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G16 replaced my G15: some thoughts

Started Oct 15, 2014 | Discussions thread
Peter in Canberra Senior Member • Posts: 1,346
Re: G15 v G16 - AF and speed

2ndact scene1 wrote:

Pretty amazing that a post from 7 years ago can get revived and not only that, generate an interesting discussion.
I bought two G16’s late last year (one turned out to have problems). I took the better one on a trip to Japan In January 2020.

I was looking for a very lightweight zoom and I was interested in what a small sensor camera with relatively fast lens could do.

I am trying to decide what the appropriate conclusion on the G16 is. Did I enjoy using it? Yes. Could it take the images I wanted to take? 99% of the time. Was the image quality good? I would say it was what could reasonably have been expected about 75% of the time - but my expectations may have been a little ambitious. Some images were excellent. Of course, operator error and the learning curve on a new camera plays a role ...

The lcd is also pretty good and the zoom had a good range. ... Problems? Landscape images were a bit noisy despite limiting ISO to low levels. Plus some areas of the image on the landscapes showed some type of distortion or noise. I put it down to problems with the lens. Images of scenes where the majority of the subjects (buildings, people, shrines etc) were within 25 feet were very good and showed the deep DOF you can get with a small sensor and fast lens.
So the bottom line is, would I take it on another trip? Answer: only if I had another camera with me that I could use for landscapes and other images where IQ was a priority.

thanks so much for this sharing of experiences.

I nearly sprang for a G5X a couple of days ago but a couple of things held me back - poor battery life, and lots of reviews of sub-par lens. So the allure of the 1 inch sensor is dulled by those minuses especially when considering the price. And I've got moderate slzed hands and am wondering if even with the EVF I would find it a rather uncomfortable shooting experience.

Keep coming back to the G16 as a viable and low cost option - it really is compact - no sticky-outy bits, and it is rather tall meaning holding it comfortably with larger hands seems more realistic. I don't care about a flippy screen so the G16 design in that respect is good for me,

trying to track one (G16) down now

G15 v G16

As I noted earlier, there aren't a whole lot of either of these cameras around at present. But there are a few of both. There is a local G15 for what is probably a fair price.

The discussion thus far made it clear that there would by no meaningful difference in image quality between G16 or G15.

Looking at older discussions, the main plus (for a stills shooter) would be the upgraded processor, improved AF speed and apparently improved high ISO noise (?). Frames per second also better but not sure that is a big deal for the likely use.

thoughts/experiences on the relative merits of the G16 over the G15 on those performance aspects would be gratefully appreciated.

thank again

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