Upgrading from Sony N1 to SD800 (or G7)? Advice/opinions, please...

[vincentnyc]

Hello all! Thanks for all the good info in this forum.

I typically keep 2 cameras: one 'big" and one "small". My current "big" camera is the Sony R1, and my current "small" camera is the Sony N1 (i've had the T1 before and breifly the Casio 750, dare i say). i find the N1's focus in low light to be slow, but enjoy the 3" screen and the overall ergonomics.

i'm looking to upgrade from the Sony N1 to something better. initially, i thought the T50 (with Optical Image Stabilization and also 3" LCD) would be a good choice, but then i looked more and the SD800 IS seems much better, even the Fuji F31 (with amazing low light performance) seems like a "one song" type camera. Uh oh...i then saw the Canon G7. The G7 had everything (though i wished for a better lens). I loved the face recognition, the IS that works well, the completeness of the controls, etc.

BUT, and it's a bit but, for being my "small" camera, the G7 isn't that small! the SD800 IS is more like it. however, it would be tough to give up that larger 1/1.8 sensor of the G7, plus the G7's 6x zoom.

May i please ask your fine advice/opinions vis-a-vis my upgrade path for my "small" camera? i'm tired of my N1 and want an upgrade in performance.

the G7 is very large for being a "small" camera in a "2 camera home" - though it seems to be tolerable as the lens is cleverly designed to be flat. the camera is also remarkably flat when one wears it. the odd-sized neck strap is outrageous, as it limits all our options. how silly. the 2.5" LCD rather than the 3" LCD is a disappointment, but 2.5" seems to be the current sweetspot for most manufacturers, except Sony - which prefers 3".

ugh. i'd wish the G7 features crammed into the SD 800IS body! i suppose that the SD 800IS is sufficient to take snapshots for fun, to take fun pics of my dog, dinners, streetscapes walking around town, but wouldn't the G7 be MUCH more responsive and focuses more quickly? resulting in more satisfying/better pictures?

ultimately, i'm wondering how much the extra size and weight of the G7 would make me NOT want to carry it, versus if i had the SD 800, would i actually carry and use the SD 800 more because of the smaller/more convenient size? OR, would the simple act of carrying ANY camera make the G7 not such a "big deal" compared with the SD800? after all, the G7 isn't the size/weight/bulk of a typical "prosumer" size which is rather/truly bulky!

thx in advance for your advice.

Cheers!

 

[Maeson]

For me it depends more on the type of photos you like to take. I find that I prefer the G7, as the good optical zoom allows me to capture the emotion of portrait shots without intruding in the space. The SD800 has a wide angle similar to my S80 which I find I hardly ever use. The G7 feels good in the hand and the size weight is not an issue.

 

[Laszlo Babarczi]

I think the two DC's play in a different "liga". I currently own a Canon G3, which is a bit bigger, than the G7, but it is simply too heavy and bulky for me to carry with me. Thus I've decided to buy a small cam too (SD 850 IS, PS 800 IS in the US). I know, that it may sound wierd, but for me the G3 will be the cam to play with if I have the time to play - even if it is not a high-tech cam today - and the SD 850 IS the cam to have it all the time with me.

One important aspect you should consider is the weight: the G= is 390 g and the 850 IS is 170 g!!! It is a huge difference, you'll never be able to put a Gx into your pocket. On the other hand the SD850 IS is designed especially for your pocket.

All in all if you want a small cam buy the SD 850 IS. It will perfectly serve you when taking photos of family events, city scenes, etc.

I was also considering the Panasoinic FX01/07/50, but finally I voted for Canon.

Cheers from Hungary

 

[craighome]

The Canon G7 is certainly larger than the SD800/850is, however sd800/850is isn't too light either (look at the specifications of the camera on here) and weighed more than I found comfortable in a trouser or shirt pocket and was scared of damaging in the screen. The SD800 was a bit too small for me and never felt comfortable to hold and nearly dropped it a few times

The G7 is a bit bigger, a bit heavier but you do get a lot more for it including full manual control and a better lens - it's definitely a step up in the quality and build but you do lose the wide angle although I rarely used this (you can add a conversion lens to the G7 if required)

SD800/850IS was a good camera, I had a few pictures which were keepers but for me personally - it wasn't the best fit for my needs

My G7 actually fits in my shirt pocket, it's a lot smaller than the G6 before it and it better complements my 350D

The 350D can get better results, but the number of times I've left it at home with lens as it was a bit bulky is the reason I was looking for a more compact camera

The better image quality argument is a bit pointless if that 350D camera is at home, it's very difficult to capture a moment ! lol

So the G7 is a compromise for me, but it's not that big a compromise and you can get great results. in the UK, the 800/850IS was £270 and I picked up the G7 for £320

I'll be keeping imy G7 - it works for me, find out if it works for you

Regards

Craig

 

[craighome]

Hi Laszlo,

I looked at the same issues, and went for the G7! I guess I must have bigger pockets as it fits in mine! lol

G7 works best for me, SD800 works best for you...

Regards

Craig

 

[vincentnyc]

I am surmising that pocket sizes differ significantly between the UK and Hungary :0

All kidding aside, I'm grateful for your comments/advice/opinions. I'm torn. on the one hand, my R1 is sitting around in a drawer "gathering dust". It is heavy, but i love the lens. When i use it, i feel like "it" is the raison d'etre for whatever i'm doing - with my neck stiff from walking around with it (despite a special neck strap which is very nice that i ordered like on Day 2 of owning that camera).

My N1 is small but i am seeking significant performance improvements. I was shocked to try out and see how magnificently the face recognition and the optical image stabilization worked in the store. It is a brave new world. How anyone who enjoys natural light photography (more than the harsh flash look) can ever go back to a camera without Optical IS is inconceivable - it, to me, is de riguer from now on as technology is permitting it to be.

the facial recognition is so handy. the speediness with which it follows people's movement is a tribute to how quick these new processors are.

BUT, alas, both the SD800IS as well as the G7 have these two nifty features.

The 6X zoom is what i feel that i'll miss the most should i get the 800IS. Leaving "the camera" at home would be what i'd miss the most should i get the G7. Like you guys, i agree completely that no one can take a good OR a poor picture if your camera is sitting comfortably in a drawer at home! Ya gotta have it with ya if ya wanna take a picture - good or bad!

i'm trying hard to convince myself that the G7 isn't THAT bulky or big.

i only wish that Canon would have gone "all out" a wee bit more on the G7: i.e. a finer quality lens, faster lens, even better construction quality/materials, like the "tube" the lens is made of (black plastic-like material). for their fully loaded "small-ish" camera, the G-series, which they only update once every 1 year and 9 months (a very very long gestation period in terms of technology and cameras!!), it would have made sense! N'est-ce pas? The pros of putting in a better lens and slightly better materials (selling more units, even better reviews, etc) must outweigh the slightly reduced margins. it would then obviously and clearly sit at the top of the heap of this "class" of cameras and would be tough to nudge out for a while! Ah, corporate minds...can't live with them...can't live without them!

Hope there'd be more advice coming...

thanks again!

 

[vincentnyc]

as i'm trying to come to a decision in upgrading from the Sony N1 to either the SD800IS or the G7 (i also have a bigger camera, Sony R1, sitting around at home and would like a smaller one to carry around), i can't help but notice that the performance parameters are extremely similar between the two!!

both use the DigicIII processor (similar shot to shot speeds and other parameters), both have an f/ 2.8 lens, both have the face recognition, etc.

it increasingly makes it harder to choose the G7! it seems to me that the SD800IS is more desirable, say 90% of the time, while the G7 will come in handy occasionally, especially when one wants to zoom in closer, or need/want to control the aperture and/or the shutter speed. But really, besides those relatively limited situations (unless you really need to zoom in more than 104mm frequently or always), the 1/3 the weight plus the truly pocketable advantages of the SD800 just can't be overlooked as the two are so similar in many performace parameters!

i wonder why Canon didn't do more for the G7? i originally really wanted the G7 but the more i look, the more the SD800IS seems to really do and cover so much of what the G7 can do.

ugh!