Canon has officially announced the
PowerShot G7, the latest camera in the G-series which was last updated with the launch of the G6
way back in 2004. The key new features of the G7 are its 10 megapixel CCD sensor and the new 6x zoom lens with a f/2.8 to f/4.8 focal aperture, a 35mm-210mm focal length, and hardware optical image stabilization. Canon decided to drop the G6's 2-inch foldout LCD screen, instead opting for a fixed 207,000 pixel 2.5-inch screen. The G7 is internally different too, with a Digic III image processor that enables improved noise reduction, better color rendering, faster response times and most importantly, ISO 1600 sensitivity. There are also 25 different shooting modes -- including a manual mode and an impressive 1024 x 768, 15fps video capture mode -- along with support for
SDHC cards as well as the usual MMC and SD cards. If you think the G7 is the right camera for you, then you'll have to wait until next month to part with the $599.99 that this one'll cost ya.
[Via
Dpreview; thanks, spiky-haired]
posted Sep 14th 2006 10:18AM
esthetics-wise, the G5 was the best looking model in this line. G6 was downright pug-ugly, and G7 doesn't seem to be much of an improvement. Why can't they get back to putting eye-pleasing design and great tech specs in a single package?
Sadly they've omitted RAW shooting, and have stuck with a tiny 1/1.8" sensor which all but guarantees noisy (or smudgy nr) 10mp files. I'm still waiting for a fast, quality small digicam with manual modes, APS-C sensor, RAW mode and fast AF. Fuji's almost there, but not quite, and nobody else seems even close.
This bodes well, since many saw the announced discontinuation of the G series as indication that the prosumer class of camera was a dying breed.
Hopefully this willmean that Sony will release a new V series camera (IMHO one of the best lines in the class).
Raw mode and the little flippy LCD screen were two of the reasons that I bought the original G1. Now they have gone and pulled those features? And they are still charging 600 bucks? Way to go Canon! Obviously I'm going to be looking elsewhere for a new point and shoot in the future.
This would have been a great camera for advanced amateurs and pros to carry when not using their big glass SLRs. However, the fact that Canon has taken RAW capability away from its S80 and G7 compact cams to promote their SLRs is a deal breaker for me. I'm seriously looking at the Panasonic DMC-LX2 now.
Anyone who's considering this as the only camera and doesn't care about size of the camera too much should reconsider. Just get a dSLR. Why even consider this for $600?
No flip out LCD. No RAW. = 2 deal breakers.
I once had a G5 which was just one big focusing failure (slow and inaccurate, if it would lock onto something) and would've considered this for an advanced compact. Alas.
Plus 10MP in the same small sensor etc and now ISO 1600. I seriously doubt that'll give a usable clean image given the noise levels generally seen at 400 & 800 in compacts. But, I'll gladly be proven wrong since I haven't seen any images yet taken with Digic III.
The flip out (ninja!) screen may seem trivial at first, but it has allowed me to shoot at all kinds of crazy angles with my G6. I love it. In fact, this is one of the reasons why I stayed with Canon in this price range last year, versus upgrading to the Sony. This could be a huge mistake.
I've had both a G5 and a G6 which have served me very well. Both the flippable screen and RAW data format were huge selling points for the G series. However, with neither feature included in the new series and now a slower lens, I think I'll pass on the "upgrade." Sure they have other features new the camera, but I'd rather have great better optics and data than bells and whistles. Hopefully, Canon will get it right in the future...
No raw totally rules this out for me. With fantastic software like Adobe Lightroom it's mad to reduce the number of models with RAW support. Looks like my next camera might have to be a DSLR even though I'd probably be better off with a compact. I'll stick with my G6 for now.
Like other posters, the lack of RAW and the removal of the swivel screen are deal-breakers for my wife and I. For our photography business, RAW is a must. We have been Canon DSLR users for four years (and longtime Canon enthusiasts), but our first digital cameras were the G2 and G3, which performed very well for us. I was hoping the G6 upgrade would have RAW because it would be very nice to have a lightweight, capable point-and-shoot to always carry around. The marketing geniuses at Canon missed the boat on this one, as they try to move serious shooters to the DSLRs, on which they make a lot more money with the sale of lenses, flashes and other accessories. I, too, will be looking to the Panasonic DMC-LX2 or Fuji E900 as my next carry-around camera.
Do any of these Canon compacts have the ability to take a shot every some number of seconds or minutes until told to stop? I can only find this simple feature on Nikons for some reason. Any other brands have it (Sony doesn't I already tried).
Thanks!