Canon G7...first camera? good?

Question

Hello, I would liek to ask all you camera experts out there if this is a good first real decent camera for me. The G7 has a ton of features that i would really like but I truly dont know much about these camera. I want to make a good purchase and buy a camera that will last me a long time... the quality seems very good but i have read a few articles that would suggest not to purchase it. I love how it resembles the old canons like the A-1 and the 10 mp will be awesome for big prints. anyways.. if you all could give me a heads up as to if this is a good purchase or not that would be great.

Answer 1

I don't think it makes for a good first camera. Most photographers who start out only need to experiment with composition and lighting. The G7 is a full-featured camera, but it's expensive compared to most other compact point-and-shoot designs. If you are interested in basic photography, choose a more modest camera to learn the fundamentals: like the Canon PowerShot A540 which provides manual controls at a much better price-point.

However, if you have already mastered these skills, you may get better results with one of the newer digital SLR models. They are more flexible and powerful than the G7 (albeit larger), and will serve you well for years. For example, the new Nikon D40 is about US$600 with the lens kit, which isn't much more than the G7. The new dSLR cameras have modes which make them as easy to use as a point-and-shoot, but take better pictures and can grow with you.

The G7 tries to be as powerful as a dSLR, but feel like compact shooter. By most reviews, it falls short on many counts.

Answer 2

Amateur Photographer, the UKs leading photographic magazine, reviewed this camera a few weeks ago and gave it an 86% rating.* The plus points were:-

Excellent set of controls
Well-organised handling
Hotshoe
Wide ISO range

The minus points were:-

No RAW mode
Image noise at all (ISO) settings (this would put me right off)
Lens distortion at both wide and tele settings
Short dynamic range

*the same issue contained a review of the new Leica M8 which only got 84% and which costs £3000 and against £450 for the Canon!

The full review is available at the source below for £3