I’ve been thinking about getting a point and shoot camera for a while now. I love my DSLR but it’s bulky, I worry about breaking it and it’s not very inconspicuous. The image quality though! I hated spending money on a point and shoot just to sacrifice quality. It was hard to determine what would suit my needs without breaking the bank. Jeff and I would talk about going in on one together and sharing it but we could never decide on which camera to buy. After wanting one really bad for a few years, in the last year or so I’d basically given up on the idea.
…Until Jeff randomly bought one. I was excited for him but initially, not super impressed. Then, a couple days later, while we were out grabbing coffee he offered to let me borrow it to take a photo. Immediately I saw what a great little camera it was. The photo turned out better than expected and I never even had to touch my big, bulky DSLR. Over the next few weeks, I watched him take more photos with that little camera than he had probably the whole year. Sharing it wasn’t really an option. I honestly felt bad asking to borrow it because I could tell he loved it that much. It basically renewed his love of taking photos.
With our honeymoon approaching, I decided I needed my own point and shoot. I was tempted to just buy the same one as Jeff but ended up choosing the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II instead. The big selling point there for me is the flip out screen. I’m a sucker for a flip-up screen. I get so much use out of the one on my 6D (and all the cameras I owned before it that had one) that I’ll never buy a digital camera that doesn’t have one.
The G7 X Mark II is a 20.1 megapixel camera that offers continuous shooting mode (good for kitty yawns!), has an impressive 100mm zoom and even goes down to f/1.8 (perfect for beautiful blurry backgrounds.) It has wireless connectivity so you can transfer photos straight from the camera to your phone which is super useful while you’re out and about. There’s a 3.0″ LCD monitor that tilts up 180° and down 45°, ideal for self-portraits and taking pictures at high or low angles easily. It shoots video, time-lapse movies, and most importantly, you can shoot in RAW.
First impressions
So, obviously, I haven’t had it for very long. Its been just over a month but I can without a doubt say it was a great purchase! I 100% should have purchased this camera sooner. I find myself taking more photos than normal, and capturing moments I probably wouldn’t otherwise. The biggest example I have of that is that Jeff and I actually took some nice photos together on our last trip. We take road trips fairly often and in the last four and a half years we’ve taken only a couple of photos together on those trips. (At this moment, I can literally only think of one photo we took of the two of us on a trip!) Having a small point and shoot camera I can just lean up again my camera bag or purse makes it so easy to get photos together. Its obviously something I can do with my other camera but something about this small camera is changing the way I look at taking photos and what I shoot.
There are certainly instances I prefer to use my DSLR and I’m not sure I’d leave on a vacation without it. I don’t see the G7 X Mark II replacing my 6D but it’s certainly an essential item for me now. I carry it in my purse everywhere I go. (I even bought a purse specifically to make sure the camera would be easy to grab and use!) It makes it so easy to take photos of everyday life. I’m capturing all the little moments I didn’t before because carrying my big camera was too much of a hassle or it wasn’t worth setting up the shot.
The only thing I find even a little bit strange is that it doesn’t have a viewfinder. That’s extremely common with point and shoot cameras but definitely, a weird thing for me to get used to. I still find myself wanting to bring the camera up to my face to shoot. Other than that, no complaints from me at all. Everything is performing exactly as expected. It’s easy to set up, and quick to turn on, focus, and shoot. It’s essentially perfect. Exactly what I was looking for!
The G7 X Mark II was definitely a great purchase. If you’re looking to spend a little less and not 100% attached to the idea of a flip out screen, the G9 X is an incredible little camera as well.
I can’t believe it took me so long to finally get one but I’m certainly glad to have it now.
xoxo