Replacing my canon G10 -- with what?

[frorider]

Bought my G10 not long after they came out -- this was my do-it-all outdoor camera choice since it had a) optical viewfinder (for me that's a must for ski photos) b) rugged construction c) excellent battery life. However to be honest the image quality in default jpg modes has been merely OK in high contrast outdoor conditions, and often the color balance and saturation have req'd post adjustment which lately I'm to lazy/busy to fuck with much.

Recently skied w/ a friend who has the Fujifilm X10. Seems like a nice camera, with that old-school quality & easily accessible manual adjustments which is big plus. And his shots looked pretty good that day. But a) he says the battery life is not great in cold conditions b) reviews say the video quality and functionality is pretty mediocre. Normally I don't care too much about vid, since my focus is on stills, but more and more I've been asked to provide footage of some ski buddies and so if I'm going to spend $$ upgrading the G10, I'd like the vid capability to be decent (e.g. reasonably smooth auto EV adj during zoom-outs, etc).

suggestions?

[systemoverblow'd]

suggestions?

Sell it to me

[frorider]

Sell it to me

Sure, after I've replaced it.

Actually I've had people ask me to sell it. Apparently it has some advantages vs the G11 and 12? I haven't paid close enough attention....

[butterscotch]

sony rx-100.

people really want g10's?...damn, time to post mine up in gearswap.

[systemoverblow'd]

Apparently it has some advantages vs the G11 and 12?

Yeah, price.

[frorider]

sony rx-100.

Doesn't have an optical viewfinder.

[butterscotch]

sorry, not reading carefully, but hey, it's tgr....still the IQ buries my G10. as does the form factor.

[Todds]

I've been looking at the NEX-6 to replace my G11. It's a little bigger, but specs look interesting.

[frorider]

hmmm. yep the nex 6 looks promising.

[Eldo]

If you don't like having to fiddle with your G10 jpgs then do not buy the X10.

An amazing little camera is many ways, but because of the unique EXR sensor there are incredibly complex options for shooting jpgs in order to get the best results. I'm still getting a handle on things after more than a month of shooting with one.

[oftpiste]

why not shoot raw?

[Eldo]

Well, since the OP said he doesn't like having to adjust jpgs, I don't think shooting RAW and having to process every image is something he would consider.

[horizon]

after careful consideration, I replaced my G12 with a nikon v1 for skiing shots. At the initial price it was a no-go, but at half-price today it's a decent solution.

Reasons: fast continuous AF, better quality images and I can still keep it in a small bag on my hip, ready to shoot in a second or two.

I've been a great believer in optical viewfinders but it seems I can follow the action with the EVF.

Warning: I haven't used it yet so all of the above are theory and hopes.

[Max Archer]

Well, since the OP said he doesn't like having to adjust jpgs, I don't think shooting RAW and having to process every image is something he would consider.

You have to shoot JPG to get the EXR effects too, right?

At least one upside of the X10 is that even if battery life sucks, spare batteries are about as cheap as any decent P&S I've ever seen.

[Max Archer]

You have to shoot JPG to get the EXR effects too, right?

At least one upside of the X10 is that even if battery life sucks, spare batteries are about as cheap as any decent P&S I've ever seen.

after careful consideration, I replaced my G12 with a nikon v1 for skiing shots. At the initial price it was a no-go, but at half-price today it's a decent solution.

Reasons: fast continuous AF, better quality images and I can still keep it in a small bag on my hip, ready to shoot in a second or two.

I've been a great believer in optical viewfinders but it seems I can follow the action with the EVF.

Warning: I haven't used it yet so all of the above are theory and hopes.

I think the V1 was a good call. I might've said this in another thread, but guys I know are bringing them trackside and getting some really impressive stuff. I'd take an EVF of the quality of the one in the V1 over a G-series peephole any day of the week.

[Kai]

If a viewfinder is a must, the Olympus OMD might work. Not as small as the Sony RX100 by a long shot, but much smaller than a DSLR or the Sony NEX series (when you factor in size of lenses.) It's a terrific camera, with really great auto-focus and image quality. Pretty rugged too. There's so many amazing lenses available for it, that you won't have any difficulty finding good glass (if your budget allows.)

[Tippster]

Ugh. After reading this about the Nikons (V1 & J1) I'm staying FAR away...

The Final Word

Ultimately, the 1 J1 and V1 have split personalities, and which one you end up confronting depends on what sort of photographer you are. If you're a member of the cameras' target audience and you want a point and shoot camera in its purest sense, you'll encounter the warm, welcoming and considerate faces of the J1 and V1 that quietly usher you away from the noisy, confusing and intricate world of exposure control and towards a clean, bright future where you only have one button to worry about - the shutter release.

If, however, you like being in charge of exposure settings and you enjoy exploring the breadth of a camera's feature set in day-to-day shooting, you'll probably dislike the J1 and V1's caginess when it comes to providing you with access to their key settings. You'll resent how protectively they squirrel away key settings like ISO and white balance inside their menu systems, and you'll balk at their insistence that the 'F' button cannot be customized.

From the point-and-shoot photographer's point of view though the V1 and J1 do some things very well. Motion Snapshot is fun, Smart Photo Selector can be invaluable, 60fps capture at 10MP is very useful in some situations and Hybrid AF offers impressively fast single-shot AF and consistent AF tracking at 10fps (assuming good light) in a way no other consumer camera has done before. We'd like to see this feature developed further but it's a big step in the right direction, and goes some way to answering one of the major un-met needs of compact camera buyers.

However, we can't help feeling that with the J1 and V1 Nikon has missed an opportunity to offer a product that fulfills that other great un-met point-and-shoot need: a small automatic camera that works well in a wide range of lighting conditions, from bright exterior to dim interior. 1 System performance in bright lighting conditions is excellent, but in average indoor lighting conditions a combination of hesitant contrast-detection AF and a poorly-programmed Auto ISO system that threatens blurry photos is a huge shame.

Also, although we try not to be influenced by a retail price when writing our reviews, it's impossible to ignore the fact that at street prices of around $600 and $800, respectively (with 10-30mm lens kit), the J1 and V1 are entry-level mirrorless cameras that cost significantly more than several higher-end alternatives. In most respects (but not all), larger-sensor mirrorless cameras such as the Sony NEX-C3 and NEX-5N, Olympus PEN E-PM1 and E-PL3, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 and G3, and Samsung NX200 offer novice photographers more - and all of these cameras allow more space for their owners' ambitions to develop.

Right now by far the biggest advantage that either 1 System camera has over the competition is their adaptive hybrid AF systems. If you want to shoot moving subjects in good light with a small (ish) camera then the J1 and V1 really are the only game in town, at least as far as mirrorless models are concerned. If this sort of photography is not a priority for you, then given the strength of the competition it is very hard to recommend that you go out and buy either of these cameras.

[frorider]

continuing my half-hearted search...the lumix lx7 looks promising, assuming I find evidence that the display is pretty bright and/or the add-on 'viewfinders' work ok.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pana...mix-dmc-lx7/14

appears to have the fast lens at all focal lengths, good stills, good vid i'm looking for in a somewhat compact form factor. the slow lens aperature at zoom on the canon s100 is a negative for me (I realize that's a common tradeoff in the compact category).

[zeroforhire]

I have the lx5. If the lx7 improves on that, then it is a killer camera. I like my lx5 so much that I often leave my dslr at home.

[frorider]

The Sony rx 100 looks better and better. From the reviews I've read, the LCD can be manually boosted to be pretty visible in direct light thanks to the extra white pixel feature.

Good battery life, good video...

Might be selling my g10 after all.

[Jonny Snow]

Bump. I had a G10 at work since new, up until last year. Solid camera. Now I'm considering buying a used one for myself as an all around camera, for about $100 or so on ebay. Was also vaguely considering the newer G9X MK2 or G7X MK2, but I greatly prefer the timeless quality and traditional layout of the G10 - lots of dials, no flip screen, optical viewfinder, etc. Supposedly the older G series still takes great pics, especially in RAW, and memory is cheap these days.

http://luminous-landscape.com/kidding/

[Todds]

I have a G11 if you are interested. It has a flip screen and an optical viewfinder.

[Jonny Snow]

I have a G11 if you are interested. It has a flip screen and an optical viewfinder.

Hey thanks, the G11 is definitely a great camera too, but I prefer the G10 without the flip out screen.

[billyk]

Was there a question? Having had a G10 myself, I’ve got to say, it took OK pictures in good light, but struggled in poor conditions. Lots of noise in low light. It is also really old at this point - what 10 years?

There are lots of better choices currently available. But, it does have a nice interface, and must be pretty cheap in comparison to those other better choices.

If that’s what you want, go for it.

[Jonny Snow]

Thanks guys, nostalgia was getting the better of me. Took advantage of eBay's latest sitewide coupon and got a new G9 X Mark II with a 32gb Sandisk card from an authorized retailer for $365 shipped, which I thought was pretty good deal. It's really all I need for my casual use and a better size for carrying around, plus it sound like it takes killer pics.