GB Sports Photographer & The Panasonic LUMIX S1
Canon Powershot G7 or Ricoh GX100?
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Canon wins everytime, Especially on reliability, Ricoh! who are they 
No seriously you tend to pay for the name rather than the capability.
One more point, Mega Pixels & Quality do not always go together, Many manafacturers use the Mega Pixel count as a means of Marketing.
Truth is that a Camera with a 6 mega pixel sensor, Backed up with a decent lens & Processing engine, Will produce better results that an 8 Mega Pix that has mediocre lens & processor, HIGHER Mega pixel with tiny sensors as in the case of compacts, Very often results in Image Noise ( Something to avoid as it degrades the quality ).......
No seriously you tend to pay for the name rather than the capability.One more point, Mega Pixels & Quality do not always go together, Many manafacturers use the Mega Pixel count as a means of Marketing.
Truth is that a Camera with a 6 mega pixel sensor, Backed up with a decent lens & Processing engine, Will produce better results that an 8 Mega Pix that has mediocre lens & processor, HIGHER Mega pixel with tiny sensors as in the case of compacts, Very often results in Image Noise ( Something to avoid as it degrades the quality ).......
I bought a Canon G7 in January - and am still having a love-hate relationship with it. It was meant as a backup to my SLR - but the first downer was that it does not shoot RAW. It displays shocking parallex error - which can at times be important. Shutter lag means you often miss a shot where moving subjects are concerned. I was also dismayed to find it uses SD cards. This meant I had to buy a multi-card reader for downloading to the computer - not a serious problem, admittedly - but added expense.
On the plus side, I have to say it has taken some good landscape shots - and is surprisingly good in low light.
If you other half is really into his photography, as you say, then I'd think seriously about the Canon 400D. A nice bit of kit, with none of the above annoyances - and not a great deal more expensive. Or you could make me an offer for the G7?!!!
On the plus side, I have to say it has taken some good landscape shots - and is surprisingly good in low light.
If you other half is really into his photography, as you say, then I'd think seriously about the Canon 400D. A nice bit of kit, with none of the above annoyances - and not a great deal more expensive. Or you could make me an offer for the G7?!!!
I still have a G5 from back in the day which is a cracking unit .. i think the G7 has lost Raw but the G5 and G6 had it ... buy a used G5 off ebay for £100-150 ... perfect.
Dan
Dan
Photographers are a picky breed.
If you choose the 'wrong' one [for no reason other than he has a particular 'right' one in mind] it'll niggle forever.
Get him to say which one he wants - then everyone is happy.
If you choose the 'wrong' one [for no reason other than he has a particular 'right' one in mind] it'll niggle forever.
Get him to say which one he wants - then everyone is happy.
I have been looking for something for social occasions and spur of the moment stuff that would complement my 20D and 350D. And is lighter than a 350D & Sigma 17-70 which I carry to work.
I looked at a G7 and a Panasonic TZ3, but after weeks of research, I have bought a used G6 as I occasionally take shots in artificial light (sodium) and raw is best option for this.
Other reasons are logical too:
Same battery as 20D
Same memory cards
Has RAW - G7 doesn't
No adjustable viewfinder on G7
Noise levels lower than G7
Better looking than G7
Faster lens than G7 - f2 to f3 not f2.8 to 4.8. Makes a big difference.
Pixels are not everything as I dont really need to print/repro above A4
IMHO G7 is a retrograde step for Canon.
Interestingly, high prices are being paid on ebay UK for G6s - one went last week for £350. US prices are more sensible.
I looked at a G7 and a Panasonic TZ3, but after weeks of research, I have bought a used G6 as I occasionally take shots in artificial light (sodium) and raw is best option for this.
Other reasons are logical too:
Same battery as 20D
Same memory cards
Has RAW - G7 doesn't
No adjustable viewfinder on G7
Noise levels lower than G7
Better looking than G7
Faster lens than G7 - f2 to f3 not f2.8 to 4.8. Makes a big difference.
Pixels are not everything as I dont really need to print/repro above A4
IMHO G7 is a retrograde step for Canon.
Interestingly, high prices are being paid on ebay UK for G6s - one went last week for £350. US prices are more sensible.
Interesting stuff...and I'd like a 'pocketable' camera to complement the DSLR sometimes.... but very, very few (even magazine reviews etc...) seem to mention one of the major reasons why I went to DSLR from compact in the first place....namely, switch-on response time and 'shutter lag' (the latter, more so...) are manufacturers/reviewers frightened to mention these points? Have things improved since my days with a coolpix? From comments above the G6 sounds to have a popular following - but how does it fare with my criteria..??
I have a G6 and find it slow to boot up, clunky and far too easy to turn on accidentally. Noise is bad at high ISO's. It is good for macro and in good light, and has the advantage of a flash hotshoe, but other than that, if the G7 is a retrograde step, I'm looking elsewhere for a good compact. The Ricoh or the Panasonic are considerations.
Look at the last couple of pics in my portfolio to see what the G7 can do.
No matter what SLR you have at home, its not always going to be with you so the G7 is a great backup. Who wants to mess about with RAW from their pocket camera anyway, I can't be bothered, thats for sure.
The image stabiliser works reasonably well too and that compensates a bit for the lack of f2.8. The ISO dial on the top is a brilliant feature, as long as you check it to see that it hasn't moved when pulling it out of your pocket/bag.
The only advantage the Ricoh has is the 24mm wide lens but reviews of it that I've seen aren't too good.
Tom
No matter what SLR you have at home, its not always going to be with you so the G7 is a great backup. Who wants to mess about with RAW from their pocket camera anyway, I can't be bothered, thats for sure.
The image stabiliser works reasonably well too and that compensates a bit for the lack of f2.8. The ISO dial on the top is a brilliant feature, as long as you check it to see that it hasn't moved when pulling it out of your pocket/bag.
The only advantage the Ricoh has is the 24mm wide lens but reviews of it that I've seen aren't too good.
Tom
Personally, I'd stick to the Canon. I have a G5 (in addition to my two 20D's) and would not swop it for anything. Its as close to a DSLR quality without the size and weight.
