Opinions on Canon Powershot G7???

I have a DSLR (Olympus) and a Canon Powershot SD550.
I am looking for a better small camera for when I don't wish to schlep
my DSLR and all it's stuff. (Maybe travel.)
I like the pictures I get from the SD550, but want something with more
reach and more controls. Any opinions on the G7?
Thanks,
Steve

I did the same thing - got a Canon SD-600. My daughter and her son in law
had the same one - Great pix, good price.

"Steven Wandy" wrote in message
...
I have a DSLR (Olympus) and a Canon Powershot SD550.
I am looking for a better small camera for when I don't wish to schlep
my DSLR and all it's stuff. (Maybe travel.)
I like the pictures I get from the SD550, but want something with more
reach and more controls. Any opinions on the G7?
Thanks,
Steve

On 2007-01-27, Steven Wandy wrote:
I have a DSLR (Olympus) and a Canon Powershot SD550.
I am looking for a better small camera for when I don't wish to schlep
my DSLR and all it's stuff. (Maybe travel.)
I like the pictures I get from the SD550, but want something with more
reach and more controls. Any opinions on the G7?

Bought one for work a few months back. I think it's the bees knees. If I
was in the market for a camera right now I wouldn't hesitate - oh, be
aware, it doesn't shoot RAW, it's only downside IMO.

Justin.

--
Justin C by the sea.

Justin C wrote:
On 2007-01-27, Steven Wandy wrote:
I have a DSLR (Olympus) and a Canon Powershot SD550.
I am looking for a better small camera for when I don't wish to schlep
my DSLR and all it's stuff. (Maybe travel.)
I like the pictures I get from the SD550, but want something with more
reach and more controls. Any opinions on the G7?

Bought one for work a few months back. I think it's the bees knees. If I
was in the market for a camera right now I wouldn't hesitate - oh, be
aware, it doesn't shoot RAW, it's only downside IMO.

Justin.

Plus they've dropped the swivel screen, a shame in my opinion. Otherwise
it looks great. I've never had (or used) raw so can't comment on lack
thereof.
Dave Cohen

On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 01:10:45 GMT, Dave Cohen wrote:

Bought one for work a few months back. I think it's the bees knees. If I
was in the market for a camera right now I wouldn't hesitate - oh, be
aware, it doesn't shoot RAW, it's only downside IMO.

Plus they've dropped the swivel screen, a shame in my opinion.
Otherwise it looks great. I've never had (or used) raw so can't
comment on lack thereof.

Also dropped are the IR remote and the LCD status panel. It does
look very nice, having a more traditional camera shape than previous
G-series cameras, but that has disadvantages (see below). As
dpreview notes, Canon may have:

"as some users feel - squandered the legacy of one of the most
acclaimed cameras in the short history of digital photography"
and
"What is slightly surprising is how many of the changes are
'steps down' rather than 'steps up'; some of the key qualities
and features that made the G series so different from Canon's
other compact camera ranges have been removed or 'downgraded'"

Additionally, instead of matching the G6's fast f/2.0-f/3.0 lens,
the G7's lens is f/2.8 - f/4.8. The G7's IS is nice, but full zoom
is where it's most needed, and there, at f/4.8 the G7's aperture is
more than a full stop slower than the G6's f/3.0. That considerably
reduces the effectiveness of the IS. And in situations where IS
won't be useful, such as photography of fast moving objects, sports,
etc., the smaller aperture wouldn't help, requiring a slower shutter
speed.

The slower lens is probably also part of the reason why

# Focus sometimes hunts in low light at longer focal lengths
and in macro mode


One might think that the G7's higher ISO capability would help,
allowing faster shutter speeds, but the 10mp sensor dashes that hope
by being noisy. According to dpreview the G7 has "ISO 1600 so noisy
it's pointless" and "shadow noise visible even at ISO 80".

As for the G7's good looks, dpreview says:

# Lack of grip and 'classic styling' don't make for great handling

Another move in the wrong direction shorter battery life, caused
by using the smaller NB-2LH/NB-2L battery instead of the ubiquitous
BP-511A, which has nearly twice the capacity, 1390mAh vs 720mAh.

Some other Cons noted by dpreview a

# Indistinct 'half press' point and long shutter release travel make
refocusing more difficult than it should be
# Continuous mode slows down over ISO 200
# Non-standard Exif means non-Canon software can't read ISO values
# Highlight clipping and metering issues in bright conditions
# Purple fringing and some CA visible at wide end of zoom in some shots
# Focus speeds and shutter lag (when using LCD) could be better


The G7 is probably priced too high for what it offers. For those
that won't flinch at the price and won't care much about the
drawbacks mentioned above it's still a nice, well built little
camera, has very good resolution (dpreview is overdoing it by
calling it 'excellent' resolution, since it's the same as Canon's
10mp A640 which I commented on in an earlier message), a flash hot
shoe, a nice LCD display, much better video than the G6, a nice 6x
optical zoom range, and what may be gimmicks to some but useful
features to others - auto face detection mode and more scene modes.