not buying the G2 , here's why

ZéDasCouves · Jun 26, 2002

Allen Frankel said:
I think it is perfectly legitiamte for you to be concerned that you
will have problems getting your Canon camera serviced appropriately
in Portugal. Although, I think it is odd that you could not get
good service if you send the camera to another country. If I send
my camera to California, is that different to you because it is the
same country? It is still several thousand miles away. I would
think that Canon would honor its committment.

I know there isn't a problem, I mean, there is, but the problem is that it will take probably something like a month waiting, and I don't want that to happen.

Allen F said:
As I stated before, Canon will not announce that the camera is
crack free any more than Ford will announce its cars are crack
free. That is inviting problems. You should probably consider
that Canon wants to maintain a good reputation and when a large
number of customers complain, it will and did respond. Further, it
will do what it can NOT to have the reputation of the camera that
cracks. So I would guess that they are confident that the camera
is sturdy now. (Of course they might discontinue it tomorrow

you're probably right, canon won't make that announcement... and that announcement they already made about recognizing the crack problem in some of the cameras might have been a dificult decision for them, because the camera might get the reputation of faulty... but they had to announce it because there are just too many cases out there...

I dunno, I guess I'm gonna wait for a while to see if there any new g2 owner's that have cracks in cameras that were shipped recently... cause that would mean they don't solved the problem.

oh... and as far as I know, from posts I red... (that's not a very reliable resource, I know) is that when u send a camera for repair they just replace the cover of the camera by an equal but not yet cracked cover... not a new improved , not susceptible to cracks cover... just the same old plain crack susceptible cover they all have. so... are we going to be constantly returning the camera for a new cover? what is that? nokia mobile? those that change covers all the time? it would be nice , but not because of cracks...

Allen F said:
Hope you are able to make a decision for yourself soon. I bet
there are wonderful pictures you could be taking.

--
Allen

I have no idea about that which I am writing.
Thus, I hereby retract everything I just wrote.

Wolfgang101453 · Jun 26, 2002

ZéDasCouves said:
I dunno, I guess I'm gonna wait for a while to see if there any new
g2 owner's that have cracks in cameras that were shipped
recently... cause that would mean they don't solved the problem.

ZéDasCouves, I can understand the concern over not having a new camera crack shortly after it's purchased. Though Canon has a vested interest in keeping their customers happy and reputation solidly intact.

Canon publicly recognized there was a potential crack issue and have acted accordingly. A perfect camera the G2 may not be, but wonderful pictures it does take. And to be honest, I wouldn't trade my G2 for any camera in this price range, potential crack and all.

Why?

Simple. The pictures I capture with this camera are simply outstanding. And in the end, that's what really matters to me - a great quality pic.

ZéDasCouves · Jun 26, 2002

hmmm... you're making me have second thoughts...
grrrr... decisions... argh!

oh, I like that yoda talk, I mean, yoda should know what he's talking about so... I am having these second thoughts about still buying that camera...

cheers
Rui

Wolfgang said:
ZéDasCouves said:

I dunno, I guess I'm gonna wait for a while to see if there any new
g2 owner's that have cracks in cameras that were shipped
recently... cause that would mean they don't solved the problem.

Click to expand...

ZéDasCouves, I can understand the concern over not having a new
camera crack shortly after it's purchased. Though Canon has a
vested interest in keeping their customers happy and reputation
solidly intact.

Canon publicly recognized there was a potential crack issue and
have acted accordingly. A perfect camera the G2 may not be, but
wonderful pictures it does take. And to be honest, I wouldn't trade
my G2 for any camera in this price range, potential crack and all.

Why?

Simple. The pictures I capture with this camera are simply
outstanding. And in the end, that's what really matters to me - a
great quality pic.

jeff howe · Jun 26, 2002

I didn't have the time or patience to read all of the replys. If someone hasn't mentioned it yet, there have been references to Canon changing the lead digit of the G2's serial to a 4 (from 1) to represent the updated production that "fix" the cracking problem.

ZéDasCouves said:
I was thinking of buying the G2 because as you all know it's got
great lenses and overall very good image quality. but for the price
I would expect a camera without any defects as those cracks and
those problems with focusing.

Richard P.86467 · Jun 26, 2002

Okay, I can't help it. I have to say something even though I try to stay out of threads like this. The angst you're experiencing is not understood by most of the people who have responded to your post and it's not because they think they have made a mistake in buying the G2.

Life is full of risks. The safest thing for all of us to do might be to stay in our homes and never go outside. Most of us don't worry too much about all the bad things that could happen if we are unlucky enough to fall victim to the evil in the world. Besides, we would eventually run out of photographic subjects if we never left our homes.

If I sound sarcastic, I don't mean to. You have every right to decide to buy or not to buy any digital camera. However, I don't think your thought process is really helping anyone else who is deciding, as you have suggested is the purpose of your post.

I believe you simply have not been able to justify the price of the G2 in relation to the degree of your personal desire to own one. Everyone here who owns the camera already made that decision and they don't need further input. Those who are still in the process of deciding might be influenced, but only by one person's opinion because you're not getting much support for your decision. Have you really decided? Did you start this thread so that you could be persuaded? I can't tell for sure but that's what I suspect.

I could write more. I could tell you about the 5th digit of the serial number and mention focusing tips. Many people here could do that. What's the point if you're not asking for help? If you want to be persuaded, say so. If you don't want to be persuaded, I think I've said all I have to say. Sorry if this sounds abrupt. I couldn't make it sound any better.

--
Richard P.
Keep an eye open!

Dave Knadler · Jun 26, 2002

I'll be interested in hearing of all the other cameras you refuse to buy.

ZéDasCouves said:
so... until further notice from canon I refuse and I would tell
everyone not to buy any G2, they have the legal responsability to
sell a camera in good conditions, especially if they already know
about this problem...

Steve_A · Jun 27, 2002

Okay which is it I am supposed to look for the first digit being a "1" or something to do with the fifth digit???

Steve

Richard P.86467 said:
I could write more. I could tell you about the 5th digit of the
serial number and mention focusing tips. Many people here could do
that. What's the point if you're not asking for help? If you want
to be persuaded, say so. If you don't want to be persuaded, I think
I've said all I have to say. Sorry if this sounds abrupt. I
couldn't make it sound any better.

--
Richard P.
Keep an eye open!

--
so old I have 'CRS' disease.... (can't remember stuff)

John Brook · Jun 27, 2002

Richard P. said:
Okay, I can't help it. I have to say something even though I try to
stay out of threads like this. The angst you're experiencing is not
understood by most of the people who have responded to your post
and it's not because they think they have made a mistake in buying
the G2.

Life is full of risks. The safest thing for all of us to do might
be to stay in our homes and never go outside. Most of us don't
worry too much about all the bad things that could happen if we are
unlucky enough to fall victim to the evil in the world. Besides, we
would eventually run out of photographic subjects if we never left
our homes.

If I sound sarcastic, I don't mean to. You have every right to
decide to buy or not to buy any digital camera. However, I don't
think your thought process is really helping anyone else who is
deciding, as you have suggested is the purpose of your post.

I believe you simply have not been able to justify the price of the
G2 in relation to the degree of your personal desire to own one.
Everyone here who owns the camera already made that decision and
they don't need further input. Those who are still in the process
of deciding might be influenced, but only by one person's opinion
because you're not getting much support for your decision. Have you
really decided? Did you start this thread so that you could be
persuaded? I can't tell for sure but that's what I suspect.

I could write more. I could tell you about the 5th digit of the
serial number and mention focusing tips. Many people here could do
that. What's the point if you're not asking for help? If you want
to be persuaded, say so. If you don't want to be persuaded, I think
I've said all I have to say. Sorry if this sounds abrupt. I
couldn't make it sound any better.

--
Richard P.
Keep an eye open!

--

Thank you for articulating my own thoughts so eloquently. My own G2 has a small crack starting and I am keeping an eye on it and will eventually make the decision to have Canon replace the back, as they have undertaken to do.

In the meantime I continue to capture shots which all confirm to me that I made the right (for me) decision in purchasing it after doing all my homework first. The quality of landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, sunsets etc etc still amaze me, and I am always gratified to print them out on my Canon S800 printer on A4 and perforated Canon Photo Paper Pro, and frame them, as well as keeping them in my album.

I can probably be described as an advanced amatuer, and went through the agonies we all go through when purchasing photographic equipment. But, once we have done the research necessary, we make our decision and move on with using what we have purchased. I have not been disappointed, thankfully, and would recommend the G2 to anyone who came to me for advice, as I would also do regarding my EOS30(=7E) SLR, which I have enjoyed using now for more than a year, even though, on many occasions I have read of it's limitations or "faults". There is nothing like achieving the satisfaction of use, rather than remaining in the rut of indecision.

Whether Canon, Nikon, Fuji, or whatever???, I hope our friend loses his fear, and takes the courage to make a positive decision. I really don't think his aim of "assisting others" is achieving anything; it is merely a further excuse for not facing decision-time.

John H Brook

Yang · Jun 27, 2002

With the following sentence Richard spoke out what I was thinking about while reading this thread. Too many concerns are not at all helpful. I’m still traveling around although I know FROM THE BEGINNING that no airplane and no airline is 100% free from crack.

I’m an old G1 shooter, but have recommended the G2 to many friends of mine and often use it myself. Neither my friends nor myself have noticed serious problems with it. In the meantime, they have shot thousands of beautiful and memorable pictures what an endless waiting for an “perfect dc” would have been missed.

I had bought several dc (Canon, Ricoh, Olympus) before buying my G1 almost two years ago which has survived a fall from the table to the hard bottom but still takes good pictures. My experience showed OTHER digital cameras only have OTHER (major) problems. Currently, I’m waiting for an “upgrade” to the G3 end of the year although I know exactly that it wouldn’t be a perfect camera.

Yang
http://www.fototime.com/inv/4E6EE4D1C7782B6

Richard P. said:
Life is full of risks. The safest thing for all of us to do might
be to stay in our homes and never go outside. Most of us don't
worry too much about all the bad things that could happen if we are
unlucky enough to fall victim to the evil in the world. Besides, we
would eventually run out of photographic subjects if we never left
our homes.

Natinha · Jun 27, 2002

ZéDasCouves said:
I can't image the G2 having all those problems and the review
almost makes it look like the best camera in the world, I red other
reviews and they are not so fancy... at
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/G2/G2A.HTM
in their sample pictures they have the resolution of the G2
inferior to that of the Fuji 602 !!! and that's a 3Mp camera! (with
interpolation to 6mp)

Did you read the same review as me? That was one of the reviews that convinced me to buy the G2, they rated it very highly.

Natinha · Jun 27, 2002

Mine has a crack, but its got a few other scratches and dents too (it got knocked out of my hand and sent crashing to a concrete pavement the week I got it). I'm just glad it still takes great pictures!

StevieO said:
for me, the first thing i thought of when i heard that 54% of g2
owners has the crack was "when did they buy their camera?"

if they bought their camera during the first year of its release
date, then yes, the statistics would be high. but ever since the
matter has been addressed by canon, i haven't heard anything about
cracks. personally, i purchased mine about a few weeks after canon
made the announcement and my camera's still in mint condition. i
even dropped it once from a 4-foot high ( 1.2 meters) loft bed and
still no signs of cracking....

or maybe i'm just one of the lucky ones...=P

--
My G2 collection on pbase:
http://www.pbase.com/natinha/galleries

Natinha · Jun 27, 2002

Richard P. said:
Life is full of risks. The safest thing for all of us to do might
be to stay in our homes and never go outside.

The disturbing thing is, most accidents occur in the home and you're more likely to die at home than anywhere else.

I admit, my G2 has a crack. But I'm not bothered, it still works doesn't it! I can always patch it together myself. I can make it my very own Millennium Falcon!

--
My G2 collection on pbase:
http://www.pbase.com/natinha/galleries

alfred_schiele · Jun 27, 2002

Hi

ZéDasCouves said:
I mean... cmon... if 54% of all G2's have cracks, my chances of
having one are really huge, and canon here in portugal doesn't have
such a good costumer service, and I refuse to buy a camera that I
already know I'm gonna send for repair.

You interpretation is not quite correct, you can only tell that 54% of owners who answered had this problem. I am sure there are lots out that even don't know about this forum...

ZéDasCouves said:
canon should stop all G2 selling until they solve all their
problems with the camera, I suspect that the fact they know the
problem and still sell it as a perfect good camera without any
defects is can be even considered illegal.

I agree Canon should offer exchange and repair ASAP if anybody has this problem.

ZéDasCouves said:
and think about it, It's almost for sure a problem among all
cameras, sooner or later all cameras will get cracks, maybe some
are holding a little longer, but let's say, in at least 2 years all
of them if they are being used WILL HAVE the crack.

I don't know but I doubt... I believe there was/is a single series out having this problem. As typical for forums the bad messages repeat over and over...

ZéDasCouves said:
this is the reputation that the camera has now, have you ever
thought if you want to sell the camera one of these days? who's
gonna buy a camera that's not new and has cracks or holes?? no one
buys anything with defects, only if the price is really small.

True, but I never thought about selling it... for the first time with a D-camera...

ZéDasCouves said:
so... until further notice from canon I refuse and I would tell
everyone not to buy any G2, they have the legal responsability to
sell a camera in good conditions, especially if they already know
about this problem...
I wonder if canon has any quality control over their production
labs...

To be careful is always a good advice (-:

When I think on some "problems" reports with D60 there could be also the impression that canon doesn't best in quality control...

I asked for opinions in the C* SLR forum about a "plastic" camera and I was teached that plastic is a great material, light, robust and better than metall in some aspects (-;

ZéDasCouves said:
I can't image the G2 having all those problems and the review
almost makes it look like the best camera in the world, I red other
reviews and they are not so fancy... at

Well, you have to learn about reading between the lines with tests and reviews... In this sense it is interesting what isn't tested or what kind of shots are not presented in galleries...

ZéDasCouves said:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/G2/G2A.HTM
in their sample pictures they have the resolution of the G2
inferior to that of the Fuji 602 !!! and that's a 3Mp camera! (with
interpolation to 6mp)

The pure image quality of G2 - beside all other tweaks - is remarkable, no doubt. But I agree that a camera is more than the imagers quality...

ZéDasCouves said:
do not flame me because I like the G2 features but am not buying it
because it has defects.

I havent evaluated any cracks but if they may ever occur I let you know...

Regards, A. Schiele.

Negative287 · Jun 27, 2002

I agree with you, the 602 is the fastest digital camera on the market today! However, when you compare the image quality with the G2... The 602 is grainy and has fringing in the detail edges. In fact, I had a 602 that I was given 10 days to try out... I brought it back in two because of the image quality in the sizes that I wanted to print (9 x12); a 6 MP camera should be able to handle this well as the 4 MP G2 and 5 MP CP 5000 certainly had better quality pictures to print.

--

http://www.pbase.com/elterrible

ZéDasCouves said:
and the fastest of all those was the fuji, that is confirmed by all
the reviews... it really amazed me the fast focus of the fuji, I'm
used to a slow focus also from the nikon coolpix series, and that
was very fast, as for the g2 I feel it was slower than any of those
cameras focusing...
but that's not a very big complaint, as long as it focuses well,
I'm not into sports photography...

Ed Shropshire said:

Ed

ZéDasCouves said:

I want a camera that "at least" comes without any physical defects
directly from the store.

and of course there isn't a perfect camera... but there is great
cameras for the needs of each one of us...

G2 would be a great camera for me if it didn't have any of these
problems.
and would be even great if it had faster and more accurate focusing...
it's a pretty slow camera to focus... and it's macro ability is
also very poor compared to many other similar digicams out there.
but it has great, fast lenses and very low noise at iso 50

on the other hand... iso 200 and 400 has lots of noise... but I
think the iso 200 is actually more like 400 and iso 400 more like
800, so that's good...

Eric Haglund said:

Is the G2 perfect? Not a chance. It has definite warts but even
with the warts, I still think it's the best camera for the money.
As far as the crack thing goes, I think it's overblown. It doesn't
affect your picture quality and Canon IS replacing them so to me
it's an annoyance not a deal breaker. In anycase, if you find a
digi cam that is perfect, by all means let us know.

--
Eric
http://www.pbase.com/haglunde

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Ed
Canon EOS 3, Sony D700, Canon G1, Canon S330, Minolta D7i
http://www.cbrycelea.com/photos/ Old Pictures

Click to expand...

Negative287 · Jun 27, 2002

I don't know what you're looking at but...

G2
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/G2/FULLRES/G2HAWB.HTM

S602Z
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/F602/F62HAWB.HTM

In spite of the Fuji being taken with a higher zoom... It is still not as crisp or detailed as the 4 MP G2.

This is just one of them the others are similar including problems with contrast and improper reds...

This is taken with the S602Z of my son, check out the edges of items in the picture using original view! Look at the edge of his cheeks.

http://www.pbase.com/image/2728282

I was impressed with every mechanical feature of the 602 but I wish they used a pure 4 or 5 MP CCD instead of interpolating.

--

http://www.pbase.com/elterrible

ZéDasCouves said:
ScottL said:

Here is what you wrote ---> " I red other reviews and they are not
so fancy... at http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/G2/G2A.HTM "

Perhaps I should have written a little more than my reply to
express myself.

The link is to the G2 Review. Perhaps I missed the part in reading
the entire review or am interpeting you wrong, but I really can't
seem to find anything that makes the G2 "not to fancy".

Click to expand...

I already told you, go to the site, go to both the g2 and fuji 602
review and check the sample pictures page, in the section about
resolution, you'll see that de inferior "3mp" fuji 602 gets more
resolution than the superior "4mp" canon. so superior and inferior
are reversed here in terms of resolution...

ZéDasCouves said:

But hey, thanks for the smart reply. I am glad you have an opinion
of someone else opinion.

Click to expand...

that's what we all have when reading reviews... but I actually have
tested the camera myself with all the others I told about.

Negative287 · Jun 27, 2002

Well, not exactly! Look at Canon's site... There are now recalls that include the G2 Black as well and that isn't that old.

--

http://www.pbase.com/elterrible

StevieO said:
for me, the first thing i thought of when i heard that 54% of g2
owners has the crack was "when did they buy their camera?"

if they bought their camera during the first year of its release
date, then yes, the statistics would be high. but ever since the
matter has been addressed by canon, i haven't heard anything about
cracks. personally, i purchased mine about a few weeks after canon
made the announcement and my camera's still in mint condition. i
even dropped it once from a 4-foot high ( 1.2 meters) loft bed and
still no signs of cracking....

or maybe i'm just one of the lucky ones...=P

Negative287 · Jun 27, 2002

ZéDasCouves said:
I know that I can and am probably wrong, but we can still expect
something like that, after all the cracks appear because the camera
cover is made a cheap material, and they are all made of the same
thing, so I can at least think about the chance that all g2 will
eventually have the cracks...

As far as the Olympus C4040Z goes, I like the olympus and they're almost identical cameras as far as specs go... However, I have to note, that only the back of the G2 is plastic and the whole Fuji S602Z is plastic.

--

http://www.pbase.com/elterrible

Richard P.86467 · Jun 27, 2002

Steve_A said:
Okay which is it I am supposed to look for the first digit being a
"1" or something to do with the fifth digit???

Steve,

Several forum members reported that they were informed by Canon that newer G2 cameras with 10-digit (instead of 9) serial numbers with the 5th digit a 5 or higher have redesigned backs that should not crack.
--
Richard P.
Keep an eye open!

Bill Ritchie · Jun 27, 2002

Like the chorus of others, your point in writing this escapes me. Yes, I read what you have written, and yes, I understand the language. The "altruism" of the motive, however, does not ring true. After having followed the various forums on here for some time, I made a different decision: I bought a G2. The crack issue is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. Focus? Have you taken a good look at the pictures folks have put on here, like Scott's in Hawaii? If you can get sharper focus, I'd like to know what that would look like. If other things were equal, which they aren't, I probably would have purchased the CP5000. However, spending that kind of time learning a camera is not my idea of a good day! Joining an every-growing chorus, let me encourage you to buy what you desire, and get on with it. Oh, btw: are you also posting on the various other forums the reasons why you are choosing not to buy their particular camera de jour?
Bill

ZéDasCouves said:
I was thinking of buying the G2 because as you all know it's got
great lenses and overall very good image quality. but for the price
I would expect a camera without any defects as those cracks and
those problems with focusing.

Mauro.B · Jun 27, 2002

ZéDasCouves,

I just hope that, in the future, posts like yours will only come from people who actually owned, or tried at least for a week, any camera. Otherwise - believe me, my friend - it is an absolute WASTE OF TIME. And all of us have better uses for our time, even within this forum.

You do not own a camera (do you still have the Nikon 990 you claimed to in the Nikon forum ?), and only seem to look for a justification for not buying the G2. It's your money, your hobby and your - somewhat empty - opinion. My G2 is crack free, I paid full retail price so it was brand new and not recycled, perfectly focuses 95 shots out of 100 (the 5 mostly being my fault). So what ? Am I entitled to shout in every forum how happy I am with my camera and bash everything else ? Even if in the last 18 months I bought / exchanged five or six digital cameras, and only G2 survived. And I do not have any "integralist" approach: I will buy a clearly better camera as soon as it will show in the radar screen.

Nothing in consumer electronics lasts for more that 12 months, therefore inspect your wallet, look at your face in the mirror and - if you smile - be quick .

Remember also that nothing is without defects: you have to be wise enough to focus on the positives. Other wise you will not: buy any car, marry any girl, take any job, and so on and so forth.

A final word: next time try to use this forum to share your experiences, not to spread negatives - all of us will feel immensely better and possibly learn a new bit.

And - PLEASE - buy any f@#ing camera you like and go shooting.

Ciao

--
Greets from Rome

Mauro

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