with the Canon G7. It does a lot of things right within the context of its price, size and its likely intended constituency. Unfortunately a consequence of being a JPG-only camera is that too many technical decisions need to be made prior to shooting. Things like colour balance, saturation, sharpening, etc all get baked into the file, and the ability to recover burned-out highlights (which raw files provide) is lost when all you have is a JPG.

It’s fair to say the Canon PowerShot G7 is a comprehensively specified and brilliantly built camera, but it is also fair to say it is a disappointment. All the reasons to own a G-series camera (excellent, fast lens, RAW capture, reams of detail and low noise) have been removed by a company trying to keep up with the 10-megapixel “Joneses”. Canon’s premium compact series of digital models has lost its crown.

The G7’s shortcomings aside, its generous controls and easy navigation may prove an ideal combination for photographers who frequently adjust manual settings in pursuit of the perfect shot. But photo enthusiasts looking for a backup camera to supplement their digital SLR may be turned off by the G7’s high price, lack of RAW support, and mediocre battery life.

The Canon Powershot G7 is a great-looking camera with cool styling, a great build, and good menu navigation. We were expecting big things from this camera, but its performance in the lab is a disappointment, especially at the higher ISOs.

The Canon Powershot G7’s rating may surprise those who see a well-built 10 megapixels compact digital camera with a stabilized 6X optical zoom lens and full feature set. The G7 is all that. However, it should not surprise those who see its lengthy list of shortcomings.