Pro1 As Good As SLR?

Lets be honest, the Pro1 is a little bit more than just a point and shoot; unlike the G6 (now running for the hills)

From the automation point of view, it's just as much a point-and-shoot camera as the 1Ds ... you can use both cameras fully automatic or fully manual ... you are the one making the difference.

Best regards,
Andy

PS: Mick, is that the new Burgman scooter in your avatar? (Ducks and runs for the mountains very fast )

We have a Pro 1 and a D20 and the Pro 1 does just fine.

Andythaler wrote:
Well, I'm a man, so I reserve my right to simple reasoning...
if I find one feature that camera A has and camera B doesn't have, and that one feature (in that case: control over shallow DOF) is vitally important for me, then my reasoning goes 'Camera B is not as good as Camera A'.

If my most important purchasing criterium for my new camera was 'Can I easily put it into my pocket', then the DSLR clearly would not rank very high on that dimension (but neither would the Pro1 )

Best regards,
Andy

I'm just wondering if you have been reading everything that has been being discussed on this forum lately about G-series cameras and dSLR's, and how you can come up with a definitve no. By your admission, you have bought a dSLR and have since shelved your G-cam. Nothing wrong with that, and that is your reserved right. But realize that there are some of us here who have learned to use the camera and that we use it, whether we have a dSLR or not. So the answer is definitely not a definite 'No', especially when you say that everyone has to decide for him/herself.

Bottombracket,

so I change my verdict to a definitive 'Not for me... '

I don't want to come across as snotty, but after 2 years of extensively using my G2, it was definitely worth the upgrade for me, as I desparately was craving for the possibility to get a shallow depth of fields for portraits and take available light images.

The 'macro trick' only had a hit rate of < 30% for me, and everything above ISO 100 made my hair stand up.

So let's leave it at this ... it was worth it for me ... but as you mentioned, everybody has different requirements.

If you agree to that, I promise I won't go into details about how deeply I loathe the 'surveillance-cam-look' of electronic viewfinders

... and I won't boast about my Rancilio, either

Best regards,
Andy

Andy, there's no automatic modes on the 1Ds

BottomBracket, check out some ISO charts. Most point and shoot cameras really suck at higher than 100 ISO, like already mentioned. Yea, that's one aspect, but it's a pretty important one.

Thanks cmM. On my 20d, I really like the way I can push the ISO to 1600 with acceptable recults. At 3200, it does put out a bit of grain but it is still manageable with NeatImage. Being able to take pictures at high ISO is a boon to any photographer, though I must admit that I have been known to leave the camera at a high ISO setting and shoot at daytime and wonder why the exposures are so messed up. After months of use I have fallen into a regimen wherein I automatically check the ISO when turning on the camera.

Graininess at higher than ISO 100 is a given with the compact cameras. (I prefer to call the G-series cameras as compact, since they have capabilities that are hardly Point and Shoot). I know how to use it, having had years of experience with film cameras where you I usually use films with ISO 50 or 100, sometimes 400, sometimes 'pushed' to 800. It is because of this experience that I use the lowest ISO on my dSLR whenever possible. In recent months though, I have been shooting with a ISO 400 on my G6, which I find emulates the graininess of the black and white pictures that I used to take long ago.

Andy, I understand fully how getting a dSLR is for you, as I find it very much worth it too when I got my 20d. It is a very fine camera, and it has taken a definitive role in my photography. However, my G6 does not sit by the wayside idly - I use it frequently as well. It is a constant companion as It is more portable, it is better for taking stealthy street photographs, it is an absolutely wonderful black and white camera (I think of it as my Leica rangefinder substitute - the live exposure preview on the G6 manual mode allows you to prevent highlight blowouts). I have also recently discovered that it is a much better IR camera than my 20d, as the typical exposure with an R72 filter on it takes around 1 to 2 seconds as opposed to the dSLR's 30 seconds. Now that's a huge convenience. You can also see what you're shooting via the LCD screen. With the 20d, you would have to frame and focus the subject before screwing on the R72 filter, as you can't see a darn thing at the optical viewfinder with it on.

My friends, dSLR cameras and the G-series cameras are similar in many aspects, and vastly different in others. Each has some advantage over the other. For me, it is not enough to post a disadvantageous fact about a camera without offering a solution about it. This is the G-camera forum, and though people do need to know the shortcomings of the cameras (of which the forum has been bombarded with, ad nauseum, lately), they appreciate knowing solutions as to how they can use their cameras better.

Off Camera: Andy, do you have the Silvia and Rocky combo? I have the Gaggia Classic which works fine for me, and I modified one of my portafilters as 'crotchless'. My grinders are a couple of Zassenhaus knee mills, one set for espresso, the other for drip/press grind. I bet though that you don't have the crown of my coffee hobby - a $5 West Bend Poppery popcorn air popper, which I modified for my micro-roasting of green coffee beans. It's great to see an amateur barrista here!

Pio

Sorry for hijacking the thread

Pio,

no, while I have the Silvia, I got a good deal on the Gaggia MDF mill, which is a good mill (even though the flimsy plastic portafilter holder didn't last very long) ... didn't want to shell out the money for the Rocky at that time (although I had a very intensive look at it).

Rest of the story... when I got the Silvia 3 years ago, I was planning to upgrade to an E61 or at least double boiler machine at a later stage to speed up my Cappuccino workflow ... oh that love for more expensive and better gear

But ... then I re-discovered photography ... and suddenly it seemed ludicrous to me to shell out another 800$ on a new expresso machine, when the one I had was perfectly fine for doing what I want, and I also could get half the 85/1.2 L for that money (which is my dream that hopefully I can fulfil somewhere in the future...) So its good I bought a sturdy espresso machine in the first place, because this one has to last (like the car, and the house ...)

Best regards,
Andy

I read this thread and first of all I got to say to Mareen "that's a very nice photo right there, great job and thatnks for sharing."

Second, you can't really compare P&S with a dSLR camera. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. While I feel more powerfull when I use my 20D I gotta say that I allways go back to my G6, because I simply love it. If you try hard enough and learn your camera you find a way to take a picture on every situation...it is a powerfull P&S cam.

Andy, why don't you join us on our challenges with your G2 if you still own it, believe me it will bring back memories and it is fun. I would love to have you in our challenges as I enjoy seeing other people joining us.

BB, let me know when you are free, I would love to meet you and then share our pictures of the day here...what do you think?

My bestest regards,

Raw,

thanks for the suggestion, I have thought about it several times.
But so far I have always been too lazy even when I thought ... hey ... I have an idea how that could work.

I have used my G2 to participate in the 'normal' challenges once or twice ... but with only moderate success

But I will keep that in mind and try it.

cmM wrote:
Andy, there's no automatic modes on the 1Ds

Sorry, I only checked for the 1Ds MKII.
And that one definitely has a 'P' mode (which is 100% automatic...)

Best regards,
Andy

C'mon, Andy... come join the challenges. I find it great fun just trying to find something to meet the topic provided.

Artan: Thanks for the comment on Santa. While I don't really expect the Pro 1 to match the SLR quality, I think the photo shows that it can out do an SLR if shot correctly (vs. the SLR shot incorrectly.) My Santa photo looks better than a lot of SLR pictures that get posted and so I wasn't very good at making that point clear.

Now,I am off to find something to fit the Festive Season challenge......

Hope to see you all entering too.

What in the world???

As far as the G series, let's not forget one of it's best qualities: portability. There are many many instances when you can get a picture incognito with a small camera that you could not take with a large honkin' DSLR.

The G series cameras can take exceptional, outstanding pictures. But it's not a DSLR. Let's get over it, and go out and take some pictures.

Appeals to his vanity:
Come on Andy, you're a great photographer, you don't need a big DSLR to take great pictures!

Appeals to his social needs:
Join the group, it will be fun!

Appeals to his thriftiness:
That camera is just sitting there, go and use it!

Appeals to peer pressure:
Come on, everyone's doing it!

i honestly CANNOT stand when people don't give pro1 (or anything in the G-series) a chance, and proclaim any dSRL as the "clear winner". the wonderful quote of "it's not the camera - but the person behind it" serves well in this discussion. YES pro1 is a p&s (OH NOO! the awful awful point and shoot can't take quality photos) but it's a top of the foodchain p&s, that tends to do a great job in a LOT of situations. it's not a tiny p&s that only comes in an auto mode, it's a black heavy machine that has enoght custom modes to satisfy many. even the fact that the camera is COMPARED to any dSRL says a lot. oh, and a lot of dSRL users (even profesional ones) OWN either Pro1 or something in the g-series as their back up camera. doesn't that say something too?

Hi I am new here and I just bought the Canon Pro 1.
Yesterday I took it out for the first time to take some pics and I must say I was very impressed with it.
I have 2 Canon 35 MM cameras I have had them for years then I had 2 point and shoot digitals one HP one Kodak.
I love photography and I researched quite a bit before buying the pro 1.
It was between it and the Canon Rebel XT.
I finally decided on the Pro 1. I am still trying to read the manual to learn more about the camera LOL.

Does anyone know where to purchase the accesories for this camera at?

Thanks,

Sonya