Camera Labs

Hi Gordon,

I read your G7 review and thought it could be the camera I'm looking for. I want a top-of-the-range compact, but I don´t mind if you don´t have RAW or a flip screen; I appreciate IS, Face-detect, but what I really care for is image quality "out of the box".
So, the only thing I'm concerned about the G7 is its noise: is it really that bad above 200 ISO? I don´t think I´ll be printing large pictures (nothing larger than Letter size), although I often make some night shots, so I would like to know if even under these conditions I will notice any noise on my pictures.
Thanks in advance!

Hi JJ, welcome to the Cameralabs forums!

The G7 can produce great quality out of the box, but like all non-DSLRs these days, suffers from noise at higher sensitivities. Whether this is acceptable to you is entirely personal. Did you have a look at our outdoor noise page here:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/CanonG7/page4ca.shtml

And our Gallery, here:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/CanonG7/page5.shtml

There's some higher ISO shots on both pages, so if they look fine to you, then go ahead! Hopefully forum member Shiva will see your message and comment, as he's a very happy G7 owner...

Gordon

Thanks Gordon for your quick response!

I had a look at those pictures, and noise at 400 ISO looks fine to me. Based on your shots, I think that only at 800 you can begin to worry about it, and from there to 1600 there is a big difference already (I don´t ever consider to use 3200).
But as you said before, if someone who already owns a G7 can reply with his opinion on the matter based on his personal experience, that would help me a lot on my decision.

Hi, The G7 IMO is currently the best digicam on the market as far as features and image and also build quality.

I don't care for high ISO on a digicam, since none except for Fujifilm can deliver, but then I don't like the image quality of Fujis. I see noise even at ISO 100 on todays digicams. but that's normal. However some put out more noise than others, Canon's noise is manageable. Lastly on any digicam I don't shoot above 200.

You can't go wrong with the G7. At ISO100 the image quality matches that of a consumer DSLR with a kit lens and that says a lot.

Good luck, S

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GH1 HD Video
Flickr

Thanks Shiva! I agree with you that in most cases you can avoid shooting above ISO 200 or 400. And this becomes more evident if you have a good IS system like the one on the G7 that keeps you out from the weak spot of all compact cameras: high ISO.

I will be considering your thoughts, but my decision is clearly heading towards the G7 so far since it fulfills my expectations for a compact: 6X zoom, IS, Face-detection, and excellent image quality (similar to a DSLR) at normal conditions.

I really appreciate your opinions, and I'll let you know what I did and my first impressions as soon as I get my new camera. Thank you very much!

JJ

Hi JJ,

- not exactly compact, but how about considering Canon PowerShot S5 IS. I know it's "only" 8mp but it could be better in terms of noise, hence it's brighter lens.

Compared to the G7 it's got the flip screen, 12X zoom, stereo sound for films, AA-battery usage etc. BUT it also is 130 grams heavier and bulkier than the G7.

I haven't read any test for the S5 IS ... maybe there will be one here at Camera Labs ...

Good luck finding the right camera.

Hi D'Eighty!

The S5 is a wonderful camera. I've seen its features-I think there are no reviews available yet- but at first sight looks quite impressive! It is one of the few cameras I had in mind, but so far I just want a more portable camera, less bulkier than the S5. For example, Nikon's D40X would have been another good choice compared to the S5, although as I said before, I'm rather looking for a good compact that you can easily carry from one place to another.

But who knows, with a compact already in my hands, maybe in the near future I'll be looking for a more powerful camera like the S5.
Thanks for your advice!

Hi JJ,

- no problem!
I had my eyes on both the S5, G7 and the Panasonic DMC-LX2 the last couple of weeks, but I finally decided to step up to the D80 - which I got yesterday! Simply a fantastic camera and I'm able to use all my old Nikkor lenses in manual mode! My 50mm f:1.4 is simply beautiful with it's soft focus!
On the other side - I'm not travelling light anymore ... you can't always have the best of both worlds!

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Nikon D80, AF-S 18-70mm, AF 70-210mm 4-5.6D, 50mm f:1.4 AI, 500mm f:8 Hanimex mirror, Manfrotto 055C

Totally agree with you. The D80 is a fantastic DSLR camera, and I know that because a friend of mine got one recently, and I fell in love with that camera as soon as I had it in my hands and began to test it. The image quality is simply superb, so if you can afford it, I would recommend it without a doubt to anyone who's looking for a semi-pro camera.

So, congratulations on your new buy! I'm sure that in the following days you will be amazed as I did by the great pictures you can take with that little jewel.
Regards!

JJ