Compact cameras like the Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III have felt like an endangered species in recent years, as my colleague Rod recently lamented. "Do you remember the last time there was a new point-and-shoot camera announcement?" he wrote.
"We've waited over two years for a new point-and-shoot… and I'm sure we're not going be seeing another one again. After all, smartphones these days take far better images (mostly using computational photography or software to achieve that goal), even the budget handsets."
And in truth, he's not wrong. The best camera phones are, in many ways, the best cameras that you can keep in your pocket. However, they do have limitations – and while they're perfect for taking spontaneous snaps, there's no doubt that a dedicated camera will get you better results for stills and video – and this is where the Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III comes into its own.
It truly is a Swiss Army knife for all forms of imaging. It's small enough to slip into your pocket, and it has a 24-100mm equivalent zoom lens – and it's an optical zoom, not a fake digital zoom like on most phones (where the camera essentially crops in on the image and then uses software to clean it up).
Its 20.1MP 1-inch image sensor dwarfs those found in most phones, and offers crisp, clean photographs with a frankly ludicrous 30 frames per second burst shooting. It also boasts beautiful 4K 30p video, along with a flippy screen that makes it a fantastic choice for self-shooting vloggers and content creators.
Indeed, the G7 X series has long been the camera of choice for this crowd, as it also offers a microphone jack, clean HDMI out and flat video profile. Moreover, the Mark III enables you to stream directly to YouTube.
As advanced as all these features are, though, they're built into what is ultimately still a point-and-shoot camera. Sure, you can unlock all the clever stuff for advanced usage, but anyone can pick this camera up and just start shooting away – fire and forget style.
Yes, there are arguably better dedicated photo cameras, or video cameras, or vlogging cameras, or holiday cameras. But if I have to choose one camera that does it all? I'm picking this one.
Read more:
Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III review
Best compact cameras
Best travel cameras
