Why the PowerShot G7 X Mark III is the best compact Canon camera for creative content

Whatever content you love to create, expressing yourself requires tools that can help you unleash your creative spark in daily life. The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III packs 4K video, a 20.1MP sensor and a flip-up touchscreen into its compact body, making it the perfect creative companion.

Whether you're a vlogger, yoga teacher, office worker, parent or musician, this pocket-sized camera can be used as a webcam for making video calls and wireless live streaming, through to recording outdoor adventures, daily vlogs and holiday shots. With portability, a versatile 24mm wide angle, 4.2x zoom lens, an advanced image stabilisation system for shake-free shots, built-in and intuitive easy-to-use technology at its core, the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III helps you capture and share the moments that matter.

Here, three content creators – online yoga teacher and social media influencer Sarah Malcolm, vlogger and scrapbook expert Mei-Ying Chow and videographer and photographer Jamie James – share their experiences of how this camera helps them communicate their work, life and art online.

Vlogging her crafting creations

Mei-Ying Chow is a final year Economics student at King's College London with 90,000 YouTube subscribers. She's a scrapbook expert who has built her own brand over the last seven years with daily social media vlogs, and uses the PowerShot G7 X Mark III to document both her life as a student and her craft creations.

"I've scrapbooked on my channel for the last five or six years and have always kept a diary," says Mei-Ying. "For this shoot, I created a page for my sister's graduation, which was back in 2018. Because I'm not going to be having my graduation this year as it's been postponed, I thought I'd make the most of hers."

"The G7 X Mark III touchscreen makes it so much easier when I film close-up because the autofocus is really quick when you touch it and it's easier to hold," says Mei-Ying. She also credits the Canon Tripod Grip HG-100TBR for assisting her filming in compact student accommodation. The Tripod Grip is completely wireless, and comes with the removable Bluetooth Remote Control BR-E1 making it easy to use wherever you are.

"The small height of the Tripod Grip HG-100TBR is great as my room in my student accommodation is really small, so I rely on having a small tripod at the right height," she explains.

Clear sound is also key for Mei-Ying's online videos, with sound effects adding to the overall experience of the scrapbooking tutorials on her channel. The lightweight Canon Stereo Microphone DM-E100 plugs directly into her camera to help capture stereo sound.

When combined with an external mic, Mei-Ying says "The sound quality of the PowerShot G7 X Mark III is a lot better than my DSLR's built-in mic. The microphone is really crisp and I like the layers that it adds so you can hear the snips of my scissors and the different sounds so it engages all of the senses. I try not to mute those when I put music over the top because I feel like it makes it more exciting."

The latest update to its firmware makes the PowerShot G7 X Mark III ideal for vloggers like Mei-Ying, due to its new dedicated vlogging mode.

Live streaming yoga from her living room

London-based online yoga teacher and social media influencer Sarah Malcolm teaches her live yoga classes via Zoom® due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and needs a simple set-up for her students.

"I made the shift to teaching online at the start of 2020 when all my studio work was taken away overnight," says Sarah. "But the shift turned out to be really powerful and somehow held even more connection than before. The best thing about this set-up is the simplicity.

Using the G7 X Mark III to film her yoga flow, with a DM-E100 stereo mic for high quality audio, the PD-E1 adapter for continuous shooting, and the tripod grip HG-100TBR for stability, Sarah found this kit far surpassed the quality of her phone and laptop. The G7 X Mark III also gives users the option to capture a clean HDMI output in 4K resolution if desired.

"I couldn't believe the difference in quality when setting up the camera for my online classes," says Sarah. "The G7 X Mark III is lightweight, easy-to-use and has a much wider view than my built-in laptop camera, so it's much easier for my students to see more. Being able to see my framing on the 180-degree tilt-up LCD screen is also really useful, as it means I don't fall out of shot."

The camera can also be used as a webcam by downloading the Canon EOS Webcam Utility Software, which works with most video conferencing and streaming applications. This makes it ideal for yoga teachers – and fitness instructors generally – who offer online membership platforms.

When filming, the PowerShot G7 X Mark III has a red border around the frame as an enhanced recording indication, for extra confirmation, and no false starts. And the improved AF capabilities of the PowerShot G7 X Mark III mean that creators like Sarah can be confident about being in focus throughout filming.

Mindful vlogging in nature

For Jamie James, who has been a full-time videographer and photographer for the past six years and specialises in outdoor content for brands such as Vans and The North Face, versatile, quality kit is essential for his content creation.

Jamie put his Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III to the test while shooting video and stills in the wild. The camera's high frame rate (up to 120 frames per second) and 4.2x 24-100mm f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens proved perfect for the dramatic cliffs of the Jurassic Coast, which served as Jamie's backdrop. Married to this is the PowerShot G7 X Mark III's 4-stop image stabilisation that enables shots to be captured at slower shutter speeds without camera shake being an issue.

With the latest firmware update the PowerShot G7 X Mark III comes with improved IS meaning you can shoot with confidence, it also comes equipped with Face priority AE, making it easier than ever to capture people on the move.

"I recorded myself making a coffee and doing some stretches, as I wanted to share a little piece of my life and the importance of spending time with yourself in nature and how calming that can be," he says. "The versatility of this lens is amazing, being able to capture wide landscapes as well as zooming in on tighter action is incredible."

"Size is everything when you're going on long adventures, so to be able to have it in my pocket and be able to pull it out and shoot RAW is awesome, as there's no reaching into the bag and missing the moment," says Jamie.

The latest update to its firmware means the PowerShot G7 X Mark III also has frame lines for different aspect ratios, making it easier to shoot for different platforms and for print. You could even have an Instagram-friendly marker shown on the screen while you're filming, so you know the content will work for social.

You can avoid overexposed shots by using the zebra overlays in the PowerShot G7 X Mark III which help mark out areas of exposure.

Using a high quality webcam for video calls also matters for creators like Jamie, as his audience can get a feel for the quality of his work – and it's all possible with the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III through a USB connection.

"As a filmmaker and photographer, I want to give off a good impression. If I can join a Zoom® call and I've set up the scene to be really cinematic and there's nice depth of field there, clients get an idea of what they're going to get when they work with me."

Written by Lorna Dockerill