Help replacing lost G5

[murrayatuptowngallery]

Hi:

New here. Thought I was blind trying to match the security characters to log in!

Our family (in the US) has an exchange student from Finland who came with a Canon Powershot G5. It was just left somewhere or stolen...not sure.

Aside from having Finnish firmware/menu language, we are discussing how to replace it if someone honest doesn't return it :rolleyes:.

Initially we thought like with everything else in computers and cameras, newer would be better, and that a 5 or greater MP camera would be cheap and easily selected, perhaps with better features.

Now that I have begun to research the G5, I'm not so sure. It looks like it had some pretty unique features, like the integral ND filter, etc. It was pretty large & heavy too (I have mostly analog cameras, BTW; substance means something :D).

Can someone clarify for me if this was a consumer or semi-pro camera, and whether it has some unique qualities vs a more modern 5-12 MP camera? Should we not look back, and move forward to something more modern?

And Pekka, if you're listening, is a Finnish menu hardware-specific (factory installed), or can a flash memory update be done on cameras these days to solve that problem (kiitos)?

Murray

[rpolitsr]

Welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear about the lost / stolen camera.

The G series is the top-level of the powershot Canon cameras from the G1 to the G9, but they are not professional as the DSLRs, although they are quite capable.

The newest G9 is the equivalent of the G5, although it is smaller in size and has no Swivel LCD Screen.

The Finnish (suomi ?) language is one of the standard menu-selectable languages of the camera.

If you have enough time to search, you may find a used G5 or G6, but the G9 is better I think.

The RAW files of the G9, as it is new, are supported only by the latest versions of Adobe Photoshop (CS3) or the latest version of Lightroom, but they will have wider support soon. No support problems for shooting jpg.

__________
Edit:
The G9 has a built-in ND filter as well.
__________

I hope this will be of some help.

[murrayatuptowngallery]

Cool on the bulit-in language capability. That's nice to know.

eBay prices aren't bad, as long as condition descriptions are honest :lol: ($125-225 it seems for a G5, some with alot of accessories).

I guess I was wondering if it's 'in a different class' performance or quality or reliability-wise compared to whatever model 7-8-9-10-12 MP Canon is out there today for US$150-250...or if it's old enough that it was slow in response to shutter depression, or had purple fringe...

...anything to sway me toward or away from gut instinct.

I suspect few people want to buy a 5 MP camera that's years old...something in our favor for price restraint. Replacing it has advantages - no learning curve, less agitation for the brother that gave the camera to the student :evil:


again, Thank you

[lukeeesteve]

IHMO, buying a used digital camera is a luck of the draw. A camera might be on it's final leg yet how no signs till it decides that it want's to quit. The $225 might be money well spend if it lasts 1/2 as long as a new G9. However, if it craps out in 3-6 monthd, you might be out of luck and will have to go through the shole buying process again.
Before I got the G9, My Canon S1-IS just decided one morning that it wasn't going to work. It was working perfectly just the week before.

[bayoubooger]

if you still have the S1, return it to canon. see the advisory in the heading of this forum.

[lukeeesteve]

if you still have the S1, return it to canon. see the advisory in the heading of this forum.

Thanks for the heads up. I unfortunately dropped the camera on a very hard surface when the camera was relatively new. The camera still worked flawlessly for many many months without a glitch. I suspect that canon will turn down my claim. Might be worth the try though. I got me over 10000 shots in the years I owned it......Hmmmm actually it's not that many considering that I'm already at 4000 shots with my 4 month old G9.