Torn between Canon G6 and Rebel XT...

Andythaler wrote:
Lostdoggy,

nice picture
But it would be even better if you rotated it some degrees counter-clockwise to correct the leaning.
I don't know, but for some reason or other most of my images are leaning, too ...

Best regards,
Andy

Thank You Andy.
I got the same advice before but too lazy to change it photobucket. But I did change it on the save file on my computer.

I've heard from other folks who have had that problem also, though I never have. It may not be the case itself, but the way the camera is inserted into the case--she might try making sure the power switch is on top, or put another way, the last thing to go in when inserting it into the case. If the case is snug, and the power switch scrubs along the side of the case as it it inserted, it's possible for the switch to be both rotated and pushed while putting the camera away, turning it on.

You should definitely borrow it! See if you can take it for a few days or a weekend, and do some shooting in the kinds of locations you would normally shoot in, instead of in a store. See if you get used to the focus lag, etc.

Ideally, you'd borrow a DSLR too, if you know someone who has one. I did that, when I was very excited about moving from my older G2 to a DSLR--a friend let me borrow his for a weekend, and initially, I was just as giddy with it as you described, playing with one in the store. They are incredible, and very different from the G. For me, however, the glamour wore off as the weekend wore on, and I realized how large and heavy it was, and how much I missed shooting with the camera at waist level. I bought the G6 not long afterwards.

So to answer your question, I have no regret about buying the G6, and it is enough 99% of the time. That 1% is not worth worrying about, for me.

However, coming from a film background, any shutter lag at all may be a constant frustration to you. But you can get a better idea of that if you can borrow your friend's G6.

How was your weekend guys?

I borrowed my friend's G6 and I really have this blurry images. My friend just bought it coz it's no. 1 at PCwolrd.com but she's not really into photography - so she doesnt know how to tinker the camera too!

My observation is that a little shake will make the picture blurry. So it really needs a tripod. The menus still hard for me understand, so I have to read it. I'm just a person when it comes to gadgets, the last thing that I'm going to touch is the manual. lol. Anyways, I still prefer the feeling of turning the lens and shooting it using the viewfinder. I can see beauty more when i'm looking at the viewfinder compared to LCD. BUT, my friends and I are going to Vegas to celebrate NYE (DJ tiesto, here we come!) and bringing a dslr is really not convenient for me especially in crowded places. And I have to buy a cam before i'm going to Vegas! 2 weeks to go before the purchase and still undecided...

The menu is fairly similar on both, for what it's worth.

That whole paragraph just screams "GET THE REBEL XT ALREADY!"

Indoor shots and low light shots are going to be WAY easier for you with the XT. I don't often regret getting the G6, but I do go nearly insane when I want to shoot in the dark, or when I need to focus manually. (and the on/off switch is kinda badly placed)

and again, with the kit lens, the size isn't so much an issue. You can't just jam the G6 into a pocket.

Bryan (I'm used to signing my posts "Bb" but Bottombracket shares my initials, so I've been trying not to, sorry about any confusion.)

Reading through your original post, carefully, says G6 in capital letters.

A Rebel XT would buy you additional unnecessary complexity for the privilege of being able to use interchangeable lenses. I'm a G5 user, so I'm slightly biased in that direction.

In either case, you can shoot in RAW, if you like, so there is more than enough capability to last you for a few years.

Hi Robert!

So are you leaning towards G6? I hope I get that right...

Everybody, I'm reading all your replies very carefully, just don't have time to "quote" coz I'm here at work.

Is that really true, though? At first thought, it makes sense, but when you think about it a XT (or any dSLR) is more intuitive and closer to the basic idea of a film camera... as I said earlier, the G6 probably has more 'features' and 'complexity' than the XT, more buttons and modes and such. The XT, in kit mode, is pretty simple, really...

For a user with SLR experience, I'd think the XT would be much more intuitive and simple than a G6.

I have recommended the G6 to other people facing this same dilemma, but I'm betting Sophia would be much happier in the long run with the XT, even if she never buys another accessory for it.

Bb.

It's funny, I was thinking along the same lines. DSLRs have become more P&S than digicams.

And I think I'd lean towards an XT recommendation too. Sophia, if you came from a long history of digicams, were already jaded to the shutter lag and hopelessly addicted to the LCD, like many of us, I think the G6 would be ideal. Instead, you're far more familiar with lens rings and instant shutter response, and I'm guessing that if the G6 were your only camera, it would drive you nuts eventually--or just drive you away from using it, which might be worse

I'm very methodical in my picture taking--shutter lag is almost meaningless to me most of the time. That helps explain why I'm very happy with the G6. Based on all of your comments, it sounds like you're a much more spontaneous shooter, and I'm afraid that the G6 could be a frustration and even a handicap. There's no question you could use it very effectively, but I think you'd have to devote time to reading the manual, reading threads here, and getting very comfortable with the camera first. Wheras with any DSLR, you basically have that familiarity based on your previous film cameras.

If you don't mind investing the time and energy in that learning curve, the G6 could be a great option--that's not a question we can answer, obviously.

How about the picture quality? Quality... meaning the sharpness, the richness etc. or is it in the techique? Is the XT or G6 are comparable? Ok... they are totally diff. but in the same condition, shooting at the same subject, are they totally the same if you both know how to work G6 and rebel?

I think rebel is winning the race guys lol. I just have to convince more myself before my money will fly away.

btw, DBUMP, that picture you have in your profile (teardrop of water) you took that using G6? I used the G6 to take a close up of a coin. It's so blurry and there's no picture that really came out. That's because of the flash. so i turned it off. then took it again, not successful enough. Ok, I know, I have to familiarize more. My brother has a G3 and i saw him use it but I never tried. He loved (he sold it to upgrade) it so much and recommending me to buy a G6. He's also thinking about buying XT but he might end up to buy a G6 and here are his reasons: 1. he prefers the LCD coz I saw him taking a tall building - put the camera on the ground, flipped the LCD up and click! Maybe he's used to it 2. he's on vacation a lot and he's thinking that if he asks somebody to take a picture for him, people are more familiar on how to use LCD than SLR.

Given equally skilled photographers, I don't think you could distinquish one image from the other, with a few exceptions:
Low-light (where the G6 will show more noise, much like film grain)

Any scenario where the photographers choose to limit the depth of field to make the subject stand out from the background (The XT will be much better than that, unless you are at a distance of 3 feet or less from the subject)

Under ideal conditions, say at ISO50 and f5, say, they're more or less comparable, I've shot a magazine cover and made some 10x16 prints with the G6 and they look great. The XT is 8 mp and the G6 is 7.1, so the XT shoots slightly bigger files (is the aspect ratio different, too? I think it might be).

But when you go into higher ISOs, the XT is much cleaner, the low-light shots are going to be much less 'grainy' from the XT. ISO400 is pretty much unuseable from the G6 (It can be cleaned up using software, but that's more work) whereas I believe the XT can handle up to 800 without unreasonable noise.

by the way, if you haven't looked at dpreviews.com, do so, read every page of both reviews closely, they have lots and lots of great info there. Keep in mind that they're comparing the G6 to other P&Ses, and it's one of the best P&Ses, and they're comparing the XT to other dSLRS, of which it's on the low end of the spectrum.

Bb.

Sophia,
Yes, I took the water-drop picture with my G6. It took a lot of shots to get the timing and manual focus just right, but in the end I was happy with the results, and I learned a bit in the process.

The internal flash can easilly overexpose your subject--I generally avoid it, but I also generally shoot outdoors, where I don't need it. There are a number of ways around that.

For the close-up, did you enable macro mode? There's a button on the upper left of the back of the camera with a flower-icon on it. That toggles the auto-focus between trying to focus on items 2 feet away or less, and 2 feet or more away. I don't remember if Canon's DSLRs require you to toggle in and out of macro mode or not.

Quick question, when you're pressing the shutter release, are you pressing it all the way, or are you pressing it a little bit to the first feeling of resistance, waiting for the square focus indicator on the LCD or the LED next to the viewfinder to turn green, and then pressing it the rest of the way to take the picture? If either indicator is orange, the camera hasn't found an acceptable focus. If you're very close, you may need to enable the macro mode.

Also, when you half press the shutter release, take a note of the shutter speed indicator on the lower left of the LCD--is it faster than 1/60th? Is there a "camera shake" icon in red to the left of that? If you have the flash off, and you're shooting indoors, often the metering will set the shutter speed to something slower than 1/60th, which would require a very steady hand, or a tripod in order to eliminate visible blur in the photo.

Also, try enabling manual focus. I think that's on the left side of the camera; it's labeled MF. Once it's on, use the scroll wheel in front of the shutter button to change the focus--I find myself using this a lot, and based on your film background, you may also prefer it. Note the distance indicator along the right side of the LCD, for a rough guide.

Again, I love my G6, but I'm not totally convinced it's the camera that will make you a happy photographer, and that's the bottom line. Granted, I also have some questions about how you'll like the XT after the oooh-ahhh factor wears off

Edit:
Your brother's concern about handing a DSLR to a stranger is valid, though if you put it in auto mode, it should do everything for them--they just need to frame it without chopping your feet out of the picture, and I'm afraid that's a toss-up, no matter what kind of camera they're used to! Personally, I'd be more nervous about handing my expensive, heavy DSLR to a complete stranger, esp. one who is used to a camera that weighs as much as a deck of cards. Heck, I don't hand my G6 to strangers either, but mostly that's because I carry a miniature tripod with it, and then I use the IR remote to shoot pictures of myself with friends/family.

Granted, I also have some questions about how you'll like the XT after the oooh-ahhh factor wears off [/QUOTE]

What do you mean by that DBUMP? lol. You mean, after months using the XT (with oooohs and aaaahs , everything will fall at the same ground? lol. I mean, whatever I buy, it's just a heck of a camera that shoots the same subject? lol. funny

Maybe it's just me, but when I get something new, especially electronic, there's a sort of 'honeymoon period' during which I don't really want to put the new toy down. Finally, the novelty wears off, and while I still use it and enjoy it, I'll also start to recognize any drawbacks, and accept those. When I borrowed my friend's 20D, the honeymoon period lasted about two days--and I wasn't entirely happy with the drawbacks, as I mentioned earlier. I'm really glad I had that opportunity, because if I'd paid for the camera, I don't know that I would have been able to be as objective about it--I would have rationalized my purchase. Google "cognitive dissonance" for more than you care to know about why that happens.
Of course I paid for the G6, so it's perfect At least for me.

But seriously, if you think your brain works that way, try to get enough time with each camera to get through that honeymoon period before you buy. You'll make a much more rational decision, and your photography will benefit from it.