This 7-year-old Canon is TikTok’s favorite compact camera: I tested it to find out if it's worth the hype in 2026

A black Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III compact camera — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Ah, TikTok. A social media platform with hundreds of thousands of videos pertaining to anything and everything on the planet. You've got your classic "brainrot" memes like 6-7, and existential videos discussing the meaning of life all in one app. I won't lie, I love scrolling through TikTok and laughing at the silly things people post on there — or crying at videos of puffer fish, and polar bears struggling to survive as the snow around them melts, with Twenty One Pilots' "Drag Path" playing in the background.

Aside from humorous and inspirational content, TikTok is also responsible for popularizing products we thought would fade into oblivion as the years went by. Retro cameras are very popular on TikTok, with Gen Z going gaga over the likes of the Kodak Charmera and the Camp Snap CS-8. And you'll never guess what TikTokers' favorite compact camera is — it's the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III. Yes, the one that came out all the way back in 2019.

But why is the PowerShot G7 X Mark III still so popular, seven years after its launch? That's the question on everyone's mind — well, on mine, at least. Looks like I might finally have the answer to that, now that I've spent a week testing this camera. If you're wondering whether it's worth the hype in 2026, here's what I've learnt, and here's everything you need to know.

A quick rundown

What is it? The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III is the third iteration of Canon's popular compact camera, and it packs a 20.1MP CMOS sensor, and is capable of recording 4K/30p video. You get a 4.2x optical zoom to get stuck into the detail, and the camera is easily portable, thanks to its small size, making it great for travel snaps.
Who is it for? TikTokers, apparently. I jest! The PowerShot G7 X Mark III is for anyone who wants a compact camera, really, and doesn't want to spend more money on a mirrorless camera or DSLR.
How much does it cost? It's on the pricey side of things. The PowerShot G7 X Mark III retails for $879 / £1,035, or you can buy the 30th Anniversary Graphite Edition for $1,299 / £859.
Is it available to buy? Well, it depends. In many places, such as the U.S., the PowerShot G7 X Mark III is either on backorder or out of stock, and you can blame the camera's TikTok popularity for that. The 30th Anniversary Edition is available but limited, so I'd recommend grabbing it ASAP.

What are the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III's specs like?

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Specs	Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III
Price	$879 / £1,035
Sensor	20.1MP 1-inch Stacked CMOS
Stabilization	Digital only, up to 4-stops
AF system	AiAF with Single, Continuous, Servo AF/AE 5, and Touch AF
Focal length	8.8-36.8mm (35mm equivalent: 24-100mm)
Aperture	f/1.8-f/2.8
Zoom	4.2x optical \| 8.4x ZoomPlus \| 17x Combined
Viewfinder	No
Display	3-inch tilt-type LCD touchscreen, approx. 1.04 million dots
ISO range	125-12,800
Max video resolution	4K @ 30fps
Ports	USB-C, micro HDMI, 3.5mm mic input, 1x SD card
Wireless/Bluetooth	Yes
Max shutter speed	30s - 1/25,600s
Battery life (CIPA)	265 shots
Size	4.13 x 2.4 x 1.63 inches
Weight	10.7oz (including battery)

Explaining the TikTok phenomenon

When I picked up the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III for the first time, I wondered, "Why does TikTok love this camera, specifically?" After all, there are many other competent compact cameras out there. You've got the Pentax WG-1000 and the Kodak PIXPRO C1 — both great, both much cheaper than the PowerShot G7 X Mark III. But then I realized, there's no point in trying to find much logic here as with most trends on TikTok, that's all they are: trends. This video alone has nearly 400,000 likes!

But the PowerShot G7 X Mark III has reached legendary status, given how popular it is seven years since it was first introduced. It's like a cult classic movie nowadays. If there's one thing Gen Z and Gen Alpha love, it's the sweet spot that lies somewhere between professional quality and nostalgic, lo-fi aesthetics. And that's really what the PowerShot G7 X Mark III is catering to: its 20.1MP sensor is enough to capture good images while teetering on the image quality being just lo-fi enough.

Professional, high-end bodies can often reveal too much detail, such as the many pores in your face, and make everything look like a production. The PowerShot G7 X Mark III, then, strikes a balance between good-quality images and video and the candid vibe, and instead feels like a cool, chill, low-key camera. As a millennial who is mostly confounded by Gen Z-isms, that's what I'm guessing they want (but feel free to disagree with me in the comments).

A joy to handle

As is the nature of compact cameras, the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III feels wonderful to handle. Its buttons and dials are thoughtfully laid out, and everything is signposted clearly, so even if you aren't familiar with cameras, you should have no trouble getting to grips with it. I'm guessing the ease of use is one of the reasons why this camera is loved by TikTokers. I've always liked Canon's menu system as well, as it's detailed but easy to understand, with most settings being fairly self-explanatory.

The PowerShot G7 X Mark III is an excellent choice for those who want to photograph their travels, as it measures 4.13 x 2.4 x 1.63 inches and weighs 10.7oz, so it doesn't take up much space in your pocket or handbag, and it doesn't weigh you down either.

Another advantage of owning the PowerShot G7 X Mark III (or any compact camera) is that you can take it with you to music festivals and concerts. In the U.K., where I'm based, concert-goers aren't allowed to bring cameras with interchangeable lenses into venues, but that rule doesn't apply to the PowerShot G7 X Mark III as it features a fixed lens. I've personally seen many people with this camera (or similar) at gigs I've been to, so it's a safe choice for live music lovers.

One button to rule them all

Somewhere along the line during my testing period, I think I cracked the code re: why the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III is so popular amongst "influencers" and TikTokers. The answer lies in its Q/Set button, located next to the monitor. This button gives you access to Color Profiles, Background Blur Degree, Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, and color tones, all of which pop up on the screen, and the changes are displayed in real-time.

I think this is a fantastic addition to the camera, and will surely appeal to many users. Since you can adjust the brightness and contrast, and apply filters while shooting, you can tailor the shot to look exactly the way you want it to. After that, it's a simple matter of using the camera's built-in WiFi and Bluetooth to transfer the images to your phone, and share them straight to social media — no need for post-production or hours spent color grading (unless you aren't bound by time, of course).

One-touch real-time editing is a boon for social media, where it's a race to see who breaks the news first, or who reveals a new product first. I myself had a lot of fun playing around with it during testing. I do wish, though, that you could save your own custom color profiles to the camera, akin to saving custom film recipes on my Fujifilm X-T50.

The image quality surprised me

The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III packs a 1-inch Stacked CMOS sensor, capable of capturing 20.1MP images. That's not a lot of megapixels, so you don't have much room for making extreme crops, but it's enough for sharing your photos on Instagram, Facebook (though I'm not sure how many Gen Zers use it) and TikTok. Alongside this, you get a 4.2x optical zoom (which means you can zoom in without the quality being negatively impacted), and an 8.4x digital zoom.

Optically zooming in is great, but once you push past it and venture into "ZoomPlus" territory, image quality suffers, as the camera begins to digitally crop rather than optically magnifying the scene. But it's still good to have for those who want to get stuck in the detail. In addition to shooting stills, the PowerShot G7X Mark III records 4K/30fps video, which is more than enough resolution for social media sharing.

Image 1 of 6

A photo taken on a Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III compact camera — (Image credit: Nikita Achanta / Tom's Guide)

Having tested many Canon cameras in my time, one thing I've always loved is Canon's color science. Colors are reproduced faithfully and appear true to life — what you see with your eyes is what the camera will replicate (with 99% accuracy, I'd say). This applies to the PowerShot G7 X Mark III as well, and you can see a few sample images in the gallery above.

In the first shot, I love the popping oranges and neon colors, which add life to an otherwise dull scene (it was an overcast day in Bath, U.K., as most days are). In the second photo of the flowers, I upped the saturation in-camera via the Q/Set button, and I adore the vivid greens which add depth and character to the white flowers.

Image 1 of 6

I also have to give credit to the PowerShot G7 X Mark III's contrast-detection autofocus system. I've seen users talking about it being frustrating to use on online forums like Reddit, but I didn't have any issues with it. The camera does a respectable job of tracking and keeping locked onto faces/subjects you've tapped on via the touchscreen.

You can see sample images in the gallery above. I found the camera was fairly quick to lock onto the swans as well as my partner. This autofocus system isn't as advanced as Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF/AF II which you find on cameras like the Canon EOS R50 V, but you usually get that in the brand's DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, not compacts.

I won't lie, the PowerShot G7 X Mark III's image quality actually surprised me. The photos I've taken are packed full of detail, especially the ones of the swans. For instance, in the first shot, you can clearly make out the individual feathers and kinks in the swan's coat. Even its webbed feet are highly detailed, and you can see water droplets on them too.

Is it the best option in 2026? Well...

Also consider:

A black Canon EOS R50 V video-first camera — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Canon PowerShot V1: $1,029 / £959
Canon PowerShot V10: $479 / £349
Canon EOS R50 V (with lens): $849 / £649
Fujifilm X-M5 (with lens): $999 / £899
Sony ZV-1F: $599 / £499

Though the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III is a good camera that takes very lovely photos, I don't think it's the best way of spending your hard-earned money — unless you already own it, of course. But buying it secondhand or pre-loved? I'd consider other options. Seven years is a long time, and technology has come a long way since then.

Canon's own PowerShot line has developed a fair bit, with cameras like the Canon PowerShot V1 ($899) boasting amazing autofocus and 4K/60fps recording capabilities. Budget options, like the Canon PowerShot V10 ($429), are fairly competent too. Then you've got competition from other brands like Sony and Fujifilm, with the Sony ZV-1F ($499) and the Fujifilm X-M5 ($799) providing affordable vlogging solutions. Heck, for a price lower than the PowerShot G7 X Mark III, the Fuji X-M5 features interchangeable lenses, making it more versatile.

For serious content creation, all of the aforementioned cameras are arguably better than the PowerShot G7 X Mark III. I'd even add the Canon EOS R50 V ($699) to that list. And yet, the PowerShot G7 X Mark III reigns supreme. In fact, it's so popular that most places have it on backorder. Sound familiar? It's what happened with the Fujifilm X100VI ($1,599) when it exploded on TikTok.

My best guess is that TikTok content creators aren't looking for the most pixels. After all, you don't need 4K/60fps footage as TikTok downsizes it anyway. They probably want a compact camera that requires minimum effort to make something look great, and that's fair enough — that one-touch in-camera editing is a blessing.

As a professional reviews writer and someone whose job it is to scrutinize tech to figure out whether it's worth the money, I struggle to understand why the PowerShot G7 X Mark III is as popular as it is. But as a photographer and consumer, I can kinda see why: it's easy to use, it's very compact, it takes nice photos, and it can record 4K/30p video. It really depends on the lens you view the situation through.

What do you think? Is there any other tech that's popular but you don't understand why and would like me to check out? Let me know in the comments below!

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Nikita is a Senior Writer on the Reviews team at Tom's Guide. She's a lifelong gaming and photography enthusiast, always on the lookout for the latest tech. Having worked as a Sub Editor and Writer for Canon EMEA, she has interviewed photographers from all over the world and working in different genres. When she’s not working, Nikita can usually be found sinking hours into RPGs on her PS5, flying a drone (she's a licensed drone pilot), at a concert, or watching F1. Her work has appeared in several publications including Motor Sport Magazine, NME, Marriott Bonvoy, The Independent, and Metro. You can follow her photography account on Instagram here.

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