SLR to G12?

I have no doubt there are millions of threads like this, but in my experience there are always people willing to respond again, and I'd be grateful for it.

I'm currently lugging around a 30D with five lenses between 10mm and 300mm and as the mountains I climb get higher, the amount of gear I can justify sticking in the bag gets lower. I do almost exclusively landscape work these days, and while wide angle is nice I'm not above stitching together two or three shots to make a panorama. As such, I'm seriously considering getting rid of all my SLR stuff and replacing it with a G12 (or possibly S95 depending on how much difference there is in terms of image quality and controls).

I can't see any really obvious disadvantages other than a probable decline in image quality (after all, landscape photography doesn't depend on selective focus, depth of field or quality of bokeh), and what I'd really like to know is how pronounced the decline in image quality is. I work with raw files and I usually do a fair bit of work on reducing the luminance of blues; can I expect this process to work approximately as well on a G12 as it does on my 30D, or are the G12's raw files significantly less flexible than the larger sensor SLR ones? I worry about speckly and noisy blue skies, but I see pictures taken on the G12 which seem to be every bit as good as the ones I get out of my 30D and 10-22mm.

I'm also wondering about whether SLR quality images are a help or a hindrance; I'm far from the greatest landscape photographer the world has ever seen, so is it more likely that a switch from SLR to G12 will be less noticeable because I'm not good enough to make the most of SLR functionality, or more noticeable because I get good results out of expensive gear almost without trying?

There are some samples in my signature and here. Will a G12 produce images of around that standard, or is the image quality significantly worse?

End of the day, I guess that a picture you took because you could fit the camera is better than one you couldn't take because your bag was full, so G12 is a clear winner in this regard. Any thoughts would be gratefully received and digested, though

What are you doing with the images? Printing big and selling? Then keep the SLR. Maybe even get FF camera. If your just shooting landscapes than just take the 30D and one lens.

Just editing and looking on your monitor/sharing? For many landscapes and especially at web resolution you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the g12 or the 30D.

I just sold (or am selling) all of my high end DSLR gear and I bought a G12. I just got it so I am still learning its limitations, in fact I haven't even loaded images from the camera onto the computer yet...Its no DSLR but so far I have been impressed with what it can do for its size.

Very occasional printing, not selling. Mostly just on the interweb. I have no delusions about making a career out of this sort of thing.

This is the sort of thing I wanted to hear

I'm not a DSLR owner, but used to carry film SLR in my youth. I've downsized over the past several years, so I'm only in to the G series now (G9 and G11). The G12 and G11 are essentially the same in image quality. I believe the largest differences you will see by only having a G12 or S95 will be dynamic range losses, and lens quality, given all the glass you have now. However, you can travel much lighter with a G or S series.

I can get get good results with my G11 by shooting RAW, and processing in DPP, or Lightroom 3 or Aperture 3 (I got good deals on these last two, but still learning their features). When I want better dynamic range in difficult lighting, I will use AEB to take three shots, and do a photo merge in Photoshop Elements 8. Then tweak that result. However, I would prefer to not have to do the extra work, but it's part of having a small sensor.

You can view examples of landscape images taken with a G11 and 30D on the links below. I believe you will see the 30D is superior, but the G12 can do very well in the right hands.

G11 landscapes There are more G11 shots available than G12 at this time.

30D landscapes

Here's an essay on use of HDR from LL site;

HDR Plea

I've tried HDR, and can get pretty good results, but I have decided I prefer the image blending methods. Here's an article on that also.

Digital Blending

Dennis

Thank you Dennis, some of those G11 landscapes are absolutely stunning and have made my mind up for me. That image quality is more than good enough. I'd better start packaging up the SLR stuff

When I got the G I began to sell off some of the dslr lenses. For example its my macro kit exclusively and the 100 macro goes... But the dslr will stay.

That was my original intention, until I accepted that I've lost all interest in "creative" work and am taking exclusively landscape shots these days.

The macro on the G12 looks almost too good to be true. I'm guessing there are extensions and the likes that people use.. or is it extremely high quality out of the box?

OpenC ... I love my DSLRs, but if I want portability and still the ability to take great shots, the G12 fits that bill handsomely.

The only thing I miss on it is that feel of a quality shutter button.

Do try one in a shop (Lewis's, Jessops etc.). It's a great camera, very versatile, and though I own good DSLRs, the G12 in some situations is all that I'll take out with me.

And for a professional recommendation: http://www.charliehami​ltonjames.co.uk/kit/ki​t-reviews.html

Cheers

James

Oh and to answer your question on macro ... it's that good out of the box. I was somewhat amazed when comparing my 100mm on a 5D MkII against my wife's G12 macro shots. The G12 is seriously impressive with a near focussing distance to die for!

Nice one, that's more good feedback

Is there a button you can map exclusively to exposure lock, out of interest..? And are there separate controls for aperture and shutter in manual mode?

Cheers all

Help yourself to a manual: http://software.canon-europe.com/products/00​10976.asp

In manual mode, you use the rear rotary to select shutter speed, press a button and then use the same rotary to change aperture. Oh and yes there is a dedicated exposure lock button.

Cheers

James

I bought a G12 as a walkabout camera and it still amazese with its capabilities.
The best investment I made for it was a remote shutter release and a mini tripod.
I get some shots at very interesting angles with the articulating screen that I would not get any other way.
Plus its an unobtrusive little camera and very good for candids particularly with the screen.

Hi guys. I've been thinking of getting a G12.

How does it perform in low-light situations?

Ok up to iso 800, gets kinda grainy from there.

I love my G12, it's a remarkable camera and it produces stunning images in many situations. Having said that I would never get rid of my Eos 30D without replacing it with another DSLR. The biggest drawback to the G12 that I've found is shutter lag. My 30D can shoot five frames per second and when I'm shooting action that's extremely important. eg. I recently happened onto a fox hunting a field and it was intermittently pouncing on mice. With the ability to shoot five frames per second the 30D let me capture freeze frames of the fox in mid-pounce. That would have been very difficult to do with the G12.
I also like the flexability to experiment with various high-end lenses. The G12 is pretty limited in that regard, even if there are some adapter mount lenses available for it. You won't be shopping for 'L' lenses for it.
So yes, the G12 is wonderful but ideally it should compliment a DSLR, not replace it.