$499 versus $15,000 camera

[jfinke]

A camera is just a tool. If you don't know how to use a DSLR it can be an expensive piece of junk.

I am not sure I could go back to a SLR because I shoot a lot of junk. The beauty about Digital is there is no film to waste. I would definately rather have a digital PnS than an non digital SLR even if I had some of the best lenses available to me. Especially at WDW.

 

[alan]

I did an all-time stoopid thing when I was at WDW in '06. I bought an SLR and took it instead of the Pro1 that I had been using for at least a year.

Of course, I came back with a load of really lousy pictures...

regards,
/alan

 

[webshark3]

That, webshark, is exactly where my mind is at just now.

Outdoors in the day time, I reckon you'd get the bulk of what you need. WDW is generally bright during the day, and the operational speeds of the G10 are not desperately far short of an SLR. And you probably would find it hard to make much use of a long zoom in the parks, since they are so darned crowded.

So far, so good. Then you wander into Epcot's China Pavilion and want to snap these incredibly flexible gymnasts. Or you want to shoot the Festival Of The Lion King. The best ISO you're going to get with the G10 is probably 400 (maybe 800 with noise-reduction software? Not sure). You're going to be toiling to get decent shots here, although the lens is fairly fast at f/2.8 at the wide end.

And then those night-time parades. 400ISO, f/2.8. Equates with an SLR at 800ISO and an f4.0 - so you're losing a stop. Hmmm....

Should be okay for fireworks, but lave it at home for Fantasmic.

I'm trying to decide if it's worth the money to me to buy a G10, and my impoending summer holiday at WDW is one of the main foci for that. So far, I just do not know...

I'd welcome anyone's input on this.

regards,
/alan

Hey Alan, check out the high ISO images at dpreview.com from the g9. Maybe it's the lighting, but I still think Canon handles noise very well. And in small prints, it's really a non-issue.

I print 4x6 shots from my Pentax P&S (worst noise ever in a P&S at high ISO), but images don't look bad in small prints.

 

[alan]

>I print 4x6 shots from my Pentax P&S

I think that's part of the problem for me. Many people still "consume" their photographic images as prints, and that's great. I choose to "consume" my pictures on-screen (often than not in the form of the Windows "My Photographs" screen saver). I think that that makes the noise seem to be considerably more obvious - even before I start cropping.

regards,
/alan

 

[Aardvarks]

When you spend $$$$ on a camera, the nut behind the lens is gold plated

 

[webshark3]

>I print 4x6 shots from my Pentax P&S

I think that's part of the problem for me. Many people still "consume" their photographic images as prints, and that's great. I choose to "consume" my pictures on-screen (often than not in the form of the Windows "My Photographs" screen saver). I think that that makes the noise seem to be considerably more obvious - even before I start cropping.

regards,
/alan

even better. For web viewing, once I reduce to 300x400 or so, the noise is gone too. I should look at a few for full screen, but it's still a huge reduction from the original 5mp. I've taken some ISO 400 with my pentax at hocket recently. I'll try to post some samples.

 

[jann1033]

wow my eyesight must be improving!!!!!!! i had no problem telling the difference between the two photos even without my glasses on

i do agree though, since most wdw photos aren't really taken with "art " in mind , if someone wants snapshots why bother with a dslr unless you are nutty and love dragging around tons of stuff or afraid something will happen you can't get without your dslr and you'll feel like kicking yourself...IE someone at least as neurotic as me.

 

[klmall]

Hey Alan, check out the high ISO images at dpreview.com from the g9. Maybe it's the lighting, but I still think Canon handles noise very well. And in small prints, it's really a non-issue.

I print 4x6 shots from my Pentax P&S (worst noise ever in a P&S at high ISO), but images don't look bad in small prints.

A year ago, I was seriously considering what to buy next when I was upgrading from my G5 - a G9 or a DSLR. I thought long and hard about most of the issues brought out in this thread and two concerns pushed me to buy the G9: 1) Did I want to carry all that weight around, worry about protecting and continue to invest in lenses and accessories for hiking, camping, rafting etc.? NO and 2) Was I happy with the picture quality from my Canon cameras, even my old G5? Absolutely YES!

While I will never capture every great picture with my G9, it is light and the shots are eminently satisfying. I have enlarged several to poster size. For me, this is the right camera.

 

[alan]

Has anyone successfully taken decent photographs indoors with the G9 or G10 without flash? I'm wondering about things like the gymnasts at the China pavilion, the choir at the USA and so forth.

regards,
/alan