Image stability appears to be the name of the game this year if you’re looking into buying a compact camera, with companies like Canon doing what they can to get people to invest in small digital cameras.
This year, the research being applied to compacts comes in the form of new processors that will improve image quality and lens stability, helping you to get sharper images when light or motion tends to get in the way.
That’s what you can expect in the PowerShot G7 X Mark II, the latest entry in Canon’s long running G series, a range of cameras that for many photographers acts as a second body if you already have a digital SLR.
For this entry, Canon is bringing a 20.1 megapixel CMOS that is a little larger than your conventional compact or even that of your phone, and combining it with a new processor called the Digic 7.
Canon’s people told GadgetGuy that the new processor is there for faster and more solid image processing, granting owners of the G7 X Mark II the ability to get some proper 14-bit RAW processing done inside the camera instead of needing to go back to the computer.
More interestingly, the latest generation of Digic also improves lighting and contrast, while offering improved subject detection and support for image stability.
The lens also adds to this stability, with an aperture capable of dropping down to f/1.8 to 2.8 depending on the zoom you’re at, offering a range of 24 to 100mm when you compare it to a standard 35mm camera.
WiFi support is also built in here, and videographers will even find a bit of support in the form of Full HD 1080p, but advanced compact camera control is where the G7 X Mark II is at.
Helping with this will be a control ring around the lens that can be used to manipulate shutter speed or aperture, and a dual function switch to jump between these functions quickly and easily.
Since you can’t load extra knobs or toggles or rings on a camera that you’re trying to get as small as possible, a switch to do this for you is a great help.
As for pricing, Canon hasn’t said much, but as soon as we know, we’ll let you know. With a release day of May, we can’t imagine the pricing — even something rough — shouldn’t be too far off.
