molson wrote:
None. Where did you get the silly idea that I shoot "events"?
That's the problem with asking questions on a forum like this I guess... few people actually bother to read the question, let alone understand it, before offering responses.
Wow, nailed a bunch of folk, including me, since I did say I wouldn't show up at a paid job with it. For lightweight travel, the G10 is just about the perfect camera, if you can live with its limitations.
I've heard good things about the LX3 but for me the limited zoom range is a non-starter. I uploaded some images to one of my stock agencies yesterday and included some G10 images. We'll see what happens. I had stock agencies take Pro1 images a few years ago (several of which have licensed multiple times) so I'm optimistic.
molson wrote:
None. Where did you get the silly idea that I shoot "events"?
That's the problem with asking questions on a forum like this I guess... few people actually bother to read the question, let alone understand it, before offering responses.
Dude i got it from your first Post:
"It's pretty rare that I'm shooting in a paid situation where it's critical to have a second DSLR"
If you said you never did paid gigs i would not of asked the question. So i took it to mean you do paid gigs and rarely do you need reliable backup"
You could of said i do not do any jobs for pay...
Thats the problem with trying to help the people asking questions on this forum ....
I got the G10 a few weeks ago, I own a 40D and a 5D.
I can tell that for daylight and all shooting around ISO 80 to 100 it is a great asset. if you want to use it when you can't bring a DSLR, it is a very good choice.
Johnny Bravo wrote:
What a rediculous thread. A poster posts a troll question, and then gets all lippy and critcal with all the responses. I hope he's entertained.
At least your attempts at spelling are somewhat entertaining...
As for the rest of the thread, I was just a little frustrated by how many people posted answers without bothering to read the questions I posted.
AaronNegro wrote:
I got the G10 a few weeks ago, I own a 40D and a 5D.
I can tell that for daylight and all shooting around ISO 80 to 100 it is a great asset. if you want to use it when you can't bring a DSLR, it is a very good choice.
I totally agree. It's a great camera to bring on hikes. No, it's a great cam to bring anywhere you go, if there's a lot of light where you're going. At ISO 80 and 100, it is fabulous, and I just love the controls. No need to rummage through menus - heaven!
O did you ever get the G10? I had a 30D a few years ago, sold off that kit and waited until last summer to get something else. I got a G9.
Now the G9 is a great camera. It has great quality. That said, it is limited, as is the nature of P&S cameras. It was frustrating trying to shoot in full manual, as there is one button for all functions, so changing on the fly is frustrating.
I sold it a few days ago, and am buying another SLR. As you stated that it is rare for you to shoot "paid" gigs, and are looking for something light to take skiing and such, the G9 is perfect. I would doubt you'd shoot raw very much, as it is kinda redundant to PP these files for something that won't get blown up lager than 11x14 or so. As far as the JPEG files, they are nice, good colour renditions, etc. I would recommend this camera!
I picked up a G10 for a couple weeks to try out to see how good of a hiking/PS camera it would be and frankly I was not that impressed. If you shoot on anything other than 80/100 ISO it is fades fast and 400 ISO is ugly. My old PS camera is a canon A590 a simple 8mp camera that I compared it to.
In pixel peeping yes the G10 had an obvious advantage, however for 99% of my PS needs hiking and such all I'm doing is making 8x10 prints and 1200xXXX screen images. I took both cameras out on several hikes shot the same pictures with both and then made 8x10's and screeen images out of them. The gap between the two was very small at that point in the end products, and I just was not going to pay $500 for that little improvement for the "best" P&S on the market. I liked the button layout of the G10 and it certainly feels like a more durable camera, however it's also bigger and heavier and certainly not a pocket camera. I did like the wider angle over the A590, but I could easily stuff the A590 in a shorts pocket and there's no way to do that with the G10. It has to have it's own pouch somewhere, or put in a pack. To me that's a huge downside because I hate having to take off a pack and rummage through it to get my camera every time I want a picture. It has to fit in a shorts pocket comfortably or in a similar cell phone pouch that will fit on a backpack shoulder strap. If I have to take my pack off to get to my camerea, I mise well pack my SLR in.
Overall for my use, it can't replace an SLR because of the poor ISO performance that every PS has. Yes as PS's go it's probalby one of the best image quality wise, but the gap over other PS's is just not that much for everyday use to justify it's size and price. If I didn't have a PS already I could see getting an G10, but frankly after reading all the hype for my needs it just didn't fit well. It would never ever even be close to being a backup for an SLR unless all you were shooting is full sun landscapes.
I picked up a G3 a couple of months ago and it's taken the place of the XT I'd kept as a travel/walkabout cam...the G's 35-140mm/F2-F3 range is better than any one lens I could put on the XT and I get results that are perfectly acceptable for me at ISO 200...even indoors without a flash...
The G3 is just a nice travel cam where speed isn't essential (even shooting snaps of friends, I'd rather have an SLR with its fast shutter response), like scenics and cityscapes...
...and it takes the same battery and cards as my 30/40D so it nice and compatible that way too...
The only downside is that the DPP doesn't recognize the G3's RAW files...I use RawTherapee/PSE7 for G3's RAW conversion....oh well, can't have everything...
I just got back from a week shooting with a G9 (in a wet, rough and tumble environment that precluded the use of my 5D2). As others have said, for snapshots in good light the results are nicely detailed and will be quite usable for 8x10 prints.
That said, the limitations are pretty obvious:
Significantly less dynamic range (both in the amount of noise and the tendency to blow out highlights). RAW helps a bit, but you can't recover nearly as much highlight detail as is possible in the 5D2.
Shooting speed MUCH slower
AF accuracy/speed worse (mitigated a bit by the huge DOF in most cases)
Inability to go very wide, very long, very close... or pretty much anything special that you get a DSLR to be able to do.
The G9 and G10 are nice little cameras and let you get a shot when logistics prevent the use of a big camera. If I had it to do over again I'd still take the G9 and leave the 5D2 at home. But the G9 felt quite limiting compared to a DSLR and I would never consider it a truly viable backup/replacement.
I totally think you are onto something there. I have kept a back up body ready for a few years now and (crossing my fingers) I have never had to use it. Right now my back up is 5D for my 5D II. My situation is a bit different as will be needing both for upcoming weddings but if I didn't have demanding shoots coming up I don't think I would keep two SLRs... the amount of batteries, chargers and stuff in general is just mounting.
My G9 produces 13" x 19" full-bleed prints that are just slightly fuzzier than my 1Ds and 24-70. Both shooting RAW, lens-corrected in ACR, and droplet-peeping at about 1 foot.
I have a G10. I sometimes use it at concerts when I'm not allowed to take in a DSLR. I thought I might use it more, but I find the RAW files don't take much punishment. If I'm shooting the G10 at ISO800 I take shots that emphasize graininess, usually monochrome. I think, however, that I probably wasted my money. Now, I would be more inclined to a Panasonic G1, but think that it is downsizing by inches rather than anything dramatic. In the end, I will probably carry around a couple of DSLRs until I can't (physically).
I find that switching from a 1D3 or 5D2 to a G10 can be a frustrating experience. The G10 is slow, the viewfinder leaves you guessing and you know the files will be 'thin'. I tend not to do it, unless I have absolutely no other choice. Not very often. These days, I throw an old 30D body (no lens) in the bag if I really need a back-up. That's not too much bigger than a G10, especially if you have a lot of gear, and it's a damn sight better in a pinch.
At ISO 80 and 100, it is fabulous, and I just love the controls. No need to rummage through menus - heaven!