I’ve got several cameras purchased over the years in my “active” collection, including a Sony full frame that I bought used about nine years ago, a fantasic Leica Q that I bought after my sister died unexpectedly and I realized that I should give in to temptation before it was too late, a smallish Canon EOS M6 interchangeable lens camera, and a Panasonic LX100 ii, a smaller camera with a fantastically sharp lens and enough manual controls to be considered a photographer’s camera. And there’s my iPhone 12 with a good camera trapped in a phone’s body.

But my smallest “regular” camera is a Canon G7x Mark iii, which I originally bought for travel because of its small size back in 2019. It’s the only one of my current cameras that might be considered “pocketable,” or at least easily carried in one hand.

Since I think of it as a travel camera, I don’t usually carry it on our early morning walks. Instead, it sits in a drawer waiting for our next trip. But, for some reason, I grabbed it yesterday morning after making sure its battery was fully charged.

The photos show the camera “on” with its lens extended. The lens retracts when you turn it off, creating a small package to carry with you. Notice the articulating touch screen, which allows freedom to select unusual camera angles, or to easily use it for selfies.

To tell the truth, I was surprised at how well it performed, exceeding all my expectations in feel, use, and image quality.

It was faster and more responsive than I remembered. Its zoom lens has a range equivalent to 24mm to 100mm, which makes it very flexible, and it’s maximum aperture of f/1.8 proved capable in low light (such as before sunrise). When I was trying to keep up with Jake, the six-month old toy poodle puppy we see most mornings, it could capture up to 20 images per second, letting me catch just the right expression. And its 20.1 megapixel sensor produces nice looking images.

The resulting images show nothing to apologize for!

Now I have to revise my mental image, and just think about it as another one of my cameras, and not simply a travel camera.

If you’re interested, the Canon G7x iii now sells for about $700 new, and they can occasionally be found used from dealers like KEH.com, or reconditioned from Canon.