G3 for $609.95!

[PacAce]

B&H Photo just dropped the price of their G3 from $699.95 to $609.95! Holy smoly! And they have a G3 + Canon i950 combo for $819.95!

I've seen the G3 price drop from $799 to 699 and now to $609.95 within a month or so! Not that I'm complaining, mind you, since I'm still waiting to get on the G3 bandwagon. (Still can't make up my mind between going dSLR or G3.)

Has anybody out their switched from film SLR to G3? If so, how did you find the transition from using the eye level viewfinder with all the info displayed there (camera on the face) to using LCD display (camera an arm length away from face)?

[BruceW]

PacAce,

I don't want to hear about price drops so soon after I paid the full price.

Ah well I am still very happy with my choice.

I't does take some getting use to the LCD. Paticularly since I am now slightly long sited. I use glasses to read and hence don't have them with me all the time. I have to remember when I grab the camera to also grab to galsses.

As I mentioned in one of my other posts, the battery ran out on me the otherday. Just before it ran out I noticed a red symbol flashing in the top left of the LCD. I had my glasses on but with glary light I could not figure out what the symbol was. The manual is not clear about where the symbol would appear.

I had only checked the battery about 30 minutes earlier and it showed full, so I was not expecting a completly flat battery. A characteristic of these types of battery apparently.

I have a possible solution, which I have yet to try.
ie. I propose making a shade or cowling for the LCD and then go one step better, by attaching a small magnifyer to the front. Hence a form of viewfinder using the LCD.

I knocked up a temporary trial using the top of an old plastic bottle and a cheap magnifier I had bought for viewing negatives. It was quite good but unlike a viewfinder you see all the pixels up close. (I think I have a dead pixel I was unaware of before). I have not quite worked out the best way to attach it to the LCD yet. I also need a better shaped bottle than I used.



Bruce

[John - NJ]

Best Buy has them for $599.

[PacAce]

Bruce,

Reading your reply re the LCD viewer brought a smile to my face as well as an image of Belle's father (in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" animation) working on his latest ingenious contraption :o) (I'll have to figure out how you guys put in those smiley face icons).

Sounds like a neat idea if you can pull it off. How about using a plastic fresnel lens instead of the standard magnifying lens since they'll probably be lighter and thinner.

Anyway, I have the same problem reading things close up. My old eyes aren't aren't as good reading close up anymore :o(

I've worked with the LCD viewer on my digital camcorder but I've always preferred using the eye piece unless I'm shooting while on the move.

I played with a 2 Mp digicam that I bought for my step son and I had a hard time keeping the camera steady while holding it in my outstretched hands. Trying to press the shutter button made it move even more, ruinning my composition. If there were no shutter lag, then that wouldn't have been a problem but there was. Is that the case with the G3 as well? How do you guys manage to keep the camera steady when you take your pictures, a lot of which look spectacular as I've seen posted here.

[PacAce]

John,

Are you referring to a local store near your or to the Bestbuy.com store? I checked out Bestbuy.com and their G3s are going for $799.

[BruceW]

PacAce,

Thanks, will look into the Fresnel Lens idea.
It would be good if it reduced the size. Weights not a real problem, since the magnifier I used is very light.

If you want to see what the trial version looked like I posted pictures at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/imbrucew

in the hobbies album.


Because the G3 LCD is so versatile, I usually have the camera down near the waistline with the LCD pointing up. That way you can use the body to support the camera. Not always convenient, but since the camera is so light, it's not difficult to hold in numerous other positions.

Bruce

[PacAce]

Bruce,

That's an interesting viewer you put together. Doesn't look at all home made! It's not what I envisioned, though, when you first described it although I should have gotten a hint when you said you were using the magnifying glass that you use for viewing negatives. Since this viewer requires you to put your eye right up against the viewer, I don't think the fresnel lens idea is going to work. The fresnel lens will magnify what's underneath it but you'd have to view it with some space between it and your eyes much like a handheld magnifying glass (that's what I though you were using).

BruceW wrote:
Because the G3 LCD is so versatile, I usually have the camera down near the waistline with the LCD pointing up. That way you can use the body to support the camera. Not always convenient, but since the camera is so light, it's not difficult to hold in numerous other positions.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that your first camera was a Kodak Brownie box camera. :o)
That's how I got into photography as a kid. It was held at waist level and you had to look down to compose and take a picture.

[mwinog2777]

yes, i went rom film to digital. took me 15 minutes to get used to looking at screen, not looking thru viewer. after 25 years of film, i never used film again, and never will. but, my next camera will be dslr.

[PacAce]

mwinog2777 wrote:
but, my next camera will be dslr.

mvinog2777,

If I may ask, what is your reason for wanting to go dslr?

I'm still can't decide between a G3 and a dslr. At this point, the G3 seems like a more logical choice for me (I can use my current set of 52mm and 55mm filters, polizers, etc; it's a lot cheaper; much lighter and thus more conveniently portable; has a swivel lcd; and has realtime lcd viewing). However, everytime I pick up my EOS Elan IIe and start taking pictures, I'm swayed to go DSLR instead. I like the fact that all the info I want is right there on the viewfinder screen while the camera is held steady againt my face. I think I'm also biased towards the SLR camera because that's all I've ever shot with...not counting my first Kodak Brownie box camera and Kodak Instamatic camera which I used to use when I was a kid in grade school.

Only problem with going DSLR is that I want the EOS 10D and I don't think I'm going to be able to get my hands of one of these for a long time (5+ months maybe?) since they just announced it.

Last night, I had decided that one week from now I'll take the plunge and buy myself the G3 and the Canon i950 combo from B&H Photo. Please don't ask me why I'm waiting a week. I guess I'm waiting to see what other surprises, if any, Canon comes out with at PMA 2003.

[John - NJ]

PacAce wrote:
Are you referring to a local store near your or to the Bestbuy.com store? I checked out Bestbuy.com and their G3s are going for $799.

I was in one of their local stores and the tag read $599. I don't know why their web site would have a different price. Maybe just a time lag before they make the change online.

[PacAce]

John,

I'm looking at today's Bestbuy flyer and they have the G3 on sale for $699.99. Maybe the one you saw was either mismarked or an open-item/refurbished unit.

But thanks for the info.

[BruceW]

PacAce,

I will still look into the fresnel lens option.
I'm in no hurry. A college at work said he has one I can try. It doesn't have to be up at eye level, just easier to read without straining the eyes.

Re the Kodak brownie, I have to confess, it was the first camera I ever used. I borrowed it from my father for a school trip. The pictures were shockers.

With the G3 its just natural to place the camera where it feels comfortable and move the LCD to suit.

Re DSLR; I never got around to buying alternative lenses for my EOS 100 (similar camera to Elan I believe).
I bought the 35-135 zoom and it's the only lens I have for the EOS. If you have other lenses, or intend buying other lenses then I can see a good argument for hanging out for the DSLR. The G3 is limited to using Teleconverters and Wideconverters, so the scope is limited in this regard.

I was disapointed that my 430EZ flash would only work in manual mode on the G3. I forked out for the 420EX.

Bruce

[Whaler]

Monday, 3/3/03 I placed my order for my Canon G3 through www.Dbuys.com for $564 + $24 S & H. No hard sell and no BS. Camera arrived Thursday 3/6. Can't wait for the weekend. Almost forgot Canon USA not "grey market".

[StrangeBoy]

Hi PacAce,

I'm still waiting for my G3 to be delivered and I can hardly wait after all the good reviews I've read.

Before purchasing the cam - I spend some time searching the web and found a really good deal for both cam and accessory kit (xtra BP-511 bat, 256MB cfc, card reader, case and maintance kit)

The cam was $547 and the kit $179 (excl. 8% local tax) - if you live in NYC you can even go the warehouse and pick it up yourself.
www.digitaletailer.com

[PacAce]

Hi, StrangeBoy,

Thanks for the info but I already went ahead and ordered my G3 from B&H Photo for $609.95 on Thursday of last week. It arrived last Monday. Coincidently, my two lensmate adapters (52mm and 58mm) arrived on the same day. The 52mm is already on the camera with a 52mm UV filter attached to the front. I also bought a 52mm Canon snap on cap (with the "Canon" logo on it) from B&H Photo and the whole thing looks "stock".

I know I payed a little more than what's advertised at the other online sites but I've had previous experiences (good ones, I might add) with B&H Photo so I felt very confident that I'd get what I ordered and in due time. The peace of mind I had ordering from B&H Photo was worth the little extra I payed for the G3.

The other online store may be just as reputable, but I've heard too many horror stories about a lot of the online stores that I'm very careful where I buy from.

Good luck with G3 and I hope you get your very shortly. I'm sure you'll be just as excited as I was, if not more.

Being used to the EOS Elan IIe SLR film camera, I was a little surprised to see how small the G3 was in comparison.