Canon digi G10 is getting close

Glad to hear you're enjoying the G10, Frank. I've been shooting with a G9 and really like it, for a small-sensor digi.

For Christmas I got an LX3 so now I use them both. I bought an LX3 lens adapter from an eBay dealer in Hong Kong (52mm filters and accessories) and I have to admit having the snout on the LX3 gives me something to grip and hold on to. It's not as pocketable with the snout, but it's still small.

Went for a photo walk with Guy yesterday and took along the Bessa R3A (&Nokton 40/1.4) and the LX3. Nice duo for street work.

Happy New Year,

Gene
 
Hi Gene, good to hear from you! Happy New year to you and your family as well.

I do not have a G10, I was just commenting on it.

Since you have both the G9 and the LX3, how do you compare them?
 
I have a Samsung NV-8, and while I won't comment on image quality, sensors, etc, I have to put in a plug for the "Smart Touch" menu system. I find it very intuitive and much more enjoyable to use than a traditional digicam menu system. The camera itself works well for baby pictures and such, and the metal body has a good solid feel.

It's not in the same class as the G10, but it's an enjoyable camera to use.
 
My next camera will be a Powershot DP-3

G10 body, LX-3 Lens, and DP1 Sensor!!!!

shutterflower said:
I have been studying lots of reviews of various excellent digital cameras these days.

G10: looks like it resolves ahead of all its peers in daylight, but loses to the Panasonic LX3 at night. Has a zoom range that I prefer to avoid, but at least it has IS and goes beyond 100mm. Is bulky, bulbous, and heavy.

LX3: Beautiful camera, in my opinion. Feels excellent in the hand. I like that it goes to 24mm, but I dislike that it stops at 60mm. I assume this is for reasons of maintaining optical performance, so I will affect this limitation. I do require a movie mode in a digital compact, and it appears this camera has really good performance in this way. Even at base ISO, camera shows noise and smearing. Not as sharp as the G10 except at night where it beats most of its peers.

DP1: I own this camera. Amazing image quality. Images at 100% are tack sharp, colors are beautiful and accurate. Handles low light relatively well, is small, quiet, and as far as I have experienced, is the best landscape camera around. That is, if you don't mind the 28mm fixed focal length and the smallish images. For a photographer that shoots mainly still objects such as landscapes, still life, or can handle pre-focusing, lousy slow controls and menus, and less than ideal grip, this is an excellent machine. Of ANY digital camera I have ever owned, this has produced the most WOW images. Simply heavenly sensor.

I am, as some may not be surprised to hear, selling the DP1 and buying back into the Nikon DSLR bit. I felt that the limited focal length, slow operation, odd colored vignetting, delicate construction, and slow lens were too much trouble for me. I am glad, however, that i got to experience this thing. It's unique and I believe that Foveon has set the bar.
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I am always a film user, however, I ended up using my wife's G9 over Christmas/New Year as I ran out of B&W film and just wanted to play. Ive since been trying to get a decent image (from RAW files) compared to what I expect from film and its not happening. I can see it works fine for a lot of people but that lil' sensor just doesn't do it for me. Noise Ninja certainly helps but something just seems missing...

Did get an ok pano out of the G9 though Macau
 
I bought G7 when it was just out and later regretted it. My friend made the same mistake with G9 (he was avid G2 user and pushed it to the limits). I don't think there was a major breakthrough with G10.

If you have already conviced yourself in bying one I doubt this could stop you. But if you believe in it's manual controls, stop and rethink, seriously.
 
After being disappointed by digital cameras (a Canon A series, a Ricoh GR D and a Ricoh GX 100) I ended up finding the perfect digital for what I wanted- small, light, wide angle have it with me all the time and produces interesting, though by no means perfect files- my iPhone:

20090102135411_img_0045.jpg


Till somehting like the rumored Olympus Micro 4/3 comes out, it's actually filling my limited digital needs quite well.

Not what you want necessarily but just a thougt.
 
The G10 was just too big for my tastes. I found a Ricoh GR-DII with VC 28/35 min-finder was a lot more compact and truly provided manual controls.
 
Frank, the digi's are my walkaround cams -- supplements to my Nikon D300. The G9's zoom range is different to the G10. I only get something like 35mm at the wide end of the G9, but a 220mm equiv telephoto, which is useful to me in my shooting around the harbour. The G10, with its 28mm equiv WA seems like a better 'city' camera. I have no size issue with the G9. It fits comfortably in a belt pack or in a coat pocket in winter.

The LX3 image quality isn't quite as good as the G9 overall, but it converts to B&W nicely. Its 'noise' is more film-like than the G9. I got the LX3 mainly for the 24mm WA at f/2. Combined with the 16:9 aspect ratio, it makes a fun little WA shooter. I rarely move it from 24mm. The whole camera cost less than a good WA lens for my Nikon.

The G9 is my 'general' shooter, and the LX3 is more specialized. I like to pair the LX3 with my Bessa R3A and 40mm lens. Some days I carry both the G9 and the LX3 using one more for telephoto and the other for WA.

Gene
 

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palec said:
I bought G7 when it was just out and later regretted it. My friend made the same mistake with G9 (he was avid G2 user and pushed it to the limits). I don't think there was a major breakthrough with G10.

If you have already conviced yourself in bying one I doubt this could stop you. But if you believe in it's manual controls, stop and rethink, seriously.
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What's wrong with the manual controls? I use the camera in aperture priority mode as all my other cameras. The access to the aperture with the back-wheel is very easy. Then I often use the ISO-Control. There I like the dedicated ISO-Wheel. Sometimes I use the compensation dial. The place for the zooming button is ok. 99% of the functionality I need is accessible without going in the menu. I think this is nice.
 
I bought a G10 about two months ago. Here's a few overly long-winded observations.

As a bit of background, I'm a film guy. I resisted digital for years but I bought a dSLR about 18 months ago and piddled around with it a little. Finally started making good pictures with it when I quit reading internet forum advice about how to do it. Anyway, I've been shooting color 100% digitally for about a year but black and white was always on film with Leica rangefinders.

After satisfying myself that I could make an adequate black and white photo with a digital camera and print an adequate print with an inkjet printer, I've been moving more in that direction. But I can't afford an M8 and never will. I also don't want to carry around a dSLR all the time. What I needed was a $500 digital "reasonable facsimile" of how I use my Leica rangefinders.

The G10 has worked outstandingly well for me. Size-wise, it's a little smaller than a Leica M and weighs somewhat less so I carry it more often. The lens is very good and it's nice to have my most useful focal lengths in one package. It has image stabilization that is very useful. Shutter lag is not really an issue with this camera. Once you turn off all the bells, whistles and other crap you don't need, it is silent in operation. In good light, at low ISOs, the image quality is outstanding. At high ISOs, it is possible to get acceptable results. Remember film? It's about the same difference between using Pan F+ on a tripod in bright, pretty light and pushing Tri-X to 1600 or higher and shooting handheld in poor light just to get the picture because the picture had to be got! And you can hedge things a bit by shooting RAW and using the Canon software to clean up the image somewhat in converting. It's really not bad at all.

What's not to like about it? The viewfinder is only an approximation of what your image will be. It's only for quick, down and dirty framing of candid subjects. I'm used to doing that anyway with the Leica so that's not too much of a problem. Although one of my reasons for buying the G10 was the viewfinder, it's really not necessary--the LCD is excellent and easy to use even with my increasingly declining eyesight. I only use the viewfinder for those quick shots.

I would like some way to attach a filter to the lens. Not because I use a lot of filters these days but because I have already scratched the front element by carrying it around with the self-capping lens extended. I have always used UV filters and lens hoods on my Leica lenses. I never use a lens cap. If you carry this camera and expect use it quickly, you should leave it on at all times and this means the lens is out there exposed.

The control buttons on the camera back got in the way of my big, clumsy thumb at first. Now I've accustomed myself to the camera and this seldom happens.

If you use flash a lot, buy one of the dedicated Canon units. The built-in is not very powerful and pictures done with it are ugly. I don't use flash. It's not an issue for me.

If you want to carry it in your pocket, you should buy clothes with big pockets. It's really better on a strap--around your neck...around your wrist.

The batteries are expensive. Horrendously so. I bought an off-brand for a fraction of the Canon brand and it seems to work fine. Time will tell.

Overall, I really like this camera. For my purposes, it's that "reasonable facsimile" for many of the times I've carried and used my Leicas.
 
Dogman said:
I would like some way to attach a filter to the lens. Not because I use a lot of filters these days but because I have already scratched the front element by carrying it around with the self-capping lens extended. I have always used UV filters and lens hoods on my Leica lenses. I never use a lens cap. If you carry this camera and expect use it quickly, you should leave it on at all times and this means the lens is out there exposed.


The batteries are expensive. Horrendously so. I bought an off-brand for a fraction of the Canon brand and it seems to work fine. Time will tell.
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Hi Dogman,
You can attach filters by getting the Canon bayonet adapter which, I believe, gives you a 58mm thread. It is primarily designed for the G10's adapter lenses. Should cost about $30.
As for the battery, from personal experience, I've found that although the Canon battery is twice the cost of the third party it usually lasts twice as long (for overall charges). So it's the same amount of $$ either way!
 
Here's what has kept me from (so far) purchasing the G10 as my DSLR backup/family/light travel camera: for someone who virtually never prints larger than 8"x10", and makes 90% of his prints at 5"x7" or 4"x6", is the price premium for the G10 worth it when Canon's own A590IS would seem to fulfill most of my needs?

I'm looking to replace my damaged Panasonic TZ-1 with a versatile, pocketable camera that offers more manual control and in-camera image recording adjustments. I love the G10, and have the funds to purchase it, but I just can't seem to convince myself that it's entirely necessary.
 
I have the predecessor G9. A great camera, but too big for a P&S. My P$S digi camera needs to fit unnoticed in my shirt pocket. I may go back to the little Casios or some such similar form factor. Not the best shooters - but the camera you have with you is infinitely better than the one you left behind.

/T
 
Dogman said:
I would like some way to attach a filter to the lens. Not because I use a lot of filters these days but because I have already scratched the front element by carrying it around with the self-capping lens extended. I have always used UV filters and lens hoods on my Leica lenses. I never use a lens cap. If you carry this camera and expect use it quickly, you should leave it on at all times and this means the lens is out there exposed.
Click to expand...

Dogman, check the Lensmate site here:
http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/G10.html
 
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