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I'm thinking about buying the G7, but I'm wondering how users of this camera
like it. I'm also wondering about other, comparable cameras.
I used to have the Nikon 990 and felt it was adequate.
I'm a fan of Canon, but if others think other brands are as good or better
for the same amount of money, or less, I will definitely check them out.
Thanks...

Me wrote:
> I'm thinking about buying the G7, but I'm wondering how users of this
> camera like it. I'm also wondering about other, comparable cameras.
> I used to have the Nikon 990 and felt it was adequate.
> I'm a fan of Canon, but if others think other brands are as good or
> better for the same amount of money, or less, I will definitely check
> them out. Thanks...

I would approaching a choice of camera by trying to define what my
photographic needs were. In no particular order:

- wide-angle or telephoto?
- movies mode?
- image stabilisation?
- candids?
- do size and weight matter?
- swivel LCD?
- image quality?
- choice of power source (AAs or Li-ion cell)?
- cost?

For various reasons, I ended up with three cameras:

- Nikon 8400 for high quality and wide-angle
- Panasonic FZ5 for lightweight image-stabilised telephoto
- Ricoh Caplio R5 for smallest size (but poorest image quality)

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikoncp8400/

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz5/

http://www.digicamreview.co.uk/ricoh..._r5_review.htm

Your choices will doubtless be different - when a friend wated a camera
the handling of the Canon A630 suited him very well - and that's an
important factor.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/spec...canon_a630.asp

Cheers,
David

David J Taylor wrote:
> Me wrote:
>> I'm thinking about buying the G7, but I'm wondering how users of this
>> camera like it. I'm also wondering about other, comparable cameras.
>> I used to have the Nikon 990 and felt it was adequate.
>> I'm a fan of Canon, but if others think other brands are as good or
>> better for the same amount of money, or less, I will definitely check
>> them out. Thanks...
>
> I would approaching a choice of camera by trying to define what my
> photographic needs were. In no particular order:
>
> - wide-angle or telephoto?
> - movies mode?
> - image stabilisation?
> - candids?
> - do size and weight matter?
> - swivel LCD?
> - image quality?
> - choice of power source (AAs or Li-ion cell)?
> - cost?

Well stated.

I'd add "hot shoe" to my list.

Sad to say, but the high-end compact market is not very active at this
time. The G7 was a step down from the G6, and Olympus appears to not be
coming out with a successor to the C-8080 or C-7070.

It was inevitable I guess, with the prices falling so much on D-SLRs. A
two lens E-500 isn't much more than a G7, and not all that much bigger.

"SMS" <> wrote in message
news:461a7c3f$0$27219$...
>
> Sad to say, but the high-end compact market is not very active at this
> time. The G7 was a step down from the G6, and Olympus appears to not be
> coming out with a successor to the C-8080 or C-7070.
>
> It was inevitable I guess, with the prices falling so much on D-SLRs. A
> two lens E-500 isn't much more than a G7, and not all that much bigger.

Not much bigger!? You must be kidding.

Sales of high-end DSLRs are indeed up, but compact digital cameras sales
have also increased, including the high-end. The high-end compact market is
active. Nikon just released a new camera to compete with the Canon G7.
It's the COOLPIX P9000 and it's a camera you should consider.

http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php...roductNr=25565

There are many reasons to choose a high-end compact rather than a DSLR.
Canon is increasing production in the compact category and there are no
signs that sales of the high-end models will slow down.

http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/cont...d6800-74ff8019

SW

Summer Wind wrote:
> "SMS" <> wrote in message
> news:461a7c3f$0$27219$...
>> Sad to say, but the high-end compact market is not very active at this
>> time. The G7 was a step down from the G6, and Olympus appears to not be
>> coming out with a successor to the C-8080 or C-7070.
>>
>> It was inevitable I guess, with the prices falling so much on D-SLRs. A
>> two lens E-500 isn't much more than a G7, and not all that much bigger.
>
> Not much bigger!? You must be kidding.

Once you start adding the lens adapters on to the compact camera in
order to get a wide angle lens, it's not worth going the compact route.

On Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:04:52 -0700, SMS
<> wrote:

>Summer Wind wrote:
>> "SMS" <> wrote in message
>> news:461a7c3f$0$27219$...
>>> Sad to say, but the high-end compact market is not very active at this
>>> time. The G7 was a step down from the G6, and Olympus appears to not be
>>> coming out with a successor to the C-8080 or C-7070.
>>>
>>> It was inevitable I guess, with the prices falling so much on D-SLRs. A
>>> two lens E-500 isn't much more than a G7, and not all that much bigger.
>>
>> Not much bigger!? You must be kidding.
>
>Once you start adding the lens adapters on to the compact camera in
>order to get a wide angle lens, it's not worth going the compact route.

Nonsense. Look at the Ricoh GX and GR cameras with their
28mm equivalent lenses and tiny and excellent WA adapters to
make 21mm equivalent. No SLR can compete on size and weight.

And don't forget cameras like the Panasonic LX1/2 which with
their 16:9 aspect ratio give a *horizontal* FOV of about
25mm equivalent without any additional lenses and are tiny
compared with any SLR.

SLRs have many advantages over compact cameras but size (and
weight) isn't one of them.


--
John Bean

John Bean wrote:

> Nonsense. Look at the Ricoh GX and GR cameras with their
> 28mm equivalent lenses and tiny and excellent WA adapters to
> make 21mm equivalent. No SLR can compete on size and weight.

Yes, the Ricoh Caplio GX100 is probably the best you could do for a
compact. Adorama has it on their web site, but it hasn't arrived yet.
Ricoh doesn't sell in the U.S., so it'd all be gray market.

On Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:48:57 -0700, SMS
<> wrote:

>John Bean wrote:
>
>> Nonsense. Look at the Ricoh GX and GR cameras with their
>> 28mm equivalent lenses and tiny and excellent WA adapters to
>> make 21mm equivalent. No SLR can compete on size and weight.
>
>Yes, the Ricoh Caplio GX100 is probably the best you could do for a
>compact. Adorama has it on their web site, but it hasn't arrived yet.
>Ricoh doesn't sell in the U.S., so it'd all be gray market.

I'm in the UK so I tend to forget that Ricoh is not well
known in the US. Shame, they offer solutions that other
compact camera manufacturers seem to ignore.

--
John Bean

SMS wrote:
> John Bean wrote:
>
>> Nonsense. Look at the Ricoh GX and GR cameras with their
>> 28mm equivalent lenses and tiny and excellent WA adapters to
>> make 21mm equivalent. No SLR can compete on size and weight.
>
> Yes, the Ricoh Caplio GX100 is probably the best you could do for a
> compact. Adorama has it on their web site, but it hasn't arrived yet.
> Ricoh doesn't sell in the U.S., so it'd all be gray market.

See the GX100 at "http://www.dpreview.com/news/0703/07032801ricohgx100.asp"

One of the most interesting aspects is the power source: DB-60 Li-ion
battery (380 shots) or 2 x AAA cells (35 shots). So you can enjoy all
the advantages of Li-Ion batteries, but still buy batteries out in the
boonies, LOL.

John Bean wrote:

> I'm in the UK so I tend to forget that Ricoh is not well
> known in the US. Shame, they offer solutions that other
> compact camera manufacturers seem to ignore.

My first digital camera was the Philips relabled Ricoh (Philips ESP
80=Ricoh RDC-4300), which was a good competitor to the Nikon Coolpix 900
at the time.

I guess the U.S. was too competitive for Ricoh to keep marketing their
camera products here. They do sell their copier and scanners here.

You can still get the Ricoh cameras here through some gray market stores
in New York, but you'd better hope that you never need service, either
in or out of warranty.