Thinking of trading in G3 for S50. Any thoughts?

Hi all, I own my G3 for the past 2 months and I am fairly happy with the photos it takes but I have one gripe. The camera with the 52mm Lensmate is too big and heavy for me to conveniently walk around with. I was on vacation last week on a cruise to Bermuda and found it frustrating to carry the camera around. Also, my wife never wanted to help me out and put the camera in her purse/bag. She told me this "You wanted a big camera, so carry it around". Not very nice but I can understand her point. I called the store I bought the camera and they are willing to take it back if I buy a different camera from them. The store is J&R Computerworld in Manhattan so their prices are very good. I looked at Canon's website and saw the S50 which is 5MP and probably twice as small as the G3. Does anyone know of any other good smaller cameras I should look into? Any thoughts of the S50 if you have would also be appreciated. I posted some pics of the cruise if you care to see.

http://www.pbase.com/l​asercomp/bermuda_cruis​e


Thanks for your input.

I can just imagine your wife's tone of voice and expression . . .

If a truly pocketable camera is your goal, then the G3 isn't quite the size you need. Even w/out the lensmate adapter its still a bit hefty, even for a coat pocket. And you weren't wearing a coat on your vacation, were you?

I'd look at the S45 before the S50. Better pricing, 4MP, and nice shots. You do lose some speed on the lens...

Dana

I've read tests where they were somewhat disappointed with the S50. The CCD brick is so small that you get a lot of noise, and therefore can't really use the extra MP for anything useful compared to 4MP. The review I just read said that the G3 is better on every count except size and weight (of course), and that if you really care about size, the Ixus 400 is probably a better choice than S50.

I really liked your shot of the cruise ship at night, by the way, beautiful! Personally, I would really miss the picture quality of the G3 if I downgraded to a simpler point and shoot. How about getting a real comfortable camera bag with a wide shoulder strap for the G3 instead? I don't remember the brand I bought, but I hardly notice it hanging on my hip anymore.

pleiades, that night shot of the ship is probably the best photo I ever took. Thanks. I've checked out about 80 reviews on the DPreview site of the S50 and everyone is overly impressed with the camera. I figure if I am going to return my G3 and get something new, I should opt for the 5MP version. I will check it out ands ee the pics it takes. If I like the pics like everyone else then I keep it. If not, then back it goes and I search for something else.

Stick with the G3, just avoid bringing lenses around.

Afterall, S50 cannot handle lenses, there wouldn't be any difference between the G3 without external lens and S50 if so, other than the bigger size.

Above all, we'll lose another member, not good *twist head*..

Well I am a fairly new user of the G3 but I did get to audition several cameras before making my choice (the G3) the S50 wasn't one of them however I did get to play with the S45 (my understanding is the only difference is the MP) I did like the camera but for my usage I wasn't overly pleased with it compared to the G3. I found the multi controller to be a bit awkward to use, I also didn't like the sliding lens cover, I found on more than one occasion that the cover would not "latch on properly. In my honest opinion just get a nice camera bag for it as was mentioned earlier.

I went to J & R today to trade in my G3. I had to do it mainly cause I was able to return it and get store credit. I am mostly a point and shoot guy and dont really need all the bells and whistles of the G3. I need something small and compact and good.. I decided to buy the S400. It is incredibly small and the reviews are great. THe people that own them are very happy with the photos it takes. I will still hang out on this board cause I like the people here.. THought I'd share my trade in story with you all.

I have a friend who has that camera and really enjoys it - I'm sure you will too.

Dana

Dana, have you seen the pics your friend took with it? I only see sample pics on websites but not from real end users..