Canon G5 Review - A Shooter's Perspective
by Jeff Spirer; created 2003
The G5 is latest in the Canon "G" series of compact digital cameras.
It’s important to frame this review in the context of what and how I
shoot. I don't test cameras. Generally, I’m a street shooter, including
people shots and my own twisted view of the world as we have built it. I
don’t shoot nature (although I shot a tree for this review), sunsets,
seascapes, or pets, but I do shoot portraits and I make some money doing music
events and occasional photojournalism. (You can see some of the results at
my web site.) I shoot medium format in both
color and black and white, and 35mm primarily in black and white. I don’t
own any SLRs, just rangefinders. I’ve become used to shooting with a small
camera that has a clear view through the viewfinder.
The big question for compact digital cameras is when they will start to
differentiate for users. Right now, they differentiate primarily on price, a
result of the feature/resolution war, and size. There are no digital cameras yet
that are designed to appeal to users of fixed lens 35mm cameras such as the
Konica Hexar, Ricoh GR1, or even the old Rollei 35. What's missing is a more
simple approach, less shutter lag, and better finders. I bought the G5 because it
appeared to be as close as I am going to get for now.
Image Quality
Obviously G5 image quality is a
critical factor. There are numerous sites on the web that offer test images,
particularly useful when several cameras are compared. I find that I can get good
prints at 8x10 on an Epson 2200, “good” meaning that they rival good
lab or darkroom prints. I don’t get the quality from these prints that I do
with a 4000dpi scan from a 6x7 negative, but that’s expected. Beyond 8x10,
there can be noticeable image deterioration in the prints.
The most serious problem with the images that I have taken is a small amount
of chromatic aberration, seen as purple “fringing” on some images.
This takes quite a bit of time to correct in Photoshop and is annoying when it
shows. It’s not an issue on very many images, it seems to happen with
bright highlights. This is the one serious issue with the resulting image quality
produced from the camera – otherwise, it’s sharp and has good color
characteristics and contrast. Noise level is an issue at ISO 400, but can be
smoothed with some of the software that’s available.
Lens
The G5 has a fast (f2.0 –
f3.0) zoom lens that goes from (35mm equivalents) 35mm to 140mm. This alone makes
it desirable for a) shooting in low light, and b) shooting at low ISO and
hand-holding. It also helps with the flash range, with a range specified to 13.1
feet at the far telephoto end. While this isn’t of much interest to me, it
may be of value if you don’t use an external flash and shoot regularly with
flash.
The lens options for compact digital cameras constitute one of the major
choices. Right now, you can have either a faster lens (like the Canon G series)
or a wider lens (like the Nikon 5000 series.) Hopefully there will be a wider and
faster lens in the not-too-distant future, but for now, the user needs to pick
one or the other. For me, the choice was easy – I’ve been shooting
most of the time with a 35mm lens and I often shoot in reduced (evening, night)
lighting. For others, the choice may be very different.
Image Formats and Adjustments
The G5 offers a wide range of image formats. There are four resolution sizes,
from the full five megapixels (2592x9144) down to 640x480. Three levels of jpeg
compression (Super-fine, Fine, and Normal) and RAW format. RAW gives access to an
uncompressed “raw” image. In my testing, I have found only minor
improvement in RAW over Super-fine jpeg, although I don’t have access to
any conversion software other than Canon’s, which doesn’t have a
stellar reputation. However, RAW mode slows down the write times significantly,
so if you need to be shooting constantly, it is far faster to use Super-fine
jpeg. There are tests on the web (for example, at
dpreview) that give examples of images at the
different compression levels. A key advantage of RAW is the ability to change the
camera settings (such as White Balance, contrast, etc) at the time of
conversion.
White balance and “Photo Effect” adjustments are available for
jpeg images, using the Function button (see “Ergonomics” below).
While the white balance “Auto” setting works reasonably well, I find
it far more useful with static images to step through the white balance settings
for the best appearance on the LCD. The Auto setting often misses subtle changes
in lighting, especially in mixed conditions, that can be improved by setting the
white balance. The white balance settings cover a wide range of lighting
conditions and I found it possible to always find a setting that was close enough
to require little to no adjustment in post-processing except in fluorescent
lighting situations. For people using the direct-to-printer capability, this is
very important. Fixing the fluorescent settings should be a priority for
Canon.
There is also the ability to create a manual white balance setting. This is
very useful in mixed lighting and with fluorescent lighting. I tried it and it
worked well, of particular value if you will not have time to fool around with
color balance in a photo editor.
What I found more
interesting was completely unexpected, probably because this is my first
experience with a digital camera. Using the white balance settings, I was able to
create some unusual color casts that led to some unusual images. For example, the
image here shows the effect of a mismatch on the white balance. While this could
be done in post-processing, it’s great to have the ability to see it on the
LCD before shooting. There’s probably other options that people will find
useful.
“Photo Effects” offers a whole other range of choices. As a
first-time digital user, I use the effects setting as my “film
chooser.” Two settings are of particular value. One is black and white.
It’s true that any digital color image can be converted to a black and
white image in a photo editor. What’s valuable about this setting is the
ability to see in black and white on the LCD monitor. A commonly asked question
for new black and white (film) users is “how to see in black and
white.” This setting delivers exactly that - it’s an incredibly
useful tool. I usually switch back to color for shooting after viewing in black
and white.
The other Photo Effects setting I find useful is the Custom setting, which
gives a choice of Contrast, Sharpness and Saturation. While these adjustments
exist in any photo editor, it’s valuable to bring them in as close to
desired. As a long-time user of Agfa’s Ultra 50 film, I usually shoot with
Contrast and Saturation at their maximum. If you are going to use a photo editor,
sharpness is probably best set at its minimum setting. The drawback to the Custom
setting is that there are only three adjustments for each setting – more
(especially a completely unsharpened setting) would make this a lot more
useful.
Modes and the Custom Modes
Controlled from a top—panel dial, the G5 offers the expected operational
modes, including “dummy” mode (full Auto), Program, and Aperture and
Shutter Priority. Full Manual mode is also available. A “Stitch” mode
for panoramas (untested), “Night” mode for ambient plus flash
capture, and Movie mode (typical for this class of camera) are available. Then
there are the “bozo” (worse than “dummy”) modes for
“Portrait” and “Landscape.” Does anyone actually use
these? Aren’t there better uses for extra spots on the mode dial?
And then there are the two
Custom modes. These give the ability to set virtually everything (and everything
includes more than the manual says) and get those settings with a turn of the
mode dial. I chose to set these up as a “maximum” quality setting and
a “snapshot” setting, with maximum quality using the highest quality
image settings, and the snapshot settings producing a much smaller image with
more “auto” settings. The manual fails to make it clear how many
settings are saved – I thought the camera always came up in f2 until I
discovered that starting aperture is the same as the aperture in use at the time
of setting the custom modes. The manual is unnecessarily confusing on what
exactly is set for the custom modes. One useful feature is the ability to change
specific settings (for example, white balance) while in a custom mode. It stays
at the new setting until the camera is turned off.
The Screen
The flip-out-and-around LCD screen
completely changes the way one shoots. Except for a few large and somewhat
cumbersome (compared to the G5) medium-format cameras, there is nothing being
made today that allows waist-level shooting. With the screen out, it is very easy
to shoot at waist level. If it’s important to shoot without being noticed,
the flip-out screen makes this very easy. It also simplifies shooting at ground
level, something that I like to do, and which can now be done on the knees
instead of prone on the ground.
The screen also allows shooting from a variety of other perspectives,
including to the rear, to the side, and from high above. Self-portraits are
particularly easy – just flip the screen all the way around and you can see
yourself.
On the negative side, the screen is difficult to see in bright light. There is
a “bright” setting for it, but it’s still difficult to see.
I’m not sure what can be done to improve this, and usually just use the
finder on those occasions. The situation is aggravated when using the finder at
waist level as the screen is far more likely to catch bright light.
Fortunately the screen is
versatile because the finder is, like the finders of most cameras in this class,
small and terrible. Unlike other cameras in this class, you also get a nice view
of the lens barrel in the finder, although this will be a common vision for users
of rangefinder cameras like me. Looking through the finder feels like looking
through a thin tube. The complete lack of information in the finder is
frustrating. The one positive about the finder is the integral diopter
adjustment. I would very much like to see a “brightline” finder on
this camera, or one in its class. Surely there is a way to make a truly good
finder that zooms.
My solution to the finder problem is one that may work for me but not for most
people. I find the lens at the wide end most of the time I’m shooting,
shooting at 35mm (equivalent). I’ve recently put a Voigtlander accessory
finder on the camera, which works quite well other than some parallax at close
distances. However, there’s always the LCD to fall back on.
Ergonomics
For me, ergonomics has always been a deciding factor in using a camera. If
it’s easy to use, doing what I want and getting out of the way, it’s
good. If I have to think about where things are every time I pick up the camera,
or can’t get to the right controls without an effort, the photographic
results may not be there.
Many newer digital cameras seem to have a lot more ergonomic thought put into
them than earlier digital cameras I have tried to use and, despite the vast array
of settings, are relatively easy to use. The Canon G5 certainly fits this model,
with just a few exceptions.
Let me start with the horror story. The first day I went out for serious
shooting with the G5, I had periods of time when nothing would work. When I got
home and looked at what was on the flash card, I found videos. I didn’t
quite understand how that happened, but using it later that evening, noticed that
I rocked the mode dial by mistake. The most likely reason is that the Hexar I
often use has its aperture dial in the same place, and my hand tends to rest
there. And this leads to my major ergonomic issue with the camera – the
mode dial should have a lock of some sort. The power/record/play button has a
simple finger lock, quite well-designed so that it can be operated with one hand
but cannot be switched accidentally, and there is no reason for the mode dial not
to have a similar lock.
The other ergonomic issue is the control wheel in front – when
you use it to set shutter speed or aperture, it seems to have a drag effect, not
going one step with each click. This is frustrating – changing aperture (I
almost always use aperture priority mode) can be slow.
In every other way, the G5 is surprising intuitive offers dedicated buttons
for the functions most commonly used rather than forcing the user into a menu for
most settings. When you do use the menu, it is also intuitive and doesn’t
have multiple levels for most operations. Dedicated buttons for white balance, AE
lock, exposure compensation, meter pattern, display, and other functions allow
quick changes. Also, because the camera body is metal (except the back), it is
fairly hefty and feels solid when shooting.
Focus and Metering
The autofocus is moderately quick, which affects shutter lag (see below). It
could be faster. There is the ability to move the focus point around the screen,
but for fast shooting, this is fairly useless – it’s far easier to
move the camera to point the center box at the subject, focus and then recompose.
This is probably true of most cameras that use movable focus point. Focusing in
very low light is slow to impossible unless the focus assist lamp is used. Focus
appears accurate in the images I have shot so far.
The G5 has three metering modes – evaluative, center-weighted and spot.
In practice, I find that evaluative metering works almost identically to
center-weighted, not dealing particularly well with backlit scenes and other
situations that evaluative metering should detect. The first week I used the
camera, I had it default to evaluative, but found I was not getting good exposure
without switching to the spot metering. Now I default to spot metering, which is
accurate and narrow enough to isolate most subjects from extraneous
surroundings.
Shutter Lag
Yes, there is shutter lag. Yes, shutter lag is the biggest issue with
shooting with the camera for many photographers. But yes, there are ways to
minimize shutter lag.
The simplest way to do this is pushing the shutter halfway down to lock focus
and exposure prior to shooting. This gives fairly short delay. It’s even
shorter if you use the MF and AE lock buttons (both positioned well) to lock in
the settings. This assumes that you shoot with "focus priority." Occasionally,
there is a problem locking the focus, which causes a more serious delay. With
practice, the delay can be anticipated reasonably well, but this takes a lot of
shooting. Digital camera manufacturers do seem to be aware of the problem and
hopefully will figure out a way to improve things.
There is also a delay writing to the card. You can use continuous mode and get
a reasonable frame rate, but you are not going to get to the speed of a film
camera with a motor drive. As memory costs decrease, this may get solved through
use of larger buffers. It’s not an issue for me, but some may find the
write time problematic.
Flash
The G5 has a hot shoe, which is the best thing about its flash system.
There are a wide variety of controls available if you shoot with Canon dedicated
flash units. Since I don’t, I tested it with a Vivitar 285 and with my
wireless slave system for flash, both of which worked fine. The internal flash is
small, gives horrific redeye (which I carefully painted out in the example here),
and seems overpowered at close distance. I set it to -1 on the flash compensation
to get a normal indoor exposure. It runs out of power fairly quickly, although
the specifications show it as reasonable for a camera in this class. If you want
fill, the flash works acceptably, make sure to use the flash compensation to get
a good ratio. I have rarely used the flash, I would rather look for a way around
it, or add fill using Photoshop later. The color temperature seems quite good on
the flash even though this can be fixed after the fact also.
Playback Mode
The captured image comes up almost immediately on the screen in one-shot mode.
You can choose to hold the image or convert to RAW (if you are shooting in JPEG)
before it disappears from the screen. From shooting mode, playback is accessed
via the power dial. There are a number of options for viewing and for navigation,
including a thumbnail view that is more useful than I expected on the small
screen. Settings are shown for each image, although they can be omitted if a
“cleaner” view is preferred. I generally find myself using the
“clean” image for playback. There is also a view with a histogram
which helps to identify areas of overexposure
Playback is immediately ended if the shutter button is pressed, which has
become my normal method for exiting playback, rather than using the power dial.
The concept of “shooting priority” is appealing to anyone used to
years of film cameras where pushing the shutter button takes a photo no matter
what, excluding, of course, the times when film isn’t in the camera.
Strap
It may seem trivial but I find
straps and how they attach to be critical to how easy it is to shoot. Normal
shooting is with the strap twisted around my hand so that the camera is secure
from bumps, falls, accidents of any sort. The G5 has a strap lug on each side and
a thin strap. I immediately ditched the strap - it’s uncomfortable for
anything but very occasional use - and dragged out one of those stretchy
“load-reducing” straps I had on another camera. Unfortunately, when
wound around one wrist, the strap made it difficult to move the LCD screen out
and around.
So I logged onto the net and looked for a different kind of strap and ended up
with a LowePro wrist strap that attaches to one strap lug rather than two and
gives a fair amount of security. It’s a pain to put on the wrist and you
can’t just hang the camera around your neck to fiddle with a memory card or
battery, but it works fine for shooting.
The other strap lug is attached to the lens cap, which, fortunately, comes
with a tiny cord for just that use. It’s fortunate because a) the lens cap
pops off when the camera is turned on, and b) the cap slips off a bit too easily.
The thin cord doesn’t interfere with the LCD movement.
Software
With XP and Mac systems, the Canon
software isn’t necessary for transferring images to the computer. However,
I prefer it to the XP picture transfer software, as there is more capability.
Also, if you need to process RAW images, you will need to load either the Canon
software or a third-party package.
There has been quite a bit of criticism on photo.net of the Canon RAW
conversion software, but I’m still using it after trying numerous packages.
Breezebrowser and YARCPlus both crashed before finishing conversion. Numerous
reinstallations, cleaning out the registry, wiping old files off the disk, none
of this eliminated the problem. Powershovel was even worse, giving numerous
errors during the installation process and failing to load once it was installed.
These are the only packages of any type that have failed to run on my computer,
and I’m not sure why. I didn’t try the Adobe plug-in because you
can’t “try before you buy” and after my other experiences, I
didn’t want to spend the money and find that it doesn’t work.
Unfortunately, since testing the third party programs, Canon's software sometimes
crashed despite complete removal and registry cleaning. One of those packages
inserts something evil in the system.
I did find the Canon software acceptable for the task at hand. It’s a
bit quirky in its operation, but it works, and allows ouput to TIFF and JPEG
formats. I’d like curves adjustment rather than the simplistic three-point
settings for color and brightness and the ability to do global color correction,
capabilities that appear to be in the third-party packages. A very useful feature
of the RAW converter is the ability to mimic the camera settings such as White
Balance, Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness and even the pre-configured image
settings such as Vivid and Neutral.
Manual
The manual isn’t bad. It reads as if it was written in English rather
than translated, has excellent illustrations, and does a reasonable job covering
usage of the camera. There could be more information, however, especially
regarding setup of the custom mode, and less time spent on the useless “My
Camera” setup.
At the time of writing this review, the G5 manual was not online. As the G2
and G3 are online in pdf format at the Canon (US) website, I expect the G5 will
be added. However, much of the G5 manual is available at Canon’s Japan
website (http://web.canon.jp/Imaging/psg5/index-e.html) in html format. Because
the html manual uses color, it is sometimes easier to use than the manual that
comes with the camera.
Summary
The G5 hasn’t been available long, and although I bought
it within a few days of its availability, this still doesn’t constitute a
“long term” test that really determines how comfortable a camera is
to work with and how close the results are to what the photographer wants. For my
kind of shooting and what I want it to do, it works well. Despite the shutter lag
and the finder, it’s excellent for street shooting because of the ability
to compose with the camera at a lower level. Except for the chromatic aberration,
the image quality is excellent. It’s easy to control the camera.
Do I recommend it? In its class, there are specific choices that have to be
made, such as the tradeoff between lens speed and focal length. It can certainly
do the job, but it definitely won't be the last camera in this class. If I had my
way, I'd put a fixed 35mm (equivalent) lens on it, shorten the shutter lag, and
put in a brightline finder. Then I'd have the Hexar I've used so much, but
digital. Otherwise, Canon has done a good job putting together a camera that does
what I want it to do.
Where to buy
If you are looking for a place to purchase a G5, please consider these
retailers who make a contribution to photo.net for each order placed on their
websites via the following links:
©Copyright 2003 Jeff Spirer
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