Canon G7 X Mark II versus Sony A7 II

The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II and the Sony Alpha A7 II are two digital cameras that were announced, respectively, in February 2016 and November 2014. The G7X Mark II is a fixed lens compact, while the A7 II is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The cameras are based on an one-inch (G7X Mark II) and a full frame sensor. The Canon has a resolution of 20 megapixel, whereas the Sony provides 24 MP.

Body comparison

The physical size and weight of the Canon G7 X Mark II and the Sony A7 II are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter. You can also use the toggle button to switch to a percentage comparison if you prefer that the measures are being expressed in relative terms (in this case, the camera on the left side – the G7X Mark II – represents the basis for the calculations across all the size and weight measures).

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Sony A7 II is considerably larger (89 percent) than the Canon G7 X Mark II. It is noteworthy in this context that the A7 II is splash and dust-proof, while the G7X Mark II does not feature any corresponding weather-sealing.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete and possibly misleading, as the G7X Mark II has a lens build in, whereas the A7 II is an interchangeable lens camera that requires a separate lens. Attaching the latter will add extra weight and bulk to the setup. You can find an overview of optics for the A7 II and their specifications in the Sony FE Lens Catalog.

Concerning battery life, the G7X Mark II gets 265 shots out of its NB-13L battery, while the A7 II can take 350 images on a single charge of its NP-FW50 power pack.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you want to switch the focus of the display and review another camera pair, just select a new right or left comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The G7X Mark II was launched at a lower price than the A7 II, despite having a lens build in. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Of the two cameras under consideration, the Canon G7 X Mark II features an one-inch sensor and the Sony A7 II a full frame sensor. The sensor area in the A7 II is 638 percent bigger. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have a format factor of, respectively, 2.7 and 1.0. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

With 24MP, the A7 II offers a higher resolution than the G7X Mark II (20MP), but the A7 II nevertheless has larger individual pixels (pixel pitch of 5.97μm versus 2.41μm for the G7X Mark II) due to its larger sensor. However, the G7X Mark II is a somewhat more recent model (by 1 year and 2 months) than the A7 II, and its sensor might have benefitted from technological advances during this time that enhance the light gathering capacity of its pixel-units.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The two cameras under consideration both have sensors whose read-out speed is fast enough to capture moving pictures, and both provide the same movie specifications (1080/60p).

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the A7 II has an electronic viewfinder (2400k dots), which can be very helpful when shooting in bright sunlight. In contrast, the G7X Mark II relies on live view and the rear LCD for framing. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon G7 X Mark II, the Sony A7 II, and comparable cameras. The full specs-sheets can be found in the camera manual or, for example, in the dpreview camera hub.

The G7X Mark II is a current model that online retailers, such as amazon, will have in stock. In contrast, the A7 II has been discontinued (but it can be found pre-owned on ebay). As a replacement in the same line of cameras, the A7 II was succeeded by the Sony A7 III.

Summary

So what conclusions can be drawn? Is there a clear favorite between the Canon G7 X Mark II and the Canon G7 X Mark II? Below is a summary of the relative strengths of each of the two contestants.

Reasons to prefer the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II:

• Fewer buttons to press: Is equipped with a touch-sensitive rear screen to facilitate handling.
• Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (8 vs 5 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
• Ready to shoot: Has a lens build-in, whereas the A7 II requires a separate lens.
• More compact: Is smaller (106x61mm vs 127x96mm) and thus needs less room in the bag.
• Less heavy: Is lighter even though it comes with a build-in lens (unlike the A7 II).
• Easier fill-in: Is equipped with a small onboard flash to brighten deep shadow areas.
• More affordable: Was introduced at a lower price, despite coming with a build-in lens.
• More modern: Is somewhat more recent (announced 1 year and 2 months after the A7 II).

Arguments in favor of the Sony Alpha A7 II:

• More detail: Has more megapixels (24 vs 20MP), which boosts linear resolution by 10%.
• Better low-light imaging: Features bigger pixels on a larger sensor for better high-ISO images.
• Easier framing: Has an electronic viewfinder for image framing and settings control.
• More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (1230k vs 1040k dots).
• Faster shutter: Has higher mechanical shutter speed (8000/sec vs 2000/sec) to freeze action.
• More flexible: Takes interchangeable lenses and can thus be used with specialty optics.
• Longer lasting: Gets more shots (350 versus 265) out of a single battery charge.
• Better sealing: Is splash and dust sealed for shooting in inclement weather conditions.
• More heavily discounted: Has been on the market for longer (launched in November 2014).

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the A7 II comes out slightly ahead of the G7X Mark II (9 : 8 points). However, the pertinence of the various camera strengths will differ across photographers, so that you might want to weigh individual camera traits according to their importance for your own imaging needs.

In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the G7X Mark II or the A7 II handle or perform in practice. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites. The full reviews are available, respectively, at cameralabs.com, dpreview.com, ephotozine.com, imaging-resource.com, and photographyblog.com.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Other comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how other cameras pair up, just make your choice using the following search menu. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool. If you cannot find the camera you are interested in, please contact me, and I will try to update the database with the necessary infos.