Canon G12 or S100

JJ!

JJ!

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Couldn't find a thread on this so here goes!

After walking around London yesterday with an Ixus as old as the scenery itself I find myself wanting something a little better.

I have decided it's between the G12 and S100. Mainly because I like Canon and they both have 5 x zoom which is handy.

Choosing is difficult, but my pro's are:

G12:

Can carry round neck using proper neck strap - which is what I ideally want to do rather than having in pocket.
Ease of access to controls
Viewfinder (not great - but it has one!)
Flippy screen (was having a nightmare doing self portraits of me and the other half!)
Hot shoe
Feel in hand - the bulk does not put me off! Its smaller and easier to carry than micro 4/3 etc.

S100:

ISO performance - the Canon lady in jessops said that the S100 at ISO1600 matched the G12 at ISO400. Didnt have a memory card to try this out and was not entirly sure how true this was anyway.

Smaller and lighter and if did want to travel with it, it can fit anywhere!


I know people with have different views, but when replying, please note that the size or weight is not a factor.

The G12 is my current pick, but if the S100 has that much better IQ and low light performance it could just tempt me!

Anyone tried both extensivly or can share user opinions of each, that would be greatly appreciated!
 
I'm a huge fan of my G12. I've had it for about a year now and bought it for all those times when I don't feel like lugging my DSLR kit around. It's a permanent addition to my handbag.

I chose it because it feels less like a point-and-shoot, more solid, more 'serious'. Before I got into DSLR photography I used an Olympus C-7070 (also with flip-screen) and I suppose the G12 sort of reminded me of that - and yet it's of course so much better. I am very happy with low-light performance and particularly it's macro capabilities. I also wanted something that could take an external flash. The flip-screen is neat for awkward angles and self-portraits, wouldn't want to miss it.

I'm sure you'd be happy with either choice. In the end, I just don't like the point-and-shoot feel and look of the S100, but it's performance is certainly amazing.
 
^^ thats my thinking! I like the G12 for its size! Have you got any low light shots I could see? Thanks!
 
I have an s95 which I bought 14 months ago.
If I was buying now I would get the G12.
 
I got a S95 an absolutely love it. It's great to have the two options: DSLR/weight and S95/pocket. They go together really well.
 
JJ! said:
^^ thats my thinking! I like the G12 for its size! Have you got any low light shots I could see? Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'll have a look through my archive tonight. I don't habitually upload my G12 pics to flickR, cause I mostly use it for family & friends situations, but I'll find a few samples for you. :)
 
Also have a G12, for about eight weeks in my case, and would be reluctant to accept your shop assistant's word on that IQ comparison, it's not going to be released till the new year's past (according to the entry for it on Amazon). Certainly my G12 can't match my old 40d for IQ in lower light levels, but with a much smaller sensor it'd be daft to expect it. Noise is more noticeable from maybe 400 ISO upwards than the SLR but again, to be expected? It doesn't use a CMOS sensor like the EOS jobs, it's a CCD.

In use it's a very neat bit of kit, possibly a bit on the fiddly side - but if you enjoy fiddling with lots of shooting options then it'll do you well. The screen is far higher res. than my 40d, and although I was keen to have a camera with an optical viewfinder (hate those acronyms!) I now find I almost never use it!:bonk:

Like the midrange EOS jobs there's two Custom modes where you can save your commonly used settings - I like this feature very much.

IQ in good light is very good when shooting jpg, and its RAW files are pretty decent, although again it seems to me these aren't as good as the bigger camera.

It's almost like having a tiny SLR with you, and I'm now finding that I am more inclined to reach for it and the lightweight pod when going out rather than the big kit bag and the DockSide Crane tripod (Kennet Engineering).

But for more "serious" stuff, the SLR is still the camera of choice every time, no surprise there.

In your case I think the old advice about going to a shop and checking them over will serve you best. Your hands will almost certainly prefer one over the other - very imporant, this - and gets overlooked too often these days when so many of us buy unseen over the internet.
 
At WEX we've had the S100 in for a couple of weeks and I think the image quality is superb .. the high ISO certainly looks better than the G12 (a colleague took one to a gig last week and shot at 3200 ISO), and I was comparing the images to my gig shots on the G12 at 800 ISO.
The down side on the S100 was the focus, struggled quite a bit in comparison to the G12, but I really think the HS system and Digic 5 processor puts the S100 above the G12
 
Everything is subjective. I have a G12 that I use professionally. When I am in a situation that precludes taking the rucksack of full frame kit. I have had several front covers and A3 DPS published from it - so while the one may be "better" than the other - the G12 is so good that even publishing is throwing away information in the files! It is more than good enough - it is superb.

I like the fact that it is slighty bulky and heavy (that to me shows it has some build quality). The piddly little s95 that a friend has I cannot get on with at all - it is likeworking with a small mobile phone, too thin and too small. I cut my teeth working with ASA 50 and polarising it, so in effect much of the time I was working with ASA 12 - to me 200 or 400 is super fast! I don't think I have ever shot anything at 800, I don't believe I have ever set that speed on any camera in my life. I have to force myself to go to 200, I work on 100 for as much as I can, and work round it with lighting or longer exposures.

You will have to decide which suits you better, but I would go on handling rather than performance as the results from the G12 are stunning and certainly not lacking....if you take 2 pictures side by side with two different cameras you will see differences. BUT when you are out and about you will only have one with you, so there will be no comparison.
 
Held both in hand and have gone for the G12! Ta for the pointers!
 
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