Canon G6 vs. G7

[dustball]

Hi all,

First, I'd like to preface by saying you all seem like a great crowd.  I've been lurking and have found some rather insightful posts here at LL.

I purchased my Canon G1 years ago, and have loved every minute of it.  Eighteen-thousand pictures later, the screws have come out, the display is falling apart (literally) and, now, it finally won't power on.  You could say I'm back in the market for a new camera.

It seems like the G6 is only available second-hand (eBay etc), but I'm still considering it over the G7.  Could anybody add their 2 cents?  Here are my thoughts; why I'd prefer one model over the other:

Canon G6
- swivel LCD (much love, here)
- f/2.0
- guaranteed to work with my wide angle lens (WD-58)

Canon G7
- Image stabilization
- 10MP and 6x zoom
- Can be purchased new
- lighter / smaller
- Faster timings (esp: power off -> record mode, half-pressed to shot taken)

Also: the G6 has a faster lens - but would the IS of the G7 make up for that in low-light situations?

RAW is nice but not 100% necessary for me.

Thanks!

[Ken Bennett]

I've never seen a G-6, but I own a G-7. The lens stabilization is good, and helps me get photos under low light conditions that would otherwise require higher ISOs or a tripod. The optical viewfinder ranges from "not terrible" at 35mm to "not usable" at any longer focal lengths (serious parallax error). The external ISO dial is a nice touch. For me, it's usable at ISO 400, though noisy, and ISO 800 -- well, it makes pictures. Very noisy, but sometimes I'd rather have a noisy picture than none at all. The smaller size is a major plus for me, as I want something that I'll actually carry when not at work. As for operating speed, it's not close to a DSLR, but it's not bad for a compact. Pre-focusing speeds things up. Overall, it's hardly a perfect compact camera, but it's close enough for me right now.

[Deep]

I looked at the G6 a couple of years ago.  After a lot of soul searching, I bought the Sony V3 instead, having looked at sample photos and test charts on the web.  It has been an outstanding camera and I recommend you add it to your list of contenders.  Very similar to the G6, slightly slower lens but super, super sharp at all focal lengths (outperforms the sensor).  Plus it can be used in the dark with its two night modes.  I use it as a "bush camera", in all conditions and weathers.  Totally dependable.  It is very steady and dead quiet, can be used handheld at ridiculously low shutter speeds.  There are also very good expansion lenses available and it works well with my Olympus FL36 flash!

On the downside, the viewfinder is only accurate mid-zoom, RAW write times are poor (but files very good, I sell the photos I take with it easily) and there is too much noise at 800, okay at a pinch at 400.

Just a thought!

Don

[pixelpro]

Hi all,

First, I'd like to preface by saying you all seem like a great crowd.  I've been lurking and have found some rather insightful posts here at LL.

I purchased my Canon G1 years ago, and have loved every minute of it.  Eighteen-thousand pictures later, the screws have come out, the display is falling apart (literally) and, now, it finally won't power on.  You could say I'm back in the market for a new camera.

It seems like the G6 is only available second-hand (eBay etc), but I'm still considering it over the G7.  Could anybody add their 2 cents?  Here are my thoughts; why I'd prefer one model over the other:

Canon G6
- swivel LCD (much love, here)
- f/2.0
- guaranteed to work with my wide angle lens (WD-58)

Canon G7
- Image stabilization
- 10MP and 6x zoom
- Can be purchased new
- lighter / smaller
- Faster timings (esp: power off -> record mode, half-pressed to shot taken)

Also: the G6 has a faster lens - but would the IS of the G7 make up for that in low-light situations?

RAW is nice but not 100% necessary for me.

Thanks!
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I have both the G6 & G7 and started with a G2.

It all depends what you want to do. I find the G7 upsizes to A2 with not much problem.
I bought the G7 first then realised they had not provided the RAW feature so found myself a G6.

Quite honestly there is not much difference and I find I choose the G6 for some jobs and the G7 for others. The difference for me is battery life. The G7 has a smaller battery. The G6 uses the same batteries as my Canon 20D - these batteries have a longer life than the smaller G7 batteries.

I have done a body of work in which I have used both cameras. Unless I look at the metadata I cannot tell the difference. Both enlarge very well at A3 and comfortably to A2. I have just enlarged a G7 image to A1. If you are interested I can send you a sample at 100% of the G7 @ A1.
Regards, pixelpro