Hi! I'm new here, with a question on the Canon Powershot G12

[weebiscuit]

Hi everyone! I am considering buying the Powershot G12 and have a few simple questions. First off, I want a GOOD camera, but not a digital SLR because I'm getting too old to learn about SLR photography, but I want a GOOD digital camera with some latitutude. One of the things I'm looking for is a camera that has the capability to take a close up but with the blurred background. If you don't know what I mean, let's say I have a rose in the garden and there's a beautiful butterfly on it, and I want to capture the butterfly in vivid color, but I want the roses and leaves in the background all blurred so the butterfly stands out. Can I do that with this Canon?

I have been looking on line and it appears that this camera does not take an SD card. Is this correct? Also, I've not been able to find out how big the hard drive is on this camera, assuming it doesn't take an SD card.

I currently have a JVC Everio HD camera, and I've been disappointed with it because I can't seem to upload the movies from it to my photobucket account and I can't upload them to Picasa. (They are in a .mod format)

Will I be able to upload the videos from this Canon? Will I be able to put the movies onto DVD's?

I am not a great photographer, but I would LIKE to be a better one! We live in the woods and there are so many deer, turkeys, coyotes, raccoons, etc., and I am always missing great pictures! The camera I usually have handy to take those pics is a Panasonic Lumix 8X optical zoom 14 megapixel camera. While it's an OK camera, I get frustrated because if I want to change the mode from daytime to night time pics, or closeups, etc., I have to go into the camera to do it. The dials are not on top of the camera for easy access and I'm always missing good shots.

Will the Canon suit my purposes better, do you think?

I appreciate all input. I'm just not a camera whiz!

 

[belial]

As far as I know getting the small dof like you want for creative blur isn't really all that possible in a point and shoot. I believe you actually need a slr to do the reliably.

 

[MLeeK]

belial is correct. Getting the shallow depth of field like you are wanting is REALLY HARD to achieve in any point and shoot camera. The sensor is so small that it gives you much more focus than you would get with a DSLR.
It is not impossible, but not something you will be able to achieve without some practice and the circumstances must be right in order to do it.

Yes, it does take an SD card. SD/SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, MMC Plus Card, HC MMC Plus Card.

I believe it records in the .mov format.

It is an outstanding advanced camera. IMO I'd say it's probably the best point and shoot on the market with the ONLY drawback being that it is not a mega zoom and there really isn't a lot to it's zoom end.
It will allow you to shoot like a point and shoot or shoot like a dslr where you control the exposure of the image.

 

[mjhoward]

YOu want an SLR with a Macro lens. The thing is, the Canon G12 has a lot of the same manual controls as a DSLR so you'll still have to learn the same basics. Or you can just shoot full auto with it and not learn anything. This is also the case with beginner SLR's... no learning required, although it is recommended

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

Owning a Canon P&S myself in this line, your best bet is to use "macro" mode to achieve the DOF you're looking for.

 

[weebiscuit]

I very much appreciate all your comments. I had thought of getting a digital SLR, but there is simply a part of me that knows I won't understand it or learn to operate it. I have a Canon 35 mm camera that I bought years ago. Before digital cameras were affordable. I never even used the manual adjustments on it because I never knew a THING about photography. I only used it in Auto. Such a shame, really!

I don't know squat about apertures or f-stops or any of that, so that's why I was hoping the powershot G12 would "do it all for me" and still give me great pictures.

I wanted to join a photography club, but in the boonies where I live there wasn't one. Closest one was 80 miles away and that would be out of the question in the winter months.

So, I guess I'm a pretty big dummy who was just looking for a camera for pretty big dummies. We breed miniature horses, and I have to take really good pictures of them. Not only for their registration papers, but to post on the internet so buyers from all over the nation can look at them. My little Lumix does OK, but I get so fed up with having to hit the "Mode" button, look at the screen, scroll through all the possible settings, and then exit it all for different situations. (Closeups, actions shots, low light shots, etc.)

When I looked at the G12 in the store, I saw that all those buttons were right on top, which seemed like an easy solution.

I dunno... I'm still thinking of getting it. Should I or shouldn't I?

Can anyone recommend a good site that would "teach" a pretty big dummy how to start using a digital SLR camera, in a way I could understand?

 

[MLeeK]

The thing is if you are expecting the camera to do amazing things it can't do them by itself. It needs some help from you in order to give you the best possible image. Regardless of whether it has all of the controls of a dslr or it's a simple point and shoot.

you can absolutely learn a few tricks and even more for getting those amazing images and the G12 will then give amazing images. However, if you are not going to learn a few things? It and every other camera will give you point and shoot results.

It's not as hard as it sounds and you can do it at any age, I promise! Stick around a while, ask questions. Show us what you want to create and we'll help you. In which case the camera is definitely worth purchasing.

 

[Johnboy2978]

The g12 is the P&S camera that a lot of pros or enthusiasts go for as a backup camera when they don't want to bring along their DSLR. I got one about 2 weeks ago and love it. One of the big benefits is that it has the capability to shoot RAW files. That probably means nothing to you, but for digital processing, you want to edit RAW files to have full control over every aspect of the image. The other benefits for me was the lens has a pretty decent range (28-140mm equivalent). I sometimes would go places w/ my DSLR only to find that I should've brought along a different lens than what I had on my camera and didn't want to bring them all, so I just shot with what I had, but it may have not been the best choice. I also don't always want to bring a DSLR everywhere I go, with the g12, I throw it in my coat pocket and off I go. I also really like the idea of having the capability to shoot video and not have to bring a camcorder along as well. The big drawback w/ the video is that it doesn't change focus if you zoom in or out. It does do a good job as long as you don't have to zoom though. I really like the image quality you get with this camera. For a 10mp P&S it can't be beat.

So should you get it? Depends on what you want. As I said, it has a completely manual mode as well as all other semi-manual modes you would find on a DSLR. Of course, it also has an auto mode, and for auto, it does a pretty decent job I must say. So, right out of the box, you can leave it in Auto and it will do a pretty good job.

You mentioned a question of depth of field (roses, w/ blurred background). DoF is determined by many different things. Distance from lens to sensor, distance from lens to subject, distance from subject to background and the chosen aperture. All of those combined create the DoF effect and either minimize or maximize it. The g12 does have a macro mode and you can get a decent DoF image if you know what you're doing.

It takes a variety of cards as Mleek pointed out. There is no internal storage. A 16gb SDHC card will allow for about 90" of video and tons of images depending on your resolution.

 

[weebiscuit]

MLeek, thank you for the encouraging words!

Johnboy, since I made that last post I went searching for a website that explained how to use a Digital SLR and found this site: DSLR tutorials, workshops, lessons, tips, advice | DSLR Tips and right there it said, "How to get blurred backgrounds" and I read it and now I know what an "aperture" is for! THAT is how to get those blurred backgrounds! So, I'm still considering a digital SLR, but I'm going to hang around this site here and keep reading the posts on different forums and try to learn something before I blow a wad on a camera and find out it's not going to do what I want. If I can learn one or two things a day, then I won't be so intimidated by these cameras and can maybe make a better decision. I really don't want to spend more than $1,000 on a camera. If I get a DSLR, then I'll most likely have to invest in different lenses. More money. On the other hand, I tell myself that maybe I'll get SO into photography that that's the best way to go.

This might sound "icky" to a lot of you, but I have a lot of pictures of snakes, snapping turtles, toads, and especially spiders that I've taken around our place. I'm really fascinated by spiders. We're in the country with lots of fields and woods, and I am fascinated by these critters. Then, I upload the pics to my computer and find out that they are disappointing. I want a better camera.

Thanks for all your help! I'll keep reading and if anyone has anything more to add I'm happy to hear it.

 

[MLeeK]

You do know that you can put a DSLR in auto mode just like a point and shoot, right? It's just like your 25mm was, so if you are intimidated by it for a few months that's fine, you can still use it!

 

[Johnboy2978]

I really don't want to spend more than $1,000 on a camera. If I get a DSLR, then I'll most likely have to invest in different lenses. More money.

You're right about cost. Photography is not a poor man's hobby. You can expect to spend between 500-1000 on a DSLR body and quality lenses will run (on average) $500-$1500 each. You will find though that quality glass tends to retain it's value and, at times, increase. I've probably spent about $3K on the 7 Pentax lenses I have and it would cost at least $500-700 more to replace them and that's just over the past 4 or 5 years.

 

[Natalie]

This might sound "icky" to a lot of you, but I have a lot of pictures of snakes, snapping turtles, toads, and especially spiders that I've taken around our place. I'm really fascinated by spiders. We're in the country with lots of fields and woods, and I am fascinated by these critters. Then, I upload the pics to my computer and find out that they are disappointing. I want a better camera.

Oooh, feel free to post some shots of your critters over in the Nature forum. Things like reptiles, amphibians, and spiders are good photo subjects to practice on because it's easy to get them to sit still long enough to get some shots (and then get more shots when you realize you're doing something wrong). When I first started out with photography a few year ago, went from some cheapy little point-and-shoot to a Canon Powershot G9 (which is still a point-and-shoot, but a step up). At first, I was overwhelmed by all the controls and settings, and using the camera was quite frustrating. After a while, though, I slowly came to understand things like shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc., and how they all related to each other.

Eventually I made the plunge and got a DSLR, which I love even more. I'm glad I got the G9 to practice on initially, since it basically has all the functionality of a DSLR except interchangeable lenses. However, I think just about anyone, no matter what age, could learn the same things on a DSLR. This is because a lot of DSLRs have an automatic mode that doesn't require the photographer to know anything except how to focus the shot. Of course, it's possible to get much, much better shots once the person knows enough to do everything manually, because the photographer makes better judgements than the camera's electronics. But it's definitely possible to get a DSLR and then learn things at whatever pace you feel is right.

 

[paigew]

I just got my rebel t31 with three lenses for 1000$ I know they are not what professionals would consider 'high quality' lenses, but for me they are great. You should go for the slr; you will love it!

 

[NeoPho]

I spend 1000$ as well on t3i and a couple of lenses. I love it and I'm learning a lot. Its my first SLR and I woukd recomend it. I'm gettig some awesome shots with my 50mm/ 1.8 lens, wich gives that blurred backround and sharp subject. Loooove it.

 

[Canuk]

I just bought the G12 to use as my underwater camera while SCUBA diving. I have only had it for a couple of weeks and can tell you it is a beast, takes really good pictures.
The main manual that comes with the G12 is a digital one, there is however a quick start paper manual that comes with it.

The easy fix for this was a trip to the book store and a "how to book" for the G12. The book I bought was "Canon G12 - From Snapshots to Great Shots". The book was very well laid out with the beginner in mind. Starts at the basics w/ little assignments at the end of each chapter to practice what was taught. The G12 is a very capable camera that is ussually only limited to the person behind it. No, its not a DSLR, but it is darn close for what it is. It doesn't replace my 60D, but rather augments it quite well.