M8 user tries P&S on world travel trip

Maybe of some interest...<P>

 

M8 user goes to Japan and tries P&S, with unexpected results...<P>

 

<a href="http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/G9-Japan.shtml">

here</a>

These really are tourist snaps. No wonder.

 

BTW, anything that will put a dent in M8's prices is OK with me. ;)

I tried the G9 in the local store, and I'm pretty impressed. But I wouldn't leave the M8 at home in its favor. Viewing a scene through its optical viewfinder is just agonizing, and the screen was difficult for me to see in bright light.

 

The control system is also very "digital" - lots of menus & buttons; I can operate the M8 as if it were a strictly manual camera.

 

The images quality of the G9 is very high, but not as high as that of the M8 - at any ISO in my opinion.

 

And of course the lens is slow and the small sensor makes it impossible to get narrow depth of field for many subjects.

 

The most annoying thing about the G9 was the flash. I don't use flash but I tried it out in the store, and it gave me a really jarring series of pre-flashes which took a long time and completely annoyed human subjects.

 

Having said this there are a lot of really good things about the camera. It's not too small, which is nice in today's world. It's quite solid and has a quality feel. The picture modes are very well chosen and executed, and the macro capability is extremely good. The way the face recognition system helps the autofocus has to be seen to be believed. Color accuracy is pretty good too, and this is of course an issue with the M8 even with filters.

 

I carry the M8 pretty much everywhere & don't really find it a chore, so given the tradeoffs involved I wouldn't make the choice Devlin did - but that of course is why there's more than one camera brand and more than one camera model.

Hi Vivek. Just wondering why you had that impression. While not the best photography I've ever seen, it seemed like reasonable travel coverage to me. I found one or two quite good.

 

I have no interest in the website or anything like that. Just curious what made you classify them that way.

 

Reed

These are *good* "tourist snaps" and his real-world opinions of the camera are quite useful for those of us who don't travel everywhere with a pair of 1DSIIs.

I use really wide focal lengths for my travel - something hard to find so far, except with interchangable lens cameras.

Hi Reed, "travel coverage"- if you prefer that, I have no problems at all.

 

My old Powershot S30 was used last week to cover a school event by a mom. The pics are now put on the school web site. They are fabulous. :)

 

Why do these sites have to promote a current product? Couldn't an older P&S cam (G1, G2, G3, G4...)have captured the same things?

I tried the G9 and the color fringing is SOOOOO bad I sent it back. Of course a $400 camera compared to the M8 is bound to lose out, but you need at least acceptable files if you want to end up with lasting images, RAW or not...

Vivek. I really don't understand this response to Reed or the notion that it irritates you that a

review site concentrates on current rather than old models. Can you mean that?

I just got an email from B&H that the G9 was back in stock, and was about to place my order, when I read his report about how bad the shutter-lag is. Saved me the cost of shipping it and returning it.

Most so-called shutter lag on P&S cameras is AF lag. There are ways to permanently program your own 'snap mode' into the G9's 'C' (creative or customisable) settings. Have a go with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/g9/discuss/72157603570949106/">this</a> and see what happens. It used to work fine on my old Canon A80 and apparently the command sequence (only needs to be done one time) works on the G9 also.

Vivek...yeah, I on't get the derision. They rival much of what is on your photo.net gallery.

Almost all I keep here were probably shot on P&S cams or thereabouts. AFAIK, there are no travel pics. Sounds good to me, Bob! :)

Had I known that I good get a neat grip for the G9, I might have chosen it over the camera I did get, the Canon A650 IS The 650 still has the advantage of a flexible LCD and AA batteries. I can get by without RAW in a P&S. If I want RAW, I sue my Nikon D70.

Trevor,

 

I find whether or not you save a C setting, you still have to half-pressed the shutter else the

lag is still there. In AV, even if MF is set at some fixed point, you still have to press the

shutter half way to anticipate else it is not fast enough. Am I doing anything wrong or is that

how it work?

(Sorry if this is going too far astray...my email to Kerry bounced)

 

Kerry, I'm considering the Canon A650IS for a street shooter. What do you think of your camera? How is the ISO400 performance? What print size is ISO400 good for?

 

TIA

 

larsbc

>>Bob Blakley Jan 25, 2008; 11:09 a.m. said<<

 

"I tried the G9 in the local store, and I'm pretty impressed. But I wouldn't leave the M8 at home in its favor. Viewing a scene through its optical viewfinder is just agonizing, and the screen was difficult for me to see in bright light."

 

Since I shoot my G9 99% of the time at the 35mm focal length (35 film equivalent), just as I do when shooting my M6. This is my solution to the squinty G9 viewfinder. I don't even turn the LCD on except for review. I shoot the G9 like a film camera (no chimping). And that is one (of several) nice things about the G9 that too many other point and shoot cameras lack, a hot shoe.

 

Don<div></div>

~<div></div>

Optical VF shows 3:2 format while the G9 is 4:5. And it's is no longer pocketable with the

add on...why not bring a dslr?

>>leslie cheung, Jan 25, 2008; 08:51 p.m.<<

 

"Optical VF shows 3:2 format while the G9 is 4:5. And it's is no longer pocketable with the add on...why not bring a dslr?"

 

Pocketable is important you you? I have a Samsung NV15 if I want a pocketable camera (Sorry but I don't consider the G9, even in its bare form, as a pocketable camera... the same as I don't consider a Leica IIIc a pocketable camera. Keep in mind that is based on my pocket comfort, not yours or anyone else's). The G9 on a neck or hand strap is still lighter and more compact than any of my dslr's. And since the camera's 4:5 format captures more than the VF's 3:2 format, what's the concern? If it was the other way round your point would be well made. Bottom line, it works for me.

Pardon an interruption, and possibly a silly question, but I just checked <a href=http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=15669#ModelTechSpecsAct>Canon's site</a>, and it says the "Large" size on the G9 is 4000 x 3000. <p>

 

Isn't that aspect ratio equal to ... 'four thirds,' the same ratio (albeit a different pixel count) that is offered on the newly-announced, Leica-lensed <a href=http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Cameras-Camcorders/Digital-Cameras/Lumix-Digital-Cameras/model.DMC-L10K.S_11002_7000000000000005702#tabsection>Panasonic

L10</a> and the Olympus dslr's ?<p>

 

Not sure how much this matters really, but I saw the reference to 4:5 above, so I took a look. Am I missing something ?<p>

 

Took a look also at the review Albert linked above, and the photographer seemed to like his photos, but complained about lag on the G9. Trevor's suggestion may have come in handy for him, and for that matter, might be worthwhile for G9 users here. At wide angle, at f/4 or even f/2.8, the d.o.f. is extraordinary on these small sensor cameras.<p>

 

Question for Trevor: When I spent a few moments fiddling with a G9 in a camera store, I was unable to persuade it to *stay* in manual focus when I turned off the lcd. The salesman, who seemed to know the camera reasonably well, was also unable to do that. Using the approach you've suggested, is it essential to keep the lcd on when shooting in the "snap mode" ?<p>

 

Thanks -

Michael S. is correct it's 4:3 nor 4:5. My bad!

Oh yeah, stupid me for paying any attention to what that other guy moaned about. It is a four thirds camera, which doesn't change the point I made. The 3:2 viewfinder takes in less than the camera's 4:3 sensor.

 

Why do we waste our time responding to trolls (not you Michael S)?

 

Don

The whole point of the OP and the link is traveling light. It's not about what you would shoot

with normally. Did you even bother reading the linked article?

It's a great little camera, but its IQ is no better than any of the dozens of other point & shoots available.

<p>

It's not a substitute for a dslr. But still fun to use.