lookin for a point and shoot with good viewfinder

Hi guys. Im looking for a good point and shoot with lots of manual controls and a good viewfinder. coming from my canon 7d manual controls and a decent viewfinder are important. i tried out the canon g11 and man i love those controls/dials, it brings me back to those old film slrs, but the viewfinder was horrendous. are there any point and shoot cams that have big viewfinders that show the shooting info, iso, shutterspeed and aperture in the viewfinder. if not well i think maybe a cheap rebel or something.

Probably the closest you could get would be the Canon SX20, since it has an EVF that displays shooting info. You may want to stick to a DSLR. You've been spoiled by that 7D...

You might also want to check out the Olympus EP2 with it's optional EVF. I have read that it is quite good. The EP2 has buttons for control that may appeal to you, while the new EPL1 has a lot less button controls, so it's considered more oriented to point and shoot folks.

Dennis

denncald wrote in post #10679163
Probably the closest you could get would be the Canon SX20, since it has an EVF that displays shooting info. You may want to stick to a DSLR. You've been spoiled by that 7D...

You might also want to check out the Olympus EP2 with it's optional EVF. I have read that it is quite good. The EP2 has buttons for control that may appeal to you, while the new EPL1 has a lot less button controls, so it's considered more oriented to point and shoot folks.

Dennis

lol not at 800-1000 dollars! i was looking to spend at most 300-500, maybe 600..

If you get over the bad viewfinder of the G11, I think you'll find that it pairs very well with the 7D. It is an excellent camera AND you can use an external flash with it AND you can shoot in RAW.

Needsnow wrote in post #10679195
If you get over the bad viewfinder of the G11, I think you'll find that it pairs very well with the 7D. It is an excellent camera AND you can use an external flash with it AND you can shoot in RAW.

i do really need a decent viewfinder but would enjoy a relatively small camera. its amazin that they cant figure that out. i mean film rangefinders are roughly the size of the g11 and they have great viewfinders.

Camera Nerd wrote in post #10679246
i mean film rangefinders are roughly the size of the g11 and they have great viewfinders.

I don't think that's a very fair comparison. Film cameras have a lot less parts and hardly any electronics!

I dunno about how big a size you are looking for, but on the end of point and shoot I would still call the Kodak Easyshare z981 a P&S. Yes it is bulkier, but it is much easier to use than an SLR and it has a huge range (26-626mm). Fuji also has another model like this. If it is to bulky, then try something like the g11. I'm not sure of the VF on the g11 but the VF on the z981 Kodak wasn't bad at all.

In all honesty the only camera out there with a decent optical viewfinder are the leica rangefinders, as said the G11 is a fantastic little camera, but the viewfinder is just a composition aid, no other information is displayed.

I've had a G5, a G7 and a G9 and I can't remember ever even looking in the viewfinder. It's so easy to compose with the LCD I always did it that way.

jb1911 wrote in post #10731772
I've had a G5, a G7 and a G9 and I can't remember ever even looking in the viewfinder. It's so easy to compose with the LCD I always did it that way.

i dont know, ill just prob stick to my dslr, prob get some cheaper lighter lenses.

On the dark side, Ken Rockwell always advised a D40 with the light kit lens that comes with it, rather than a camera such as the G series.
I've used the viewfinder a lot on my G9 and '11--when I had trouble seeing the screen, or wanted to hold the camera more securely to prevent or reduce camera shake. Very few viewfinders are optically correct, or provide 100% of the image area.

FWIW I had Leica systems twice. M3. M4P. More recently , when I bought my G9 and put a grip on it, I thought I had gone to heaven. Great street camera. There's a story at Luminous Landscape that influenced me. The photographer took a Leica M8 and G9 with grip to Japan; left the M8 in his hotel room. Incredible photos with the '9. So for me the G series=great street camera, and I like the articulating screen on the '11.

As long as I'm getting the images I want when I want them, to me it doesn't matter how I get them. Can't have too many cameras.

Here's the LL review on the G9;

http://www.luminous-landscape.com …ws/cameras/G9-Japan.shtml

I like my G9 too, but I like my G11 even more. I also only use the viewfinder on occasion, and I'm glad I have the option. Yes, it would be nice to see a 100% view with information, but I've learned live without it. Shooting the G11 in Quick Shot mode is also interesting, since I can only use the viewfinder to compose, but I still prefer the LCD for composition and exposure, and settings feedback prior to the shot.

Dennis

Thanks Dennis! That's the article I referred to; read it and bought the '9 the next day and Franiec grip right after. Appreciate you posting it here. The same site had glowing talk and review of the G10.

I haven't shot with my '11 much; first one failed. Took a while to resolve with the retailer, and I bought a Pany ZS3 in the meantime.
I miss the longer lens in the '9. I do like the wider lens in the '11. And the screen was the only reason I switched.

DaveL,

I still have the G9, and if I want to pretend I have the G10/G11 lens, then I put on the Canon 0.75x wide converter. It lets me have a zoom range of 26mm - 158mm on the G9. However, it makes the camera a lot larger, and less convenient to carry.

I also like the LCD screen on the G11, and do not like having to use the fixed screen now on the G9. The G11 also produces better images than the G9, especially at higher ISOs, IMHO.

Dennis

It sounds to me like the G11 fits the bill except for the viewfinder. I'm a viewfinder person as well, but don't mind the screen on the G11 at all. I recently went to NYC on vacation and took only the G11 with me to save on travel weight, etc. It did a great job.

On the other hand, a Rebel XTi or XSi might suit you also. Just put a 28/1.8 on one of those and you'll have a fairly compact setup with roughly a 50mm (44.8 actually) angle of view. It would be a perfect walkaround camera. Heck, I'd even trust the latest version of the 18-55 IS kit lens Canon is shipping. It's pretty sharp and is very light and fast albeit with variable aperture.

I'd still pick the G11 for size and convenience.