Canon G7 vs Nikon D40

My daughter walked away with my Nikon D50+18~55 & 55~200 Nikkor lenses, and left her Canon A710 IS with me.

I was pleasantly surprised with the images I got out of the simple point & shoot Canon.

Now I am faced with the same old dilemma. Should I go for Nikon D40+18~55 or Canon G7. They both would cost about the same.

Any opinions, comments would be appreciated, specially if given with logic/justification.

Anupam Gupta

ag0176 said:

My daughter walked away with my Nikon D50+18~55 & 55~200 Nikkor
lenses, and left her Canon A710 IS with me.

I was pleasantly surprised with the images I got out of the simple
point & shoot Canon.

Now I am faced with the same old dilemma. Should I go for Nikon
D40+18~55 or Canon G7. They both would cost about the same.

Any opinions, comments would be appreciated, specially if given
with logic/justification.

Anupam Gupta

Click to expand...

I did the opposite, went to buy a G7, came home with a D40. The G7 felt like a boxy, slowly operating normal digicam, it didnt give the feel of a "real camera" I had hoped for. However, if portability is the main criteria it is of course smaller.
--
Small D200 gallery:
http://www.pbase.com/interactive/d200_12
Small D40 gallery:
http://www.pbase.com/interactive/d40_12
http://www.pbase.com/interactive

Thanks for your very speedy response.

How are you finding the D40? Dont you miss the Image Stabilsation of G7, specially in low light situations?

I was even considering D40x. Do you have any experience of D40 vs D40x?

Anupam Gupta

I had the G7 for 6 months, hated every minute with it.

as a former G1/5 owner and two Canon DSLR I think I have good base for comparison.

Its one of Canon worse cameras I've used, very poor low light performance, very noisy results, ergonomic is a disaster (the ISO selector is a gimmic), cumbersome and unnecessary heavy for what it delivers.

I sold it 3 weeks ago and got instead the D40x (with 18-135mm and 50mm f/1.4 lens)

my impression in one world: SUPERB

The only downside is the manual focus with the 50mm f/1.4

Amir Miller said:

I had the G7 for 6 months, hated every minute with it.

as a former G1/5 owner and two Canon DSLR I think I have good base
for comparison.

Click to expand...

Really? How is G7's low light performance comparing to G1?

Amir Miller454365 said:

Its one of Canon worse cameras I've used, very poor low light
performance, very noisy results, ergonomic is a disaster (the ISO
selector is a gimmic),

Click to expand...

Why? it works and a nob is better than some menu item buries three layer deep.

Amir Miller454365 said:

cumbersome and unnecessary heavy for what it
delivers.

Click to expand...

Heavier than what, D40, G1 or G5? or any other Canon DSLRs you had before?

Amir Miller454365 said:

I sold it 3 weeks ago and got instead the D40x (with 18-135mm and
50mm f/1.4 lens)

my impression in one world: SUPERB

The only downside is the manual focus with the 50mm f/1.4

Click to expand...

G7 and D40(x) are totally different animals. I have both(G7 and D40). To me, they are both fine cameras. I like the G7's compactness and some of the nice features it has. I don't care much about the 10mp resolution. To me, that is really a gimmic. I normally use it in 4mp mode. D40 is an entry level DSLR. But I like its size, simplicity. I don't miss the hard buttons(ISO, WB) or the in-body motor. I have 18-200 VR and it couples great with D40. I like the "i" button way for displaying, navigating and changing all the shooting parameters right on the large, bright color LCD.

I would say get D40 if you want the control and image quality of DSLRIf you are looking for portability, I'd say get the G7.

ag0176 said:

Thanks for your very speedy response.

How are you finding the D40? Dont you miss the Image Stabilsation
of G7, specially in low light situations?

Click to expand...

The D40 have an excellent high ISO performance, and it is easy to handhold it at slower speeds thanks to the very smooth shutter. I also have the 55-200VR with which I can shoot at very slow speeds. I have owned D100, D50, D200 (still has it) and I am very impressed with the D40 and the images.

ag0176 said:

I was even considering D40x. Do you have any experience of D40 vs
D40x?

Click to expand...

No, but I believe it is very good too. I dont know which one I would have bought today.

ag0176 said:

Anupam Gupta

Click to expand...

--
Small D200 gallery:
http://www.pbase.com/interactive/d200_12
Small D40 gallery:
http://www.pbase.com/interactive/d40_12
http://www.pbase.com/interactive

I faced a similar choice not long ago... what to replace my G3 with. I had a hard time even finding a G7, but in the process of looking for one, I checked out the DSLR options (D80, D40, a100, XTi) and was sold on the speed of operation as compared to the P&S type.

The G7 was attractive in many ways.. it even has grid lines. And I was familiar with the Canon buttons and operation. But I like to use external flash and Canon decided to change the grip like on prior Gs and I thought the G7 would be hard to handle with my 420EX on board.

The G7 was noticeably quicker in AF and operations than the G3, but still did not compare to a DSLR. Also, I found that the attachments I had for the G3 would not fit the G7. I could buy the D40 and SB-600 flash for about what it would cost me to get the G7 and replace my accessories (wide angle attachment and lens tubes).

I was very weary of the slow AF and speed of operation of the G3 and was primed for a DSLR... even without live view. I haven't missed framing with an LCD either.

There are a couple of things I've had to adjust to with the D40:
1) remembering to check what I've left the AF settings on

2) the Nikon zoom operation is backwards from what I've always been used to with my old film SLR camera.
Since you've had the D50 + zoom, neither should be an issue for you.

In my case, I didn't find 10 Mp vs 6 Mp to be an issue (I was happy with the 4 Mp engine in the G3) and I wanted good out of the camera images requiring minimal (if any) post processing. The D40 performs wonderfully for me in that regard for my type of shooting... general family usage.

I have one lens with IS... the 70-300mm VR and find the VR to be extremely useful... especially in the long end of the zoom.

Be aware that the D40 series will AF ONLY with AF-S and AF-I lenses. If that's a limitation for you, best to know it up front. That was not an important consideration for me.

Good luck!

ag0176 said:

Now I am faced with the same old dilemma. Should I go for Nikon
D40+18~55 or Canon G7. They both would cost about the same.

Click to expand...

ag0176 said:

Anupam Gupta

Click to expand...

this is an incredibly simple "dilemma" to deal with, IMPE. As a former G3 and a current G6 owner, there's really no comparison between IQ from a D40 vs. a G7...especially when you factor in the lack of RAW capability with the Canon (

I've had my D80 (w/18-55mm) for about 2 weeks and am absolutely marveling at its capabilities, speed, precision and overall goodness. Based upon what I've witnessed over the past 14 days, I'll recommend that anybody semi-serious about taking pictures and desiring breathtaking image quality consider an entry dSLR over a P'n' S camera any day of the week. The D40 represents a stellar value.

Enjoy.

--
Sony DSC-S90, Canon G6, Nkn D80

Thanks.

Younare probably best equipped to advise. Should I go for 55-200mm VR. Is it worth the price?
-
Anupam Gupta

The G7 is a joke in my opinion. The older G´s were much better. Had swivel and tilt LCD, RAW and fast lenses.

The 55-200mm VR is a good lens for it´s money. It offers VR to a really cheap price. Get it.

ag0176 said:

Thanks.

Younare probably best equipped to advise. Should I go for 55-200mm
VR. Is it worth the price?

Click to expand...

Based on what I read on this forum, 55-200VR is a good lens and well worth the

Here are some of my quick test shots with the combo:
http://www.pbase.com/franklin/nikond40

ag0176 said:

-
Anupam Gupta

Click to expand...

speedlever said:

2) the Nikon zoom operation is backwards from what I've always been
used to with my old film SLR camera.

Click to expand...

This is splitting hairs but I find the Nikon zoom direction more sensible. Turn the ring to the right to zoom in. Righter is tighter. And just like normal right-hand threaded fasteners, righty-tighty, as in zoom in to get a tight shot.

kevm14 said:

This is splitting hairs but I find the Nikon zoom direction more sensible.

Click to expand...

While that may be true, I am only relating my experience. I still find myself zooming the "wrong" way due to many years of having zooms that zoomed the other direction.

It's really a non-event and you're right.. it is splitting hairs.

The only advantage the G7 would have over the D40 would be will fit in your pocket. You can get a Fugi f30 for a whole lot less and still afford the D40. The Fugi is better suited to fit in your shirt pocket too. The D40 will give you far better pics than either, but is a lot larger. Dave
--
please visit my gallery at http://www.poperotzy.smugmug.com

Save 5.00 on your own Smugmug web page. Link for coupon on my website.

I think Canon made a mistake on the G7. I am STILL the proud owner of the G2, which in my opinion was the best of the whole bunch of the G series. I have so many pictures from that camera that are still my favorites, even after about 40,000 clicks from D70.

It really depends on what you want. If you are into convenience, and portability, then the G7 may be the answer. If you are looking for versatitlity and more creative options with different lenses, then the D40 is for you.

ag0176 said:

My daughter walked away with my Nikon D50+18~55 & 55~200 Nikkor
lenses, and left her Canon A710 IS with me.

I was pleasantly surprised with the images I got out of the simple
point & shoot Canon.

Now I am faced with the same old dilemma. Should I go for Nikon
D40+18~55 or Canon G7. They both would cost about the same.

Any opinions, comments would be appreciated, specially if given
with logic/justification.

Anupam Gupta

Click to expand...

--
'87.6% of all statistics are made up on the spot'

ShutterBugin
http://www.exposureproductions.smugmug.com

Shutterbugin said:

I think Canon made a mistake on the G7. I am STILL the proud owner
of the G2, which in my opinion was the best of the whole bunch of
the G series.

Click to expand...

Yup, the G2. I've had mine since early '02 and I think it can still hold it's own today. This is the camera that made me realize that there is more to digicams than megapixels. Yes, it only has 4 MP's, no DIGIC processor, a limited zoom, and noticeable shutter lag but the pictures speak for themselves. I had 11x14s and 13x19s made from my G2 images and they are pretty impressive. One day, I'll try a 20x30 from an online lab.

Long live the G2!!

Absolutely - I had to buy a new battery recently, since the old one didn't hold a charge any more, but it still is an awesome camera - it is in my bag next to the 70-200vr ;-).

Yes megapixels are not everything. I am looking at a canvas print made from the G2, at 24 x 36 - and it looks wonderful. As long as the lab knows what they are doing - you can uprez any photo to poster dimensions.

Long live the G2! Amen!

VanA said:

Shutterbugin said:

I think Canon made a mistake on the G7. I am STILL the proud owner
of the G2, which in my opinion was the best of the whole bunch of
the G series.

Click to expand...

Yup, the G2. I've had mine since early '02 and I think it can
still hold it's own today. This is the camera that made me realize
that there is more to digicams than megapixels. Yes, it only has 4
MP's, no DIGIC processor, a limited zoom, and noticeable shutter
lag but the pictures speak for themselves. I had 11x14s and 13x19s
made from my G2 images and they are pretty impressive. One day,
I'll try a 20x30 from an online lab.

Long live the G2!!

Click to expand...

--
'87.6% of all statistics are made up on the spot'

ShutterBugin
http://www.exposureproductions.smugmug.com

ag0176 said:

Now I am faced with the same old dilemma. Should I go for Nikon
D40+18~55 or Canon G7. They both would cost about the same.

Click to expand...

Canon G7 has NO RAW, no swivel LCD, no handle, no F2.0 lens, (also worse battery life than any other Gx camera, worse design, etc). Even G1 had all these features. If you prefer still a compact camera you could get A640 for less.

If you prefer a DSLR then D40 and D40X are both a good choice. Nikon has well priced VR lenses and you will get much more for your money.

--
Greetings,
Roumen