G3 vs C5050

[hillies]

I had my mind set upon a G3, but the retailer suggested me the C5050 from Olympus, it has some big advantages, the first being the far better ergonomics of the body, the powerful (and far more cheaper) NiMH batteries (as well a charger), clearly sharper images, and xD (the new standard?) compatible...

I'm a little bit worried about the "noise" in the sample pictures that i've seen, even at low ISO settings and the color saturation...although i've seen condradicting evidence in this regard!

Of course the G3 has its undeniable merits, that we all know of...but especially the ergonomics, as i've stated...I loved the Olympus in this respect...

I presume they are both fabulous camera's, but perhaps there is someone out there how has experience with both camera's and can make the final judgement for me

[BruceW]

I have a G3 and I am very happy with the camera and the results of my photos.

I have a collegue at work with the C5050. Its a very nice camera, and if I wasn't upgrading from Canon I may have done a detailed comparison.

I have read some comparisions on the dpreview canon talk forum. From those reviews the G3 seemed to edge ahead of the C5050 and my recollection is that the G3 noise is not as bad as the C5050, but depends on which ISO setting.

One thing I noted on my collegues camera is that the lens adaptor, unlike the canon comes as a scew on extension to the existing cowling. With the G3 the eisting cowling is a bayonet fitting and is completely replaced by the longer adaptor.

Also, the G3 comes with a remote control included in the price. The remote for the C5050 is not a cheap item.

As far as the battery is concerned, you will note from other topic discussions on this forum that there are generic brand batteries available at a fraction of the price. Also battery capacity on the G3 is one of, if not the best in its category.

The LCD maneuverability of the G3 is a major plus. Along with the 4x optical zoom vs 3x on the C5050.

The 5Mpixel CCD of the C5050 is its major advantage.

Either way I think you'll be happy.

[HWStone]

You probably won't notice much of a step up at 5MP from 4MP - Canon worked on image quality over just adding another 1MP.

In the UK the remote is also standard with the Olympus, and is almost identical to the Canon.

I don't understand why Oly went with the swivelling LCD - they should've gone all the way and had a hinge like Canon.

I've read that even though the images are sharp on the Oly they lack detail. I have a magazine in front of me where the two cameras are reviewed and the G3 comes out as taking 'perfect' pics whereas the Oly is slated for its lack of definition.

I have neither BTW, I own a G2, but did look close at those two cams when researching what to buy. It seemed that the Oly was the best all rounder but in terms of image quality alone wasn't as good as the Canons.