g6 or a95?

[Shoehorn O' Plenty]

gday all. i might want to upgrade my camera. right now i have a s500, and honestly it doesnt cut it. im looking into either the g6 or the a95.
which one would you guys recommend? how much different is the a95 than the g6?
thanks in advance!
:D

[dtrayers]

A lot different. The G6 has higher resolution, faster lens, larger LCD, RAW mode, is bigger, uses Li-ION battery, more $$$...

This site has a review of both:

http://www.dcresource.com/

Much depends on how you will use it. You say the S500 (a good camera, IMO) doesn't 'cut it'. I suspect if you don't like the S500, you won't like the A95. Maybe the G6 or perhaps the Pro1 would suit your needs better.

[Fooj]

In order to make suggestions, it would help to know what your complains (and likes) are relative to the S500 . . .

[Shoehorn O' Plenty]

why wouldnt i like the a95.
i do like the s500, but the lack of settings is getting to me. in fact i still plan on keeping it for regular picture taking.

[dtrayers]

why wouldnt i like the a95.
i do like the s500, but the lack of settings is getting to me. in fact i still plan on keeping it for regular picture taking.

If you want more creative control then the A95 isn't going to give you much over the S500, just aperture control. You need to move to the G-series (G5 or G6) to get more control.

[Shoehorn O' Plenty]

thanks dave.

but how about the shutter speeds on the a95? is it also preset like the s500?

[Jon]

The A95 will let you set shutter speed, aperture, or both. You can also control whether or not to use the flash, and even focus manually if you like.

[Shoehorn O' Plenty]

the two most important controls i want is the shutter speed and the aperture, and they both can do it. aside from the 7.1 mp, what makes the g6 so much better than the a95?

[dtrayers]

No, you can adjust the shutter speed on the A95.

Here's a side by side:

CLICK HERE (http://www.imaging-resource.com/CAMDB/compare_results.php?sections%5B%5D=704&sections%5B %5D=701&sections%5B%5D=622&submit=Compare)

[dtrayers]

the two most important controls i want is the shutter speed and the aperture, and they both can do it. aside from the 7.1 mp, what makes the g6 so much better than the a95?

Faster response, RAW mode, larger LCD, external flash hotshoe, faster shot-to-shot, built-in ND filter (very useful for waterfall pics), wireless remote, BB-511 battery (lasts forever), faster lens, 4x optical zoom...

[pradeep1]

If you ask this question in the following forums, this is what you'll get:

1. Small Compact Digitals - A95
2. Canon G-Series - G6 or Pro1
3. Canon EOS Digital - Rebel or 20D

If you want to get serious about your photography, considering at a minimum the G6 or a good used G3 (about $350). If you want to get full control, then of course an SLR (Rebel, 20D) is the way to go, but you'll spend a lot more.

I have pretty much all the cameras above (in one incarnation or the other) and would say for that someone coming from the S500, a G series would serve you well in terms of offering you good control and the ability to move your photography to the next level with all the "pro" features that dtrayers mentions above.

Good luck and let us know what you chose...

[Shoehorn O' Plenty]

No, you can adjust the shutter speed on the A95.

Here's a side by side:

CLICK HERE (http://www.imaging-resource.com/CAMDB/compare_results.php?sections%5B%5D=704&sections%5B %5D=701&sections%5B%5D=622&submit=Compare)


great site. thanks

im leaning more towards the g6. i like the a95 for the price. can the a95 do pretty much the same things as the g6.

im sorry if im going in circles, its been a long day, and its only 2pm.

[Fooj]

. . . is a G6, but:

* Smaller (only about 25% bigger than the S500)
* Missing the hot shoe
* Slower (in terms of f-stops) lens

Has the same control of the G6 you're considering.

I'm thinking about bagging my S500 because the S70 is proving to be portable enough for me . . .

Good luck in your search.

[Fooj]

. . . is a G6, but:

* Smaller (only about 25% bigger than the S500)
* Missing the hot shoe
* Slower (in terms of f-stops) lens

Has the same control of the G6 you're considering.

I'm thinking about bagging my S500 because the S70 is proving to be portable enough for me . . .

Good luck in your search.

[pradeep1]

No, you can adjust the shutter speed on the A95.

Here's a side by side:

CLICK HERE (http://www.imaging-resource.com/CAMDB/compare_results.php?sections%5B%5D=704&sections%5B %5D=701&sections%5B%5D=622&submit=Compare)


great site. thanks

im leaning more towards the g6. i like the a95 for the price. can the a95 do pretty much the same things as the g6.

im sorry if im going in circles, its been a long day, and its only 2pm.

Yes the A95 can do pretty much the same as the G6. The G6 is just a more robust and, ultimately, a more useful tool. Ask yourself. Are you a point and shooter or are you serious or semi-serious photographer? Do you plan to learn and expand on your capabilities? Go from there...

[Shoehorn O' Plenty]

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4ce05b3127ccea90c73a653a20000003610

this is a pic that i took with the s500. all i did was play with the shutter speed. can either the g6 or the a95 make this picture better? or how can i take better pics with my current camera?
i noticed that the front end is alot darker than the rest of the car. how do i make the front brighter? i tried making the shutter speed even slower, but it made the rest of the car brighter and it didnt look right.
thanks
:D

[dtrayers]

The shutter speed isn't the issue, it's the dynamic range of your subect. You have dark shadows on the front of the car and the side is fairly bright. The imaging sensor (and this is true for all but the highest end cameras) can only capture 5-6 stops of dynamic range. This means that when there is both bright portions and dark portions in your subect you have a compromise at best.

Your options are to use some kind of auxiliary light, like a flash, to fill the shadows, or use the computer to bring out more detail in the shadow.

There's lot's of articles on the web about this subject. Here's some to get you started:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understandexposure.shtml

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

Notwithstanding the above, I think you have a good image here. Sure, the front is in shadow, but it's dusk and it's supposed to be. You might bring out a little more detail in the shadow with a little curves adjustment or contrast masking, but I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

Nice car BTW. I love the WRX.

[bachscuttler]

A95 shutter speeds are adjustable from 1/2000 - 15"
Aperture adjustable from F2.8 - F8
Manual Focus adjustable from 50cm downwards
Exposure adjustable from -2 to +2
7 White Balance settings
ISO speed adjustable from AUTO, 50, 100, 200, 400
AF - AiAF, Flexizone, Centre in Menu, in Function - Evaluative, Spot, Centre Weighted Average

Anyone just moving from a point n' click (as I just have) to more control, the A95 is a good step up.
If I was more experienced (and had more disposable cash) I would have gone for the G6

[xdjoynerx]

get the s70

[bosamar]

I'd take the G6. I've played with the A95 quite a bit. It's a good digicam but the G6 is MUCH better. It's more versatile and a better value then the A95.

Some advantages over the A95 are:

- 7.1 MP
- Better quality pix
- Type I and II CF
- larger LCD
- BP511A battery

The G6 'feels' like a camera. The A95 is too small and I don't like the battery setup.

[xdjoynerx]

4 high capacity nimh AA batteries in a a95 will out last a g6's bp511

canon quotes the a95 in standard tests, 500 shots with lcd on - 1000 with lcd off.... doesn't get any better than that.

the g6 is a better camera, but if you want a camera you can take every where with you, you need to get the s70. you wont get swivel, but you will get all the control and IDENTICAL image quality. ill quote my self again.



s70 left, g6 right (the exposure is slightly different, and the s70 has less aggressive sharpening, so ignore that)

the image quality, resolution, and detailed captured are identical. :)

50 iso

http://img127.exs.cx/img127/7038/s70g650.jpg

pretty amazing they can achieve this kinda image quality and pack so many features in such a small package.

[bosamar]

I just don't like dealing with four AA batteries..... like my very old Kodak DC 260 had.

Canon does make a wonderful line of cameras. G, S and A-series are all winners.

[pradeep1]

So what did you pick Shoehorn?

[bosamar]

I didn't mention that my wife has an A95. It's a very nice camera that is very easy to use. I do like all of the different "SCN" modes. I thought that this camera was best for her since it does take AA batteries. She's going to visit the Philippines soon and probably won't have access to a battery charger.

[Shoehorn O' Plenty]

So what did you pick Shoehorn?

whoops almost forgot about this thread.
as of now i havent bought a new camera yet. but i think im leaning more towards the g6, im waiting for a good deal on one. i like the lense option. i want to play with the fish eye ball lense, well if they have it. the g6 does allow you to switch lenses right?

in the mean time, ive been fairly happy with the s500.
what do you guys think of these pics?

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4cc26b3127cce9dc7b582d3e300000036108EcMmrZo4ai

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4ce05b3127cce9a986f59631a00000046108EcMmrZo4ai

[Jon]

Nice work - you're certainly using the S500 well.

Neither the G6 nor the A95 allow you to "switch lenses". Only the EOS SLRs and DSLRs will allow that. Both will, however, allow you to attach auxiliary telephoto, wide angle, or fisheye lenses to modify the behaviour of the standard lens.

[Shoehorn O' Plenty]

Nice work - you're certainly using the S500 well.

Neither the G6 nor the A95 allow you to "switch lenses". Only the EOS SLRs and DSLRs will allow that. Both will, however, allow you to attach auxiliary telephoto, wide angle, or fisheye lenses to modify the behaviour of the standard lens.

woot woot!!!
thanks for the compliment. im still trying to figure things out with the s500. hopefully im going to get the g6 sometime before march, going to head out to reno.

auxiliary lenses, will work for me too. it works just as well too right? or at least gives the same effect?
:D

[Jon]

Same effect, there are fewer choices, less extreme choices (you won't get as wide a wide or as long a telephoto as you can find in a DSLR), and they'll generally produce lower-quality pictures (still adequate for 5x7 or 8x10 for family use). A DSLR with interchangable lenses also has other features which will give you more flexibility and better quality, but at a price (in dollars, size, and weight).