G16 a classic

[Super 8]

Being a user of rangefinder cameras when I was growing up in the 70s, the G 16 is a lovely blend of classic compact design and modern technolgy. Sure its not perfect, manual ring adjustment on lense, slightly wider angle and a touch longer zoom would be icing on the cake. On a recent overseas trip, taking 4000 photos, the G16 was used instead of my DSLR, and I was pleasantly surprised. Overall very happy with quality of photos, camera can be used like a point and shoot or for serious ameteur.

 

[Henry Richardson]

Just curious, do you usually shoot raw or jpegs with your G16?

 

[Super 8]

Hi Henry,

JPEGs only at this stage. Camera is only 2 months old, so it is still early days.

regards

 

[Henry Richardson]

JPEGs only at this stage. Camera is only 2 months old, so it is still early days.

The G16 has a hand-held HDR mode. It takes 3 quick exposures and then aligns and combines them in camera creating a jpeg. Unfortunately, it doesn't work in raw mode. My previous G15 had the HDR mode, but you needed to use a tripod. I never used it on the G15, but with the G16 I sometimes do use it. Most of the time the result is pretty natural looking and not over-the-top HDR. Then, of course, I can tweak it some more on the computer, if I want. I have found that usually an HDR jpeg is better than a single raw when the DR is too wide. Only for still subjects, of course. Since you shoot jpegs this can come in handy for you.

 

[Yorkshire Lass]

I have a G16 and LOVE it but I travel extensively for months at a time and it is getting a bit battered. Can anyone recommend a replacement... something light, flexible and not too complicated - Cheers

 

[0lf]

I have a G16 and LOVE it but I travel extensively for months at a time and it is getting a bit battered. Can anyone recommend a replacement... something light, flexible and not too complicated - Cheers

In the Canon offering, something quite similar is the G5x. It is a little bit bigger, but have an articulated touch screen and a EVF with 100% coverage and no parallax error. Compared to the G16 :

• You gain an articulated touch screen and a EVF
• You keep a great handling, a grip and lots of dials
• you keep most of the zoom amplitude, from 24mm to 100mm at full definition, and 130mm at 12Mpixel and still 160mm at 8Mpixel
• you keep the bright lens ƒ/1.8 to ƒ/2.8
• You gain a much bigger sensor with better definition, DR and noise at the same time

If you don't care about the VF, then, the G7x2 is a good bet : it is similar to the G5x but lack the viewfinder, has a simpler tillable touch screen, has one less dial and is smaller.

If you don't care that much about noise and low light but want a bigger zoom, you can also see the TZ100 from Panasonic. Compared to the G16 :

• you gain a touch screen and a VF
• you trade sensor size for aperture (so expect quite similar low light performance)
• You gain zoom, with a 10x 25 to 250mm at full definition

So depending on how you use your camera and what you want to shoot...

 

[arrow501]

I have a G16 and LOVE it but I travel extensively for months at a time and it is getting a bit battered. Can anyone recommend a replacement... something light, flexible and not too complicated - Cheers

You'll probably get recommendations for the G5X and G7X ii. Both are OK cameras but as you travel a lot you may miss the G16’s great battery life. Non Canon batteries can be used but only after you have dismissed an on screen message about the non genuine battery. Another area where the two newer cameras lag behind the G16 is macro.

 

[pacnwhobbyist]

I remember when the G16 came out, it was berated by many a reviewer because the image quality lagged behind the RX100 series. That is a true statement, but the G16 was a much more enjoyable camera to use. That great lens that went out to 140mm, great Canon color, lots of direct controls, decent AF, great battery life, and excellent build quality. The G5X almost hits that mark but the small battery (I'll forgive the shorter lens) is quite a letdown.

I think if Canon ever came out with a G17 and priced it reasonably, it would still sell. But the 1" sensor is pretty much the norm now.