Canon G5 & G7

I had the G5 a while back, loved it very much. Does the G7 compare or is it way better?

Thanks guys,
Don

The G7's build quality and handling are significantly superior:- best in class.
Downsides - G7 lens is much slower. You're losing RAW, the articulated screen and any communality with other G's (card and battery are different).

Image-wise, the G7 is better than the G5 (not difficult - the G3 was better) but both are topped by the G6.
The 5 & 7 suffer from the same problems - too many & too small receptors for the processing engine and/or lens to fully cope with.

I had a G5 that was stolen a year ago. I upgraded to a G7, and I have had it since it came out. I've taken close to 1500 photos with the G7. I'll always have a place in my heart for the G5, as it was my first digital camera, and was the camera that re-introduced me to photography. However, I do like the G7 better, after having used it for quite a few months now. I feel that the G7 does everything that the G5 did, and it meets my needs better. I use the G-series primarily to take photos at places that I wouldn't dare take my 20D, such as mechanical rooms. I use it alot for field work (I'm a consulting engineer).

The 10-mp comes in handy when having to zoom in to see detail of something I may not have remembered when on site. It has also saved me a tremendous amount of time, as now I can photograph equipment nameplate data instead of having to write it down (macro works pretty well in my experience). I also love the functionality of the wheel (especially when changing parameters such as aperature and shutter speed) and overall, I think it is much easier to change settings on the fly for the G7 than the G5. The G7 has higher usable ISO than the G5, but if I am shooting and need high ISO performance, I typically will use the 20D. I primarily shoot in the custom settings, as light in mech room can change drastically, and sometimes flash can be detrimental to the information I am trying to record - this is also where the Image Stabalization comes in handy. I love the zoom range and the fact that the lens cap is integral to the body of the camera.

As Chris said, build quality of the G7 is awesome. The metal body feels like a professional grade camera, moreso than the G5 did.

Downsides for me are that the battery life is shorter than the G5, but that is acceptable to me because I have two batteries and can charge the batteries outside the camera (G5 didn't let you do this with standard accessories, but shared the same batteries with the 20D). I'm also noticing that the some of the button markings are fading (the playback icon and Funct. Set). Sure I miss the rotating flip screen of the G5, but the G7 is viewable from a wide angle, just takes some getting used to dealing without if you used the flip screen quite a bit. The only other minus for me is that I can no longer share batteries and memory cards with the G5.

The last thing is that I can now buy a real underwater housing for the camera (if it ever becomes available-c'mon Canon, make more!), instead of trying unsuccessfully to shoot through a bag. I'm looking forward to actually being able to get some decent underwater photos while snorkeling.

Hello Lone Wolf 75,

Can you use Wide Converter WC-DC58N your Canon G7?

Barbwire,

Unfortunately, I cannot use the WC-DC58N with the G7, it requires the use of a different wide converter, the WC-DC58B. I have not purchased the other wide angle converter, as whenever I need a wide shot beyond the reach of the G7, I use my 20D instead.

if RAW and swivel out LCD are important to you maybe get a secondhand G6?

racketman wrote in post #3281206
if RAW and swivel out LCD are important to you maybe get a secondhand G6?

I've been watching eBay for them, and they are pretty darned expensive!

I had a G5 stolen from me a few years ago, and now i'm looking for an advanced P&S. I've looked at the G7, but I think the G6 is where I want to be.

racketman wrote in post #3281206
if RAW and swivel out LCD are important to you maybe get a secondhand G6?

ditto . . . take a look at some used on amazon.com. i find ebay electronic items to be too expensive, especially when they add the shipping.