G16 question/advice

I bought a G11 several years ago as a backup for my dslr for the usual reasons.  It's much smaller and convenient to pack around.  It's also less stress from a financial risk of something happening to it.

I'll be in Arizona this spring on vacation.  There will be a lot of great photo opportunities including a possible road trip to the Grand canyon.

I decided to leave the dslr at home and bring the G11 for the reasons I mentioned above.

I then started having thoughts of upgrading the G11, which I really love on many levels.  The obvious contender was the G16.  It looks to be faster on every level than my G11 and also looks to do better in low light situations.

I'm fine with the bulkiness of the G series.  I like a little heft and having all the dedicated easy to access controls.  I've also found them to have excellent image quality.

I've spent a lot of time pouring through reviews of the G16 and similar type cameras.  There's a lot out there.

With a price tag of $499, I'm not sure I'm going to find a better value for my money for the purposes I'm after.

My own excitement over getting the G16 has been shaken by the fact that no one else seems to be excited about it.   It looks to have come out very recently and even here on the Powershot forum, there is very little mention of it.

There seems to be a feeling that there is a lack of innovation with the series and that there isn't a need or demand for a camera like this with everything else out there.

I look at the G16 as a tried and true concept for what it is.  After all I've read I still feel it's a great upgrade to my G11 and fit for my needs.

Is the G16 a great camera for what it is?  Do I need to wake up and smell the coffee because the G series is stale and dated?

Any and all feedback is welcome.  Please keep in mind that part of the attraction to the G16 is the price tag.

Thanks,

Keith

camgeek wrote:

I too am in the same boat. Outside of the reviews I can't find much about the G16 as all the buzz is about the G1X. I bought the G 16 because it was right filor me. My eyes demand a OVF so any camera without one is useless to me. I have had the G16 for a couple of days and can say I am extraordinarily pleased with it and I recommend this camera for anyone who is interested in good holiday pics or any other daily activities as long as they aren't concerned about the ultimate pixel presentation. I don't know anyone who has any criticism of the photos from this camera but none of them care about pixel peeping, they just want a well taken photo which this camera delivers

I don't have the G16, But I have the G15 -- which in itself is a huge improvement over the G11, and very much like the G16.  It is quicker, smaller, and has an f1.8-f2.8 lens, so it does much better in low light also.  Both the G15 and G16 though lose the articulated LCD, but make up for it with larger, brighter and better resolution LCD.  I love the G15!  The G16 improves further on the G15 with a faster processor and BSI sensor, so it does even better in low light and  focuses even faster than the g15 does -- which is already blazingly fast compared to the G11.

I don't think you can go wrong with either the G15 or the G16 honestly.  These are really dandy well built little cameras that make very fine pictures.  You would be pleased with either one.

I was happy with my G15 when I bought it. What holds me from advicing a bit better and feature loaded G16 is the price. It would be so nice cam, if it would be $70 cheaper. So I bought G15, because output and results were acceptable for that price. Wi-Fi feature is nice, but it does not shoot your picture... Anyway generally I can highly recommend G15 and G16. If I´d buy compact cam again, it would be definitely G15 again.

I have G16 and the burst shooting mode is really fast.............!  Had G15 before and like G16 a lot more. For two reasons, first it is fast, really! Fast AF much better than Sony's RX100. second, video to Full HD 60p (with multiway IS control)  is a lot nicer than G15's 30p--much smoother.  Though the price of G15 has been about $300 last month--so a lot of people go for that.

G16 clearly IS better cam, but quite pricey for what it is - I mean the main task. I appreciate highly that it has wifi and 60FPS video, but unless it does much better in IQ region against G15, I´m sorry G16, you are not going to qualify for that price.

I am in a similar situation Keith.  I have a G10 that have had for a few years now and was thinking about an update.  Like you I am surprised at how little excitement there seems to be about the G16.  I like the format and feel of the G series, particularly the external controls.  Two things have held me back so far, the lack or articulated screen and the lack of GPS.  I like to geotag all my outdoor photos.  I have been looking at the possibility of the new Panasonic TZ-60 (ZS40) as I like the long reach lens.  But I have a feeling I will be disappointed with the image quality in comparison to the G series.  If you do get the G16 I will be interested to know what you think of it.   I might even look at the G1X mk2 and see how it feels in comparison when its available.

digitalcuriosity wrote:

boblister wrote:

I am in a similar situation Keith. I have a G10 that have had for a few years now and was thinking about an update. Like you I am surprised at how little excitement there seems to be about the G16. I like the format and feel of the G series, particularly the external controls. Two things have held me back so far, the lack or articulated screen and the lack of GPS. I like to geotag all my outdoor photos. I have been looking at the possibility of the new Panasonic TZ-60 (ZS40) as I like the long reach lens. But I have a feeling I will be disappointed with the image quality in comparison to the G series. If you do get the G16 I will be interested to know what you think of it. I might even look at the G1X mk2 and see how it feels in comparison when its available.

I have bought many Canon Gs my first a G2 today i have a 5 a 7 a 10 a 11 a 15 and the 16. IMHO i feel all around the new 16G is the best.

Agree:)

digitalcuriosity wrote:

boblister wrote:

I am in a similar situation Keith. I have a G10 that have had for a few years now and was thinking about an update. Like you I am surprised at how little excitement there seems to be about the G16. I like the format and feel of the G series, particularly the external controls. Two things have held me back so far, the lack or articulated screen and the lack of GPS. I like to geotag all my outdoor photos. I have been looking at the possibility of the new Panasonic TZ-60 (ZS40) as I like the long reach lens. But I have a feeling I will be disappointed with the image quality in comparison to the G series. If you do get the G16 I will be interested to know what you think of it. I might even look at the G1X mk2 and see how it feels in comparison when its available.

I have bought many Canon Gs my first a G2 today i have a 5 a 7 a 10 a 11 a 15 and the 16. IMHO i feel all around the new 16G is the best.

Oddly enough my only other Canon G was a G6, one you haven't had.  It was very good in its day, but slow by todays standards.  I may go and have a look at a G16 tomorrow and see how it feels.

So I agree with the OP...there isn't much ado about the G16.  I had the G15 - wanted a better point and shoot for when my 7D or 50D was too big to carry.  Loved the capabilities of the G15 and it was great until....the view finder failed and the camera had to be replaced.  Best Buy didn't have any more G15's so I paid $50 and went home with a G16.

Haven't had it long but I absolutely love the convenience of wifi uploading to my computer or iPad.  I have also noticed it is a much faster camera - you can click picture after picture with little delay.  The video is also very good.  I haven't had it long enough but so far, I'm very happy I was forced to upgrade.

Interesting, I narrowed my choice down to a coolpix P7800 or a G15. Opted for the P7800, it was no more than ok, then the viewfinder stopped working. Did not replace it with another and bought the G15. Chalk and cheese, the G15 is a superb camera. I do take a little bit of an issue with the ravings about build quality, it is well built but my G10 is still difficult to beat on the build quality stakes. One point I would mention is the fact that very little is said about the glass covered rear screen, it is unique and superb. I believe it is the first compact with this feature. certainly no issue with the lack of an articulating screen for me Thanks to the clarity and non reflective qualities here.

I bought my G16 a little over a month ago online for below msrp.  I too was concerned that the G series was getting a little long in the tooth.  Then the G1X MII was announced & I had to think hard about whether to return the G16 & wait for the G1X.

Kept it, in part, because I am traveling soon & didn't want to have to wait until April or later to get the G1X, plus weight, cost, lack of reviews, were factors.  Maybe in the future I will upgrade but for now I am happy with my choice.

I also sold my RX-100 a few months ago and find I much prefer the G16 in terms of handling, controls, menus, fast lens, jpeg color, start up time.  I'm just getting up to know the camera but these items are huge.

Things I miss about the RX-100 are the sharpness & DR & believe it or not, the bounce flash (really useful, indoors).  Otherwise, it is a cold bar of soap that happened to take good photos.

Every time I pick up my G16 there is some intangible "warm" quality that encourages me to use it & explore it.  Hope that helps.

Am in exactly same position as have also swopped RX100 for G16.

RX100 has great IQ but disliked handling, controls etc and find G16 also gives great IQ but with far superior handling, controls and operational speed. It's just a much more enjoyable camera to use.

I don't mind the size ( do people really stick a camera in a jeans pocket...?!) and even find the viewfinder useful.

Compared to a G15 it's speedier to focus and handles files very quickly. Not too bothered about wi-fi, although it works well enough. Focus peaking excellent for careful macro work.

I'm also considering the G16. Looking to downgrade from my T2i that is just too bulky and doesn't do a great job indoors (unless I put the 430exii flash on==even more bulky). The wife also won't use it.

But I'm looking at the $299 price of the G15 on b&h and thinking that's a pretty good deal, compared to the $449 the G16 is now. Not concerned about the wifi (I have an eyefi card that I find good enough).

My primary use is family photos, mostly small kids indoors with daylight or low light. Is a G15/G16 going to be a huge step down for me? Will my external flash be useful with a G, or would it be too big for that camera?

But if the speed of the G16 is that significant and would help me keep up with small kids, that would be worth it.