- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 37 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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15 out of 15 people found this review helpful
3.0 stars
"Not quite enough"
Pros: Size, High ISOs, Battery Life
Cons: Shutter lag, shutter lag, shutter lag - stabilization is weak.
Summary: I am trying to replace my Leica M6 with a rangefinder camera that will make me happy and give me versatility. That being said, I bugged my salesaman at Adorama, until he called me to say the G7 was in. I went in- and bought it without any testing or handling. Firstly it is smaller than I imagined it was going to be. Much smaller than the G3 which I have had for years. I own 8 digitals including a Canon DSLR and two Lumix super zooms. In a weeks use, the G7 provides decent digital images. The noise at ISO 1600 is not a problem and I have yet to test the 3200 ISO. Yes, Virginia, there is a 3200 ISO on the camera. The shutter lag still drives me nuts. I am a street shooter and the best camera I own for that work is a Leica Digilux 1. The Digi 1 is super fast with NO discernable lag but, over 100 ISO the results are very noisy and the battery life is nil. The Canon G3 has horrendous lag. The G7 is better, but still lags too much for my taste. I will report on low light noise after I test it more extensively. I am, I must say somewhat disappointed. The camera is not what I imagined it would be from its specs. I also need a battery life indicator other than a flashing icon telling me change it NOW! I always carry a spare anyway, but more time to know the battery condition is generally a must. All in all, the camera works, the images are nice, the stabilization is NOT as good as that on the Lumix- I will live with it, but frankly- at this stage of the game I'm through with buying digitals. I have "retired" 5 of the 8 in their boxes, lovingly stored in my cabinet with my collection of Leicas, Nikons, Canons, Minoltas, Konicas etc. I will let you know how I fare with this camera in the future. Bests: vrogerUpdated
Although I gave it a "6" before- my opinion has gone up to an 8.5 or better. This camera was primarily bought for low light use. Last night (11/09/2006)I used the camera at ISO 1600 and ISO 3200. The results are noted below. The noise is minimal, the results in very low light are sharp, I aqm very happy with the results. The camera performs the way I had hoped. The shutter lag, while still a problem is a small price to pay for results like these.
This has now become a camera I will use all the time. Please see the following: The woman is imaged at 1600 ISO and the street vendor at 3200 ISO- Bests: vroger
www.vroger.smugmug.com/gallery/2115016/109317523
www.vroger.smugmug.com/gallery/2115016/109317637
- 2 replies to this review
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I found both of the reviews by the same writer to be interesting and informative, especially from the perspective of someone shifting from a Leica M6 to a Canon G7. The writer makes mention of a fact that a lot of sales people are unaware of in the way of a missing feature - namely no battery life indicator. A G7 user needs to know this and carry a spare, or always have a charger handy for when camera is not in use. The images posted were also interesting to me, they give me pause to look at my own images while in Photoshop in terms of noise and use of a noise reducing plug-in. The images are a bit contrasty, and well composed, but in image sizes on screen, medium on up, the noise becomes distracting because of the high ISO and low light type of shots that the writer posted. All in all, the writer's posts have provided me with useful information in making a decision regarding the G7, my sincere thanks to vroger for the useful and thoughtful review inputs posted.
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Apparently, I use a camera exactly the way you do. Your earlier criticism of low light and shutter lag characteristics completely turned me off from this camera. (I was otherwise quite interested.) I saw your update and liked the posted images. My question remains, what other camera can I buy of the same or smaller size that will give me excellent available light image and negligible shutter lag? In other words, what other camera is there to compare this to? Is your advice to just wait? You still complain about the shutter lag on this camera despite your generally approving updated review.
Where to buy
Canon PowerShot G7:
$799.99
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$799.99 | See Site |
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