g1 and g2, oh no!!

[srfg]

I've decided to get the g1, sooner or later, but now there is a g2. oh no. i dunno if i should buy the g1 now or later. or even wait to get the g2. :( what do you guys think?

[Pekka]

Fact is that there will always be a better camera on the pipeline at the moment when you buy a new one. With Canon digicam models the release interval seems to be about one year or more.

So, if you buy a G2 now it's likely that you will not be "obsolete" for a year or so. But in my opinion the main point is not to get the latest model, but ask yourself do you feel that the G1 is somehow limiting your creativity or restricting bringing your ideas to the screen, and is G2 a solution to those specific problems.

Do you really need more megapixels? I find 3.25 megapixels of D30 enough because I've printed great A3 size posters from it. More megapixels would be appropriate if you do high-resolution magazine work (like Vogue or Maison Francaise) and need to rival medium format quality, but even then you'd need at least 6-10 mp to have some visible improvement.

Obviously G2 has better exposure automation and image quality is better due to less CA (different color filter G - R - G - B might affect this?), which is a great impovement. Also eveluative metering is very useful and so is the histogram (if they are as accurate as in D30). But generally G2 is a bugfixed G2 - it has nothing new to improve photographic versatility. ISO 100 is still noisy. Zoom is still stepped. Manual focus is still stepped. Lens is still fixed.

G2 seems like a very good successor to G1, but for me it still lacks all those things that forced me to jump to D30 wagon, so I'm not interested, unless I get it very cheap of as gift :) (I'll keep my good'old G1 forever as it has great sentimental value!).

For those who are now considering G1 or just got G1 still under 30 day money-back guarantee: get a G2 - it's in any case a better camera.

For those who now have a G1 and are considering whether to sell/trade it for G2 or not: if you can do it without selling G1 dirt cheap, why not! But if you have to pay a lot for the change, then consider waiting another generation as you may find G2 impovements too shallow for the cost.

[sjguenard]

Pekka wrote:

"For those who are now considering G1 or just got G1 still under 30 day money-back guarantee: get a G2 - it's in any case a better camera."

Please explain the 30 day money-back guarantee again.

I can't imagine the nice folks at ********* Cameras in New Jersey taking my 3 week old G1 back because a new G2 is on coming soon.

[Pekka]

sjguenard wrote:
Pekka wrote:

"For those who are now considering G1 or just got G1 still under 30 day money-back guarantee: get a G2 - it's in any case a better camera."

Please explain the 30 day money-back guarantee again.

I can't imagine the nice folks at ********* Cameras in New Jersey taking my 3 week old G1 back because a new G2 is on coming soon.


That was merely an attempt to say "if you have bought the camera by such a deal that you can return it for full refund in certain timeframe".

In Finland we have by law a possibility to return the goods in 7 days for full refund if quality is not satisfactory. There is also a concept "open purchase" which means you pay e.g. jeans and try them at home for a couple of days and if they don't fit take them back for full refund.

[oops]

Pekka, don't say anymore. We'll say it for you; kind of a "Tribute to the G1."

You have said enough for me through the lens of the camera I love and have NEVER held back one secret to help the rest of us strive to your level of artistic expression.

I have taken some fantistic pics (for me) with the G1 due to your help and, most importantly, the other members of this forum. I am too shy to post pics as yet but read this forum first every day for the last four months or so. The stuff I have learned has made my brain hurt; and I have a fairly sharp brain!

You started a whole forum based on the G1 and I have a profound feeling of loss at the G2 announcement. Anybody else feel this?

Is it possible to download all of the G1 threads to date for archival and study purposes in the future in one big file? I still have so much to learn and have missed so much. I would hate it if the G1 just faded into the mist like so many others. I feel like I have lost a good friend.

[Pekka]

But hey, G1 does not stop being alive when G2 is in the shops. Many G1 owners will not change cameras to latest model ASAP, and those G1's which are sold second hand will end up to people who will benefit these discussions for a long time. So don't despair! :)

There's a lot to learn and a lot of fun to be had with these cameras even if you have a model which is not "in" and have a "10 in cool'o'meter".

[AVL_]

I have a G1 now, and I'm very happy with it. I'm not going to trade it in for a G2, because I don't need the few extra pixels, and every camera has its faults - when you have some experience with the G1, you'll know how to get past them. It's not the camera that makes the pictures, it's the photographer.

However, if I had to buy a digital compact camera right now, and I didn't have my G1, I'd buy a G2. Simply because it has some improvements that might come in handy. Plus, it costs exactly the same as my G1 did when I bought it. So there you have it: I think there's little reason for people with G1's to upgrade to a G2, but new buyers should by all means get a G2.

[teekay]

As a happy G1 owner I'm going to wait until they have the bugs out of the G6 before I upgrade to the G7 :-)

[Kevin]

I want to wait for the G2 and the retailer in Canada don't even know it exist... But G1 price came down a lot, from CAD$1,200 to CAD$1,100(USD 733). I just wondering how much would G2 cost in retail (not online) in US?

[svferris]

Pekka wrote:

For those who are now considering G1 or just got G1 still under 30 day money-back guarantee: get a G2 - it's in any case a better camera.



Thanks Pekka! I took your exact advice. I'd only had my G1 for 20 days when I read the reviews about the G2. So I went and returned the G1. Glad I bought it at a local store, rather than off the internet.

I guess I'll be adding myself to the growing list of people waiting for the release of the G2.

I'm hoping I can haggle with Fry's again on the price of the G2. I saved $100 off the G1 by bringing in an internet ad (from bhphotovideo.com).