Front (8.25)
The front face of the Canon PowerShot G7 has a cool retro design with a matte black finish and chrome serrated rim around the base of the lens. Within the chrome ring, the lens barrel protrudes in two segments and has specs printed around the innermost rim: “Canon Zoom Lens 6x IS, 7.4-44.4mm, 1:2.8-4.8.” In the center is the actual glass that is rectangular and covered by plastic petals that snap on and off. To the lower right of the lens is the ring release button that can be pushed while twisting the chrome serrated ring around the lens. This comes off to show an edge that accepts conversion lenses. To the lower left of the lens is a G7 logo embossed into the body. To the upper right of the lens is a chrome Canon logo with the built-in flash unit just above it. Above the lens is the optical viewfinder that is nearly square-shaped and protrudes just slightly. To the upper left of the lens is a large circular auto focus assist lamp that doubles as the self-timer. The left side of the Canon G7 sticks out more than the rest of the flattened body, although it’s barely noticeable. At the cusp of the tiny grip is a vertical strip of rubber meant to provide traction for the fingers.
Back (8.5)
This side contains most of the camera’s controls and is what users will likely stare at often. The 2.5-inch LCD screen is located in the lower left corner of the back. It has a Canon logo near the bottom and an anti-reflection coating that makes it appear almost purple in color when turned off. The LCD is raised on a tiny platform along with the optical viewfinder just above its center. The viewfinder has a circular opening for the actual glass and two tiny LEDs on the right. To the left of the viewfinder’s platform is the round diopter control that is plastic and has tiny ridges on it that aren’t very comfortable. On the upper left corner of the G7’s back is a print/share button with an LED in the middle and two icons on the side designating its function.
To the right of the optical viewfinder is the chrome and rectangular playback button. This button is different from others on the back because it is chrome and not black. This is preferable because the black buttons blend too well with the matte black finish of the housing. In the upper right corner of the back is a button with a ridge the shape of an elbow noodle around the bottom and left edges. This ridge distinguishes the button from the others on the camera. The button itself accesses auto exposure/flash exposure functions along with the microphone.
To the right of the LCD screen is a whole set of controls with the navigational dial surrounded by two buttons on the top and bottom. The button at the top left selects the auto focus zone and deletes single images. The button at the top right changes the exposure compensation and activates the jump feature in the playback mode. The lower left button changes the display on the LCD screen and the button to its right makes the menu appear and disappear like magic. Between the buttons is a circular arrangement with a central Func./Set button. Around that button is a ring with multiple functions in the four cardinal directions: MF (manual focus) on top, flash on the right, burst/self-timer on the bottom, and macro on the left. The outer ring is larger than the size of a quarter and has tiny ridges on it that make it easier to rotate. This ring-shaped control makes navigation through large numbers of images simple and comfortable in the playback mode.
Left Side (7.5)
The top of the left side has a chrome neck strap eyelet bolted into it. Below this is a square-shaped pattern of 16 holes that serves as the speaker.
Right Side (7.5)
The top of the right side also has a chrome neck strap eyelet. Below it is a door that slides toward the back when pushed down; it covers the AV and USB ports. At the very bottom of this side is a tiny black door that is hardly noticeable. It is placed just above the battery compartment door and can be pushed up so the AC adapter can fit in.
Top (8.75)
The top of the G7 combines retro and modern elements. The left side has an ISO dial with its automatic and manual settings printed on it. To its right is the hot shoe, which is raised. On the right side is the mode dial with the following exposure modes: Movie, Stitch Assist, Scene, Auto, Program, (Tv) Shutter Priority, (Av) Aperture Priority, Manual, Custom 1, and Custom 2. To the right of the large mode dial is a smaller control combo with the silver shutter release button in the center and a black outer zoom ring. Behind this feature is a silver rectangular power button with a PowerShot G7 logo below it.
Bottom (8.0)
The bottom of the Canon PowerShot G7 shows off its thickness. It is thicker on the right side where the LCD screen protrudes slightly on the back, but is flat besides that. There is a metal tripod socket centered in the bottom of the camera. To the left is battery compartment that doesn’t have an outer lock on it, but can be pushed and slid outward to reveal the battery compartment and memory card slot.
