The New Advanced...

[Mike604]

Being somewhat of a beginner photographer, I am in the market to either acquire a Canon G15 or The Nikon P7700. Is there anyone who has firsthand experience with either camera? They both have their trade offs but they clash with what I require in a camera.

Would like to hear feedback from anyone with experience on this topic.

Thanks
Mike

 

[Luke345678]

Hey there Mike! My friend has the G15 and he hates it. Go check out the Canon T3i, it's the camera I have and I love it! It's near the same price and it's 10x better. Check it out on the Canon site.

 

[TCampbell]

The G12, G15, & G1 X are all "advanced" point & shoots. They're actually designed for people who already own DSLRs but need a point & shoot for situations where bringing a DSLR is either impractical or simply not permitted.

For example... I own a 5D II. If I go to a concert event then I might like to bring a camera. Most venues wont let you bring a "professional" camera -- and consider any camera with a "removable lens" to qualify as a "professional" camera (ok, so clearly not the same standards as the rest of us might use, but it's their venue and they make the rules.) Often times I have a connection to an artist and can get permission... but not always. SO... I bought the G1 X because the lens isn't removable (it has a sensor size which is 80% the size of an APS-C DSLR... for a point & shoot that's actually huge.) I don't have any firsthand experience with the G15 other than the fact that the body styles and layouts are extremely similar (technically the G1 X is a physically larger body... they had to grow the body size to make the sensor as large as it is.)

I can tell you that I DO love being able to use speedlites with the camera and only these high-end models have a dedicated flash hot-shoe. I can also tell you that the image quality is extremely good. If I take side-by-side shots against the DSLR and compare them it's actually hard to tell the differences PROVIDED that I limit the DSLR to lens focal lengths and exposure settings that matched what the G1 X could use and also similar crop the images to match the G1 X. Since it uses phase-detect AF, there is a slight delay in shooting (as all point & shoots have.) That means I would NOT recommend one for sports or action. Basically it isn't quite as good as a real DSLR, but I'd recommend it for uses where you either can't or shouldn't have a DSLR with you.

 

[Mike604]

Thanks for the input. One thing I do know is that I do not want an DSLR. Not at this point and time. I just want a more advanced compact with a hot shoe. I do want something with some reach either 140or200mm. Raw is very important for Lightroom I just purchased. Any other recommendations?

 

[TCampbell]

There are some mirrorless cameras which do allow interchangeable lenses. Since the lenses can be removed they don't collapse down compactly when the camera is powered down like most point & shoot cameras. But some of these have impressive sensors and lens selections while being smaller and lighter than a DSLR (although not having true "phase detect auto-focus sensors" -- which requires a mirror and larger camera body -- they may not be quite as fast and responsive when shooting.)

Sony has some NEX models which have APS-C sensors (the same size as most DSLRs) and Canon has their new EOS M (I think it's shipping now... if not it'll be shipping within a week or two) which also has an APS-C size sensor. They have their own lenses, although you can get lens adapters to allow you to use DSLR lenses. Unlike adapting old lenses from one DSLR to another (which always has drawbacks) these do NOT have drawbacks. They do not have any glass in the adapters so there's no image degradation AND they pass through all electronics so everything on the lens works.

This is not quite as good as having a DSLR w.r.t. performance, but they do have hot-shoes so you can attach dedicated speedlites, use any of a number of lenses, etc. Just remember that the lens doesn't fold into the body -- you'd have to remove it. So if you're looking for something pocketable then you're going to have to compromise.

 

[Overread19 7]

What kind of subjects and situations are you shooting in/hoping to shoot in? Thus far you've started that a hotshoe and RAW as well as reach are important for your needs, however a little idea of the use(s) that your hoping to put the cameras to might help with giving feedback as the the best course of action to take.

Thanks for the input. One thing I do know is that I do not want an DSLR. Not at this point and time. I just want a more advanced compact with a hot shoe. I do want something with some reach either 140or200mm. Raw is very important for Lightroom I just purchased. Any other recommendations?

Out of pure interest what makes you say this? In other words what is holding you off wanting to consider the DSLR market? I'm not trying to force you into that direction in any way, but I've known some people to sit on the fence for ages because of some rather incorrect preconceptions about DSLRs and changing to their use so I'd be interested to hear your reasoning.

 

[Mike604]

The reason I say this is I have seen some fantastic prints from Cameras like this - Canon G12, Olympus XZ-1 and S100. I have compared prints up to 8x10 printed on a canon 9500 between these and DSLR, and for what it is, both produced beautiful sharp images. I like to shoot landscape and street photography so being stealth and portable is a must. DSLR may have quite a few advantages but for me the size kills it. I'm a downtown Vancouver guy who likes portable, small and discrete. I don't want my hobby to become a chore if that makes sense? Zero shutter lag would be great but I know P&S cameras are not the best for that.

I like the fast lens of the G15 and it has been trimmed down from what the G12 was but I heard Nikon has a better Flash system than Canon! Is that true?