1) No doubt an intentionally delayed and secretive release, to push
sales of the Pro1 on people who thought the G-series was dead.
Canon did not do this. A lot of us have been saying all along the
G series would continue. Canon never said it was dead. You cannot
prevent someone from jumping off the cliff. Yes it was a devious
plot, created and perpetrated by shutterbugs and digicam addicts.
The release of the Pro1 defied the logic of a subsequent G6, given the inherent similarities and differences between these two and previous models.
Most reasonable folks logically assumed that the release of the ridiculous G5 pretending to be a new model, followed by a long period of waiting, followed by the radical new style of the Pro1 which nonetheless preserved 90% of the functionality and design of the G-series, indicated that the G-series as we knew it waas at an end.
Do you honestly think it took 2 years to evolve from the G3 to the G6?
2) Silver body - in definace of the masses clamoring for black
bodies - no doubt in preparation of a future model "special
edition" release with insignificant improvements but a black "pro"
body.
A lot of people prefer the silver too. Anyway it's Canon's right
to do this, it's their product.
Most people prefer the black, and the camera's competitors at this level are all black: Nikon, Olympus, Nikon, Minolta... All pro cameras are black.
They want us to buy as many of
these little things as we can go in hock for, and they want us to
accessorize them too. They know we're addicted. They are pretty
smart.
I think there's a difference between smart and sleazy. Smart is designing and engineering a brilliant product that proves highly successful and appealing. Sleazy is using deception to fool people into buying things they would not otherwise have bought.
We seem to have an increasing scarcity of the former combined with an overabundance of the latter...
3) Same needless and arbitrary limitations in movie clip lengths
We don't know the technicals on this, I have not ever seen a
credible explanation of the design limits. Interesting question,
though, and one they should answer somehow.
That's just it. These companies don't answer or comment on anything. They don't think we deserve any explanations. Other cameras have removed these limitations. It is a simple matter of adding more buffer memory. This would add a little cost to the camera, thereby narrowing their profit margins a tiny bit that they are not willing to give up.
4) Same moronic limitations on long shutter speeds while in Av mode.
I'm not sure what you're referring to. I have heard that CCD
ceases to behave like film with extra long exposures, something
about reciprocity limits being exceeded. Some more information on
this topic might be useful.
Same happens with film, which is where the term "reciprocity failure" derives from. But pro cameras don't have this limitation, and neither do other models at this level from Nikon, Olympus, etc. Canon underestimates the intelligence of the photographer. At least, there should be an override setting in the menus.
And besides, if reciprocity is the issue, then why do they allow long shutter speeds in Tv mode? If this were really the issue, long exposures would only be allowed in Manual mode.
The reason is probably that Canon think's we're too stupid to notice when the shutter speed has been slowed down to levels that demand a tripod.
5) Some questionable changes in control placement, mimicking some
poor design choices on the Pro1 which resulted in the need for
two-handed operation.
Verdict is out on this, time will tell regarding the ergos on G6.
It definitely looks smaller, an appealing aspect. I think G5 is
difficult to hold compared with my A80, so I'm just not sure if you
are correct or not.
I'm not sure myself. I love the idea of a smaller and lighter G-camera. It has been tops on my wish list.
But I disagree with the movement of the mode dial and other buttons on the G6. I can hold and operate the G3 with one hand. I cannot do the same with the Pro1 because 1) it's too heavy, and 2) it's difficult to impossible to operate many controls without using two hands. If I wanted a camera that required two-handed operation, I'd get an SLR.
6) Stll only 2 Custom modes - the most powerful and most often
verlooked tool over working around poor AF performance and shutter
lag. They should expand to 4 or more, as Olympus has.
Agree, or at least 3 total. Can't see why they wouldn't. Good point.
This probably falls into the "too obscure" area. Most people don't even know the value of this feature and Canon doesn't properly promote it, hoping to avoid admitting just how useless their AF system is in low light or with moving subjects.
Like I said, their marketing department seems to be wielding increasing clout over their engineering dept., and that's not a good thing from the point of view of serious photographers and consumers.
