A720 indoors with kids

[WT21]

Does anyone find the A720 good indoors with kids. I hear the flash recycle times are really slow. Is ISO 800 useless on this camera? Any kind of input from A720 users is appreciated (please, no comments on ccd size and DSLR, etc. etc. I'm aware of the limits of the technology. I'm simply wondering from A720 users what their personal experience is -- sample images welcome)

 

[CMD is me]

I just picked up a A720 so I can't comment specifically, BUT I've had a S3 and S5 along with a TZ3, F31, F40, F50 and S6000. I don't care for the look of washed out flashes, so I've tried them all to see what the ISO limits are. IMO, ISO800 isn't very usable on the first 3 mentioned. Anything over 320 is getting pretty grainy. 800 just looks really bad unless you're going for an effect. If you want flash free photos I'd suggest picking up a F45 (F40) at Ritz Camera before they're all gone -- then pocket it for the Canon when the sun comes out!

 

[mamallama]

I just picked up a A720 so I can't comment specifically, BUT I've had
a S3 and S5 along with a TZ3, F31, F40, F50 and S6000. I don't care
for the look of washed out flashes, so I've tried them all to see
what the ISO limits are. IMO, ISO800 isn't very usable on the first 3
mentioned. Anything over 320 is getting pretty grainy. 800 just looks
really bad unless you're going for an effect. If you want flash free
photos I'd suggest picking up a F45 (F40) at Ritz Camera before
they're all gone -- then pocket it for the Canon when the sun comes
out!

I agree with picking up a F45. Unfortunately the $105 price at Ritz is over as the $75 rebate expired on April 30. I've found that in addition to being fast and good in low light, the flash does not wash out faces as the face detection works great to expose faces very well.

--mamallama

 

[cnlson]

http://picasaweb.google.com/cnlson

it was dark (laser tag) and even though these were iso 1600 they were also 1 second shots.

 

[sabesh]

Greetings,

I haven't had a chance to shoot kids as I've only had it for about 3 days. Here are some outdoor and very few indoor pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabesh/sets/72157605152875765/

I'm debating between keeping this and exchanging it for a G9. Reason: I could use the extra pixels for cropping (I love street photography and I crop most such pics).

However, I'm a bit alarmed at the g9's reviews: Looks like too much noise > 200. Oops, back to topic: I'm pretty confident that the a720IS will perform quite well with kids as ISO 400 is not that bad on it. It's also has fast shutter and AF (another thing lacking in the G9 as per the reviews). Arrrg .. decisions, decisions ..

--
Sabesh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabesh/

 

[WT21]

Well, no one can seem to please any of us ;-)

I have the G9, and am considering the A720, because the G9 is too big.

Yes, there is noise in the G9 photos. It starts in shadows even in low ISOs. BUT the G9 is a very, very fine grain, and the pictures respond excellently to post processing. If you get a full-sized example off the web, try just bumping up the saturation just a tiny bit and dump the noise reduction up just a tiny bit. The noise pretty much vanishes (I use iPhoto, and they all clean right up).

Check out the two shots of birthday cake here: http://picasaweb.google.com/t.blog.w/TZ5VsG9TestShots One is ISO 400, the other ISO1600. Could the 720 take those shots? That's what I think I might miss if I dropped the G9, but I'd love to hear your input.

 

[sabesh]

Yep, the G9's size might bother me a bit, but not as much as it's lack of a grip (I don't want to add any 3rd party grips). Does the G9 come with a hand strap as opposed to a neck strap?

Anyways, I've decided to return the A720IS and try out the G9: I can always do the reverse if I decide that I prefer the a720IS (thank goodness for BestBuy exchange policies, lol).

Before heading out to BB, I took some quick indoor pics at ISOs 1600, 800 & 400 for you:

http://rapidshare.com/files/116298055/Archive.zip.html

All handheld, in P mode holding my breath

Cheers,

--
Sabesh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabesh/

 

[WT21]

Good luck with your purchase.

I am on the fence on Richard's grip (I have one on now). It's quite nice, but definitely makes the camera fell bigger in your hand. Good for gripping, but makes it feel less like a pocket camera.

No wrist strap included (which I am not happy about) and the neck strap is poor. I got an old EOS neck strap, and a very small Tamrac belt-loop bag for the G9. I just haven't found a good way to carry it. Wrist strap helps, but buy your own (why can't I find the Canon wrist-straps after-market. I love them)

Does the 720 fit in your pants pocket easily? I'd love to hear your feedback on size/portability after you get the G9.

btw -- those cake shots I posted are also handheld, fwiw

 

[Sean Nelson]

Does the 720 fit in your pants pocket easily?

It will fit in the pocket if your pants are reasonably loose, but that's a sure-fire way to get dust into the camera. Don't carry the camera around in your pocket and then post complaints here about dust problems ;-).

A better way to carry the camera is with a belt pouch.

 

[sabesh]

WT21 wrote:
No wrist strap included (which I am not happy about) and the neck
strap is poor. I got an old EOS neck strap, and a very small Tamrac
belt-loop bag for the G9. I just haven't found a good way to carry
it. Wrist strap helps, but buy your own (why can't I find the Canon
wrist-straps after-market. I love them)

Does the 720 fit in your pants pocket easily? I'd love to hear your
feedback on size/portability after you get the G9.

I just picked up a G9. It's big compared to the a720IS; and, puny compared to my 5D w/ 85L II. Will test it out for a week and see if it's a keeper. If not, back to the a720IS. I found an old Canon powershot strap that fits perfectly on the G9: So the grip has become less of an issue now.

But I must admit, the A720IS is easier to hold with one hand. It's also easier to carry in a jeans pocket as it weighs less. In fact, I carried it around all day over Sat and Sunday and hardly felt it there (I was wearing loose fitting pants). The G9 defintely weighs down the jeans.

I need some cropping room than the 8mp the A720IS provides. I'm hoping that the G9 matches or exceeds the a720IS's IQ. If so, AND if I find the G9 comfy to carry around, I'll keep the G9. Cheers.

--
Sabesh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabesh/

 

[WT21]

Thanks for the feedback. I was just at the shop handling a 720. The 720 would be a LOT more comfortable in the pants pocket, but based on the 720 samples I've seen on the web, the G9 IQ, cropping ability and low-light handling are better. Also, I used the flash on the 720 in-store. Wow! I don't think I could live with that flash recycle time.

However, for pictures outside, where you won't crop a lot, I can definitely see the attraction of the 720.

I've also just go the SD890 to play with. It handles much better than I thought, but the lens is slow (where the G9 can do a shutter speed of 1/60, the SD890 wants 1/30 at the same focal length and ISO, max ap (2.8 on the G9, 3.2 on the SD890)

 

[sabesh]

WT21 wrote:
Thanks for the feedback. I was just at the shop handling a 720. The
720 would be a LOT more comfortable in the pants pocket, but based on
the 720 samples I've seen on the web, the G9 IQ, cropping ability and
low-light handling are better. Also, I used the flash on the 720
in-store. Wow! I don't think I could live with that flash recycle
time.

Odd, I've been seeing some superb shots from the a720IS as well:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/a710is/pool/

It's all about technique, I believe After playing around with the G9, here are some initial observations: G9 lags a bit more than the A720IS (shutter, AF combo); G9 has equal ISO performance. G9's lens appears to be a bit sharper.

Just curious, what do you mean by "low-light handling"? I hardly use flash, so the recycle time isn't an issue for me. However, the G9 does bounce flash very well paired with the 430EX.

If I decide to keep the G9, the biggest challenge would be to find a slim snug case for it. Case manufacturers seem to think that ALL users want a bomb-proof shell to protect their military cameras Any idea where I can get a slim case just to protect against scratches? Thx.

--
Sabesh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabesh/

 

[WT21]

I haven't found a good case yet for the G9. I am currently using a small tamrac that has a belt clip. It holds the camera vertically, but has a top flap instead of a zipper, so you can quickly pull the camera out.

By low light, I mean the ability to take a shot indoors without a flash. I really like how those cakes came out on the picasa site I posted earlier, and those were ISO800 and 1600. The shots I've seen in the really high ISO on the 720 were uncontrollably grainy. So, that's all I was thinking.

 

[sabesh]

WT21 wrote:
By low light, I mean the ability to take a shot indoors without a
flash. I really like how those cakes came out on the picasa site I
posted earlier, and those were ISO800 and 1600. The shots I've seen
in the really high ISO on the 720 were uncontrollably grainy. So,
that's all I was thinking.

I think that cake turned out OK due to many variables coming together in favour. The test pics I've taken in high ISO with the G9 are no different from the A720IS's. In fact I took 3 more shots at ISOs 1600, 800 & 400 of the same objects I posted for you earlier. They have the same grain via the G9. Let me know if you want me to upload them. Cheers.

--
Sabesh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabesh/

 

[WT21]

No worries on posting them. I've logged 3000 photos on my G9 already, but struggled with it at first. It takes some practice. It's a good little camera. I just wish it were a bit lighter and smaller.

I've just got an SD890 today in the mail, which looks like it will replace my trusty SD800. Yes, no Wide Angle, but that's not been a huge deal for me anyway.

Good luck in your search.

 

[RunningClam]

ISO800 is good enough for web usage.

 

[sabesh]

WT21 wrote:
No worries on posting them. I've logged 3000 photos on my G9 already,
but struggled with it at first. It takes some practice. It's a good
little camera. I just wish it were a bit lighter and smaller.

I've just got an SD890 today in the mail, which looks like it will
replace my trusty SD800. Yes, no Wide Angle, but that's not been a
huge deal for me anyway.

Thx! Despite the a720IS producing slightly better images at higher ISOs, I've decided to keep the G9. It's bigger size is outweighed by the following:

-- Takes Teleconverters, albeit with vignetting through most of the range. Will be very useful for street shooting, which is why I was looking for a small P&S in the first place.

-- RAW. Not very necessary as I plan to use this in good light where the G9's exposure is pretty much bang-on. However, it's nice to have if I goof up.

-- Extra megapixels for cropping.

However, I will miss the following from the a720IS:

-- Portability.

-- AA bateries.

-- Faster AF and shutter locks. Overall faster than the G9.

Cheers,

--
Sabesh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabesh/

 

[Nicola Naj]

Not that this will change your decision--but the A720IS does take teleconverters and supports RAW through the use of CHDK.

-Bill

 

[sabesh]

Nicola Naj wrote:
Not that this will change your decision--but the A720IS does take
teleconverters and supports RAW through the use of CHDK.

-Bill

Thx Bill! Any idea if the G9 TC will fit the a720IS?

Cheers,

--
Sabesh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabesh/

 

[Nicola Naj]

According to the Canon P&S website:

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryid=113

They do not share any common lens accessories (although, it looks like both adapters are 58mm, so you may be able to share filters???).

The Canon website is setup pretty well--you can find the accessories for your camera and click on "compatible products" and it will list other cameras supported.

-Bill

PS: For example, the Tele Converter TC-DC58C lists compatible products as:

PowerShot A650 IS
PowerShot G7
PowerShot G9

-Bill