G2: user friendly or a mess?

I'm trying to decide between a fuji 6900 and a canon G2. I know all pro's and cons like 4,0 MP (canon) and 6x optical zoom (fuji) but that's not my main concern at the moment.

I've tried both the G2 and 6900 in shops. The feel of the 6900 was immediately right. With mainly intuition and a little basic camera knowledge, I could handle it like it had been my camera for months. All buttons are on the right place, zooming works comfortably and the manual focus ring on the lens works good.

The G2 was a different story. I think it looks messy, the controls aren't grouped logically and to use manual focus you hold down (instead of pressing it once!) the MF button and use that rather small 4-way controller at the same time.

Here are my questions:
Do more of you feel like this about the G2?
Are there any G2 users out there who had the same opinion at first?
And did it go away?

Thanks for your replies.

Hi Marc,

I have had my G2 for a couple months now and absolutely love it. When I was doing my research, it was all based on performance and image quality rather than with ergonomics. I find nothing inconvenient about the G2 except for the manual focus. Yes, it's a bit awkward holding the MF button down while focusing with the 4-way controller, but I seldom use manual focus, usually only when shooting macros otherwise I've had no problems using the autofocus. People's needs and preferences do vary, so it's hard for me to say what's right for you. Judging from your post, looks like you have decided on the Fuji. Yes, the initial awkwardness of the manual focus was there at first, but after using it a few times, I got used to it. Good luck! -Norm

marc vangend said:

I'm trying to decide between a fuji 6900 and a canon G2. I know all
pro's and cons like 4,0 MP (canon) and 6x optical zoom (fuji) but
that's not my main concern at the moment.

I've tried both the G2 and 6900 in shops. The feel of the 6900 was
immediately right. With mainly intuition and a little basic camera
knowledge, I could handle it like it had been my camera for months.
All buttons are on the right place, zooming works comfortably and
the manual focus ring on the lens works good.
The G2 was a different story. I think it looks messy, the controls
aren't grouped logically and to use manual focus you hold down
(instead of pressing it once!) the MF button and use that rather
small 4-way controller at the same time.

Here are my questions:
Do more of you feel like this about the G2?
Are there any G2 users out there who had the same opinion at first?
And did it go away?

Thanks for your replies.

Click to expand...

pretty intuitive. It could be I've an ElanII and the controls (except for the menu controls) makes me feel at home.

having never used the 6900 I can only say that I like my G2's handling much better than I did the G1 we have at work. And, of course, it's way much better than my previous digital camera, a Kodak DC-50!

The other thing to consider is the swivel LCD. Doesn't sound like that much of a big deal until you use it. But it will hard for me to get another camera without it. It's a great feature as is the ISO 50 RAW setting.

Larrym

After using the G2 for a couple days, I instinctively knew where all the relevant controls were, whenever I needed them. After a few more days of playing with the more advanced settings (bracketing, etc) I was confident of all of the controls. Now that I've had it for 2 months, nothing is more than a thought away.

I didn't find it difficult to learn at all - everything is in thumb (or index finger)'s reach, and right there when you need it. Even manual focus - index finger of left hand presses manual focus button (it's there anyway, the way I hold the camera), and right thumb adjusts up or down.

I think the G2's control arrangement manages to be relatively compact and straightforward for all of the things it lets you do.

marc vangend said:

I'm trying to decide between a fuji 6900 and a canon G2. I know all
pro's and cons like 4,0 MP (canon) and 6x optical zoom (fuji) but
that's not my main concern at the moment.

I've tried both the G2 and 6900 in shops. The feel of the 6900 was
immediately right. With mainly intuition and a little basic camera
knowledge, I could handle it like it had been my camera for months.
All buttons are on the right place, zooming works comfortably and
the manual focus ring on the lens works good.
The G2 was a different story. I think it looks messy, the controls
aren't grouped logically and to use manual focus you hold down
(instead of pressing it once!) the MF button and use that rather
small 4-way controller at the same time.

Here are my questions:
Do more of you feel like this about the G2?
Are there any G2 users out there who had the same opinion at first?
And did it go away?

Thanks for your replies.

Click to expand...

Norman said:

Judging from your post, looks like you have
decided on the Fuji.

Click to expand...

I know it looks like that... But then I can't help thinking of all advantages the G2 has: 4 MP, great colors, sharpness, low noise levels, RAW format, microdrive support, long battery life, saturation & tone control and some less important things like remote capture, wireless remote control...
And it even speaks my own language, Dutch!

A few days ago I thought I made my choice, but now I think I didn't.

There's lots of responses in this thread on a similar topic:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=1857353

marc vangend said:

All buttons are on the right place, zooming works comfortably and
the manual focus ring on the lens works good.
The G2 was a different story. I think it looks messy, the controls

Click to expand...

I had similar feeling about G2 when I tried it in the store. It's not about menu layout or access to features (those are actually quite logical). It's about physical design and layot of controls buttos.

Vlad

Coming from a Canon background...5 previous Canon 35mms and 1 previous Canon digital...everything made sense to me and I felt right at home.

I wanted to switch from my 995 to a G2 so I could share batteries, flash etc. with my D30. However, once I had the G2 for a while I realized that for my hands the 995 was far easier to carry and use. So, in my case, I returned the G2 and kept the 995.

For my use, the 995 was better even though the G2 had far more appeal because of its specifications. Your needs may be far different.

John

marc vangend said:

I'm trying to decide between a fuji 6900 and a canon G2. I know all
pro's and cons like 4,0 MP (canon) and 6x optical zoom (fuji) but
that's not my main concern at the moment.

I've tried both the G2 and 6900 in shops. The feel of the 6900 was
immediately right. With mainly intuition and a little basic camera
knowledge, I could handle it like it had been my camera for months.
All buttons are on the right place, zooming works comfortably and
the manual focus ring on the lens works good.
The G2 was a different story. I think it looks messy, the controls
aren't grouped logically and to use manual focus you hold down
(instead of pressing it once!) the MF button and use that rather
small 4-way controller at the same time.

Here are my questions:
Do more of you feel like this about the G2?
Are there any G2 users out there who had the same opinion at first?
And did it go away?

Thanks for your replies.

Click to expand...

VladN said:

VladN said:

All buttons are on the right place, zooming works comfortably and
the manual focus ring on the lens works good.
The G2 was a different story. I think it looks messy, the controls

Click to expand...

I had similar feeling about G2 when I tried it in the store. It's
not about menu layout or access to features (those are actually
quite logical). It's about physical design and layot of controls
buttos.

Click to expand...

So, Vlad, did you end up buying the G2 or not? And if you did: did you change your mind about it?

marc vangend said:

VladN said:

marc vangend said:

All buttons are on the right place, zooming works comfortably and
the manual focus ring on the lens works good.
The G2 was a different story. I think it looks messy, the controls

Click to expand...

I had similar feeling about G2 when I tried it in the store. It's
not about menu layout or access to features (those are actually
quite logical). It's about physical design and layot of controls
buttos.

Click to expand...

So, Vlad, did you end up buying the G2 or not? And if you did: did
you change your mind about it?

Click to expand...

I am still in the process... I have Canon A20 (my first digital after many years of 35mm) which is a nice camera but not in the class of G2. Since I definitely want to stay with CF (I have bunch of CF cards around) G2 is the natural choice for me - it is a fine camera. But for some reason it's ergonomics is holding me on the decision.

The other alternative is s1pro as I have plenty of Nikon lenses but this is another story...

Vlad

I think that if you're used to Canon SLRs - particularly EOS - the G2 will come easy. If you're not it won't take long

Robert UK

John Laninga said:

For my use, the 995 was better even though the G2 had far more
appeal because of its specifications. Your needs may be far
different.

John

marc vangend said:

I'm trying to decide between a fuji 6900 and a canon G2. I know all
pro's and cons like 4,0 MP (canon) and 6x optical zoom (fuji) but
that's not my main concern at the moment.

I've tried both the G2 and 6900 in shops. The feel of the 6900 was
immediately right. With mainly intuition and a little basic camera
knowledge, I could handle it like it had been my camera for months.
All buttons are on the right place, zooming works comfortably and
the manual focus ring on the lens works good.
The G2 was a different story. I think it looks messy, the controls
aren't grouped logically and to use manual focus you hold down
(instead of pressing it once!) the MF button and use that rather
small 4-way controller at the same time.

Here are my questions:
Do more of you feel like this about the G2?
Are there any G2 users out there who had the same opinion at first?
And did it go away?

Thanks for your replies.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--Robert

First of all: I'm not posting this to offend G2 owners. People differ and so do their opinions. I post this message so that others considering the G2 (and maybe also the fuji 6900) can read why I have decided not to buy the G2.

I tried both the G2 and 6900 again this morning. I use macro a lot, and it annoyed me that the G2 automatically returns to normal mode after each macro shot. Also, manual focus is not available in macro mode.

The 6900's shape is (for my hands) superb to hold and much better than the G2's plastic grip (which has been discussed enough already on this forum).

I would like to say this to everybody thinking about buying a camera (or any kind of tool, actually):

The info you get from dpreview's forums and reviews is priceless, but don't forget to go out there and try it yourself.

Thanks for your contributions to this thread.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=1861725

6900 all the way...got a G2, now I'm returning it..see above post

marc vangend said:

I'm trying to decide between a fuji 6900 and a canon G2. I know all
pro's and cons like 4,0 MP (canon) and 6x optical zoom (fuji) but
that's not my main concern at the moment.

I've tried both the G2 and 6900 in shops. The feel of the 6900 was
immediately right. With mainly intuition and a little basic camera
knowledge, I could handle it like it had been my camera for months.
All buttons are on the right place, zooming works comfortably and
the manual focus ring on the lens works good.
The G2 was a different story. I think it looks messy, the controls
aren't grouped logically and to use manual focus you hold down
(instead of pressing it once!) the MF button and use that rather
small 4-way controller at the same time.

Here are my questions:
Do more of you feel like this about the G2?
Are there any G2 users out there who had the same opinion at first?
And did it go away?

Thanks for your replies.

Click to expand...

. Also, manual focus is not available in macro

marc vangend said:

mode.

Click to expand...

Is this above statement true G2 owners?
jonlg
--~

I guess its the same reason I like Nikons and not the other wannabe's: personal preference

My firts Digital is a G2 and after a few weeks things fall into place.

Its more to do with your brain telling your fingers where the buttons are: you will get used to it, but if you pay all that money you have to comfortable with what you're paying for.

My macro in G2 does not revert to normal.

I can use manual focus in macro mode. But I find the manual focus, even with its little enlargement square a bit difficult: the price you pay for an LCD viewfinder I guess.

I prefer my Nikon's autofocus.

Maybe one day I can afford a digital Nikon to go with all my lenses.

Groete van Australia.

ChrisB

DC said:

6900 all the way...got a G2, now I'm returning it..see above post

marc vangend said:

I'm trying to decide between a fuji 6900 and a canon G2. I know all
pro's and cons like 4,0 MP (canon) and 6x optical zoom (fuji) but
that's not my main concern at the moment.

I've tried both the G2 and 6900 in shops. The feel of the 6900 was
immediately right. With mainly intuition and a little basic camera
knowledge, I could handle it like it had been my camera for months.
All buttons are on the right place, zooming works comfortably and
the manual focus ring on the lens works good.
The G2 was a different story. I think it looks messy, the controls
aren't grouped logically and to use manual focus you hold down
(instead of pressing it once!) the MF button and use that rather
small 4-way controller at the same time.

Here are my questions:
Do more of you feel like this about the G2?
Are there any G2 users out there who had the same opinion at first?
And did it go away?

Thanks for your replies.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

jonlg said:

jonlg said:

mode.

Click to expand...

Is this above statement true G2 owners?
jonlg

Click to expand...

That is not true... you can set the focus manually from about 10 cm to infinity.

Statement about the macro mode return everytime to normal mode is not true either.

Martin

marc vangend said:

I would like to say this to everybody thinking about buying a
camera (or any kind of tool, actually):
The info you get from dpreview's forums and reviews is priceless,
but don't forget to go out there and try it yourself.

Click to expand...

And Marc (see responses to your statements) don't forget that you can't tell everything trying it out in the store with people waiting in line behind you. It startled me to read your statements about macro and manual focus. I'm relieved to read that they're not true. It's the sort of conclusion it's easy to jump to when you can't really fully learn about a camera.

--Ken Durling

marc vangend said:

First of all: I'm not posting this to offend G2 owners. People
differ and so do their opinions. I post this message so that others
considering the G2 (and maybe also the fuji 6900) can read why I
have decided not to buy the G2.

Click to expand...

marc vangend said:

I tried both the G2 and 6900 again this morning.

Click to expand...

Good that you did this, because ultimately this is what it comes down to when choosing - holding and using the cameras. However, seems you didn't do a very thorough investigation, because:

marc vangend said:

I use macro a lot, and it annoyed me that the G2 automatically
returns to normal mode after each macro shot.

Click to expand...

It doesn't. This is incorrect.

I use macro a LOT too, so I can confirm this with absolute certainty.

I've been getting some excellent macro results out of the G2, better than I could ever have imagined.

marc vangend said:

Also, manual focus is not available in macro mode.

Click to expand...

Also not true. Again totally incorrect. I have used manual focus in macro mode many times.

marc vangend said:

The 6900's shape is (for my hands) superb to hold and much better
than the G2's plastic grip (which has been discussed enough already
on this forum).

Click to expand...

Can't disagree with you here. Personal preference.

marc vangend said:

I would like to say this to everybody thinking about buying a
camera (or any kind of tool, actually):
The info you get from dpreview's forums and reviews is priceless,
but don't forget to go out there and try it yourself.

Click to expand...

Yep, but I would also say this:

Make sure when you're out there trying for yourself that you have a list of things you want to try and confirm with the camera in your hands. Also try things out thoroughly and make sure not to be mislead by the salesman or by a lack of time to take a detailed look in the showroom (which seems to have happened here, otherwise you wouldn't have come away thinking that the G2 returns to normal mode after each macro shot and can't manual focus in macro mode).

The best way to research a camera is to read the reviews and forum posts thoroughly and narrow your choice down, then go out with a list of things to confirm and decide which feels best in the hand.

Cheers
Martin
http://photos.runic.com