G7 vs S3 IS vs S80...... ISO comparison

[GNMink]

Just received my G7 today and did some quick tests with the S3 IS and the S80 for comparison.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/DSCF1103.jpg

All were done from tripod with 2sec timmer, Av mode F4 (f5.6 on S80), and ambient light.

First off a comparison of colors and contrast at ISO100

G7, Full test ISO100

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/G7/IMG_0003.jpg


S3 IS, Full test ISO100

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/S3%20IS/IMG_0244.jpg

S80, Full test ISO100

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/S80/IMG_1091.jpg


You can see ALL of the ISO test Here: http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/?sc=1&addtype=local

[GNMink]

Now Crops at ISO 100 & 200 of all three cameras

G7 ISO100

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/G7/CropISO100.jpg

S3 IS ISO100

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/S3%20IS/CropISO100.jpg

S80 ISO100

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/S80/CropISO100.jpg



G7 ISO200

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/G7/CropISO200.jpg

S3 IS ISO200

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/S3%20IS/CropISO200.jpg

S80 ISO200

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/S80/CropISO200.jpg






You can see ALL of the ISO test Here: http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/?sc=1&addtype=local

[GNMink]

Now ISO 400 with all three cameras, ISO 800 with the S3 IS and G7, and finally ISO 1600 with the G7

G7 ISO 400

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/G7/CropISO400.jpg

S3 IS ISO400

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/S3%20IS/CropISO400.jpg

S80 ISO400

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/S80/CropISO400.jpg





G7 ISO800

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/G7/CropISO800.jpg

S3 IS ISO800

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/S3%20IS/CropISO800.jpg





G7 ISO1600

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/G7/CropISO1600.jpg



You can see ALL of the ISO test Here: http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/GNMink/Photo%20Test/?sc=1&addtype=local

[GNMink]

I'm very impressed with the G7, its built very nice and the new Digic III is fast. Some improvments in the menu system too.

It's very solid feeling and is mainly metal, with only the battery, ports, and top panel made from plastic. Even the top control knobs are metal. Its slightly larger than the S80, but still very compact.

[photography By Evangelos]

Look way cool for such a small camera. My things have improved over the past few years.

Angelo

[RafaPolit]

Thanks GNMink, very useful comparison!!

It does a lot for me in several aspects... first, I see that any of this cameras from canon will produce the same result if resized to 800x600, so if web is your final destination, probably more money wouldnt get better pictures.

But, the 100% crops show clearly the increased MegaPixels of the G7, therefore a bigger piece of the image, with less noise (apparently through in-camera noise reduction from the pattern of noise) than that of its rivals. And even though the ISO1600 is very noisy, I believe its comparable to the ISO400 of my fathers Pro1, so you have 2 more f/stops to play with light!

Can you comment about the IS? How is the filling of that? How about the other features? bigger LCD? How is the Optical Viewfinder? How about autofocus in low light? and speed of focus?

Thanks again for the scoup of the G7, you will surely receive tons of questions. Thanks truly,

Rafa Polit Jr.

[Ballen Photo]

A very nice comparison of these three cameras. Thank You! :D
-Bruce

[mattjs]

Nice to hear you think it's fast. Would you say noticeably quicker than the S3? Also, how about the LCD? It's described as "wide angle view". Is there a noticeable advantage versus a standard LCD in terms of viewing at angles? I know it's kind of gimmicky, but have you goofed around with the facial recognition focus feature? Any thoughts on battery life yet?

[GNMink]

Nice to hear you think it's fast. Would you say noticeably quicker than the S3? Also, how about the LCD? It's described as "wide angle view". Is there a noticeable advantage versus a standard LCD in terms of viewing at angles? I know it's kind of gimmicky, but have you goofed around with the facial recognition focus feature? Any thoughts on battery life yet?

It starts up very fast, and focus is very quick and accurate. Not sure if its faster than the S3, my hunch is that it focus is just a little quicker.

The LCD is very bright and seems to be viewable at all angles. One big surprise is the optical rangefinder, its clearer than I figured it would be and is pretty accurate when zoomed altho its only 80% view but definetly usable in condtions that the LCD is not readable.

The face recognition feature works! works very well indeed. The subject has to be looking towards the camera for it to recongize the face but tracks very well and can recongize several faces (max of 9)

I like the camera alot, it has much to offer. I think G3, G5, and G6 users looking to upgrade will be disapointed in the size and ergonomics (lack of a grip) and will probably miss the tilt/swivel LCD. But Image quality is very good and the camera certainly isn't missing any controls/features and the IS is a big plus.

Obviously the G7 is not really a continuation of the G series, its a whole new design as an advanced compact. I think its the best compact camera out right now. I've heard alot of talk about the ISO 1600 performace but atleast it has the ability to "get" the shot and IMO ISO 1600 is as good as it gets right now with such a small sensor (Fuji F30 excluded! LOL)

Obviously Canon has decided that the 400D is priced agressively enough now that it would appeal to G series users looking for something new.
The S3 IS has everything you could want and is priced $200 less than the G7 so its a tough call between the two.

[mattjs]

I'm gonna wait and see what the G7 reviews look like, but this is a huge help, and thanks for posting the samples. Based on what I see in the samples I'm deffinitely still considering the G7.

With the smaller grip, does it feel secure holding it with one hand (something I often do between shots with the G3).

[GNMink]

With the smaller grip, does it feel secure holding it with one hand (something I often do between shots with the G3).


I'd used the supplied neck strap! LOL

[mattjs]

Thanks. That's what I figured. It looks pretty small (both the overall and the grip). Overall smallness will be a plus to me. The easier it is to take it places the better.

[lefturn99]

Thanks for the comparison. Wonder what the 400 and 800 shots would look like after a pass through NeatImage?

[w7ox]

Obviously Canon has decided that the 400D is priced agressively enough now that it would appeal to G series users looking for something new.
The S3 IS has everything you could want and is priced $200 less than the G7 so its a tough call between the two.

Thanks for the comparative tests. Having the S3 IS, I was surprised it held up as well as it did at ISO 400 .. not up to the G7, but not *far* worse. With an SD700IS, great for "go anywhere", and the S3 IS (plus a 20D and lenses if I want to lug stuff), I will likely pass on the G7. It definitely has better IQ than the S3, but there is no niche between the SD700 and S3 where it can fit.

Phil

[Azzure_7]

Thanks for the comparison. . .
It helps me . . .but in the end, which one is the best catch?


http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=2310420&posted=1#post2310420

[GNMink]

I just posted the same test with the SD700IS, SD800IS, and the G7 if anyone is interested:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=260219

[sando]

I have to say that the in-camera processing of the G7 really ruin the shots.

I'd take the S3 over the G7 if based just on these test-shots, purely because the detail is lost by the in-camera noise-reduction. Id much rather run a high-ISO S3 image through neatimage afterwards myself than try it with the G7, as the G7's image will just lose more detail.

Shame it doesnt do RAW, as that's what I do when I use high-ISO on my s5600 to stop the camera ruining an image with it's crappy noise-reduction.