Opinion of Canon PowerShot G7

[nigel84]

Well as stated above... Haha, i have no idea should i be jumping into getting the canon PowerShot G7 at this current time. With the cost of the G7, making me think of getting a DSLR would seem like a better idea. However i do like the user-friendly-ness of the G7. And the MP of it is the best magnet.
Please someone give me some guidance along here on should i be getting the G7 or a DSLR, (state the model of the DSLR) and what would be the best price i could be able to get the G7 and the place. Thanks a million!

 

[ambroseliao]

Hello Nigel,

Your decision depends on whether you want ultimate quality and control or portability and control. The G7 is a tremendous camera that is also very portable. I keep mine on me all the time that I'm out. On the other hand, a dSLR is a tremendous photo tool that happens to be quite bulky (compared to a G7).

I find that the G7 is better suited to my needs since I can't lug around a dSLR all the time. Yet, it still offers full controls over every aspect of photography. It's also one of only a few cameras that can take an auxiliary flash and lenses.

Hope this helps.
Ambrose
moderator of the Canon G7 Yahoo Group!
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/CanonG7/

 

[jdredd]

a G7 will be able to fulfil most shooting need. despite the complaints about it..eg no RAW, no F2.0, no adjustable LCD screen... for what it is, its still a great camera and well built.
having said that, you really need to think what you want to shoot.

for specialised shooting e.g. wide angle landscapes, wildlife, portraiture, available light photography etc, you really may just want to get a DSLR. this is because the G7 is still not great above ISO 400. its also variable aperture.

if however you just want a general compact camera to take pictures with e.g. family outings, holidays etc but with a little bit more control and quality than a normal digital compact, then the G7 is ideal.

i was very close to getting one, but then i realised for a little bit more, i could get a bessa and a nice 50mm lens.. so for me that was a no brainer (i already have a DSLR tho)

 

[nigel84]

i was actually flacuating between having candid shots, holiday, protaits, wildlife and spans of landscapes... But minus the bulk of a DSLR and the cost of expanding a DSLR which was why i landed myself in this dilemna on should i be getting a G7 or DSLR. I love the creativity of DSLR, and i love the size of a mini... Feels terrible. haha... Pls advice me further...

 

[Takki]

The G7 is a great camera, one of the best of the pack when you talk about compacts.
Great looks, size, features, etc. Probably about the only thing being complained about by everyone... and unfortunately, its a pretty big omission, is the lack of Raw format.

Now comparing the G7 with SLR, I think thats quite a difference.

The main one being sensor size. The minuscule sensor of the G7 whether its 10 mpix or 20 mpix is simply not gonna beat the APS-C of an SLR, even a D40 with 6Mpix would easily give out as much detail as the G7. Maybe in a super bright outdoor you can still get a good performance out of a compact, but indoors, or portraits you are not gonna beat the sensor size difference.
Dont just see the megapixel count, sensor size is very important.

Back to your camera needs...

You mentioned an SLR is expensive... well it doesnt have to be, its only expensive if you start buying the top end accessories, prime lenses, etc. But for the most part, you can live pretty well with the kit lens.

And you mentioned you take portraits, wildlife, landscapes, thats like all the major differing types of photography already, exactly why the SLR is invented. So you can change the lenses to your needs. The lens you need to shoot a landscape and a wildlife is vastly different.

As for size... if you are singling out Canon then have a go with the EOS400D.
If you are willing to look at other brands...

The Olympus E-400, or E-410 (newer one) are the smallest SLRs on the market.
Try it you'll be surprised how small it is.

Also try Nikon D40, or D40x, volume wise its comparable to the Olympus, while the Olympus is thin and wide, the D40 is a little shorter in width but quite a bit thicker.

I think those 2 especially the E-400 would fit your bill as an "almost compact" SLR

 

[nigel84]

hmm was actually surfing the sites of olympus, nikon and canon before i read your helpful reply. And consideration was about the same as yours. haha... As i was browsing through out the urls, i singled out the Canon EOS 350D. Well seems like an additional of approx. $200 seems worth it for the EOS 350D. The other brands offer great cameras as well, eg. D70 /80 however the price of it had almost made me faint at the very instant moment i see it. Well life is that pratical, isn't it? So actually now i'm looking towards a Canon PowerShot G7 and a Canon EOS 350D. Tight fight within the family itself. Another question, should i intend to get a Canon EOS 350D, i would like to get myself a wide lens. Any reccomendations?

 

[denniskee]

why not get a g2 or g3, i am using black g2 which i got it recently for $200. using a olympus wcon07 with it.

most of the time i use it at 35mm (native) or attached the wcon07 to make it 28mm there about.

i decided to buy this camera beacuse after using a film rangefinder, i find to shooting street candid up close to the subject much easier compare to slr/dslr.

ps: g3 is around $200-$250.

 

[szekiat]

do consider the olympus 5050. I was first inspired by the works of alex majoli on it and have since use it for the mainstay of a lot of my indoor work as it is a lot more silent than my leica or dslr.

 

[timothychanzl]

It depends on the type of photography you do. If you shoot in professional circumstances where people expect a camera to be pointed at them or if you shoot from far using a telephoto lens, a DSLR will give you amazing quality.

If you want to go up close to strangers and take candid pictures, a small non intrusive camera might give you a better chance of getting your shot. The shutter is so quiet and so small, even without IS, i can get away with using 1/15. The G7 has IS so it will serve you well. The only setback of the G7, IMHO, is the lack of a swivel screen LCD which destroys its flexibility.

Nothing spoils a candid shot more that the sight of you, the photographer, holding a big camera up to your face and a loud shutter. Notice that shots taken with DSLRs are almost always eye level ? Using a swivel screen allows you to take high and low angle shots which are more interesting and more discretely, which gives natural moments. A quiet shutter means you can use your camera unobstrusively, even in sensitive situations

 

[vernonleow]

Get yourself a Panasonic LC-1 or L1 for great street shots. I was considering the G7 too but I'm really upset about the lack of RAW. I'm not a big fan of IS. It will compensate for camera shake but won't give you something sharp. Now I've decided to save money on what's not quite there and get a Leica M8 instead. I was at a shop in HK the other day buying a teleconverter and saw a guy trying out the M8. Then later he was next to me paying for it! My drool flooded the shop.

 

[jdredd]

i was actually flacuating between having candid shots, holiday, protaits, wildlife and spans of landscapes... But minus the bulk of a DSLR and the cost of expanding a DSLR which was why i landed myself in this dilemna on should i be getting a G7 or DSLR. I love the creativity of DSLR, and i love the size of a mini... Feels terrible. haha... Pls advice me further...

a G7 can take all of those pictures that you want... but maybe not quite as well as a canon.

if you are just taking snaps for 4R prints to put in family albums, then really i would say get a G7.

but if you are serious about photography, want to get big blow up prints to decorate your house etc then you may want to get a DSLR.

one oter thing to remember. the time component involved with DSLRs becomes much greater. wiht a compact cam, people generally will print straight out of the camera.

get a DSLR on the other hand, and you will have to become familiar with the wonderful world of raw processing...

if in doubt, i would say get the DSLR.