Should I skip G3 and go for A80 + EOS-300D ?

[noomnews]

I know that if I get G3, I may end up buying a DSLR later. Instead of spending money twice and end up getting midsize and large size camera, should I just wait and get A80 and EOS-300D instead ?

I used a friend's G3 for a week and really like it especially the articulate LCD. A80 has many features of G3 and I can still augment what it lack with EOS-300D.

Another option for me would be to get G3 this year, wait for next year EOS-300D replacement and may be A90 or S500.

Thanks,
-Nick

 

[log]

I dunno. I did buy the G3, but the instructor at the photography circle I attend said that now is the time for me to get started with a dSLR...

I am resisting the thought....

...except that, even though I know I haven't fully explored the possibilities of the G3, there have been times when I simply haven't been able to take the shots with it that I wanted, either because of low light conditions or lag. (Just ignore my own personal limitations here....)

But even a 300D is heavy so I won't carry it around with me the way I carry my G3, so there'll be shots I'll miss with it too....

I know that if I get G3, I may end up buying a DSLR later. Instead
of spending money twice and end up getting midsize and large size
camera, should I just wait and get A80 and EOS-300D instead ?

That is a tempting thought. I'm tempted. Wonder what's the resale price of a slightly battered G3 with lots of accessories....

I used a friend's G3 for a week and really like it especially the
articulate LCD.

Yup--it's that swivelling LCD that makes the camera for me, now. Is this frivolous?

A80 has many features of G3 and I can still
augment what it lack with EOS-300D.

Another option for me would be to get G3 this year, wait for next
year EOS-300D replacement and may be A90 or S500.

And that is another thought....

Sorry, I have nothing to add to help you in your dilemma, except to tell you that you are not alone.

 

[LTP]

Wait ... if you can. Otherwise, get what you really need/afford. After all cameras (& other electronic products) can only get better or cheaper!

I know that if I get G3, I may end up buying a DSLR later. Instead
of spending money twice and end up getting midsize and large size
camera, should I just wait and get A80 and EOS-300D instead ?

I used a friend's G3 for a week and really like it especially the
articulate LCD. A80 has many features of G3 and I can still
augment what it lack with EOS-300D.

Another option for me would be to get G3 this year, wait for next
year EOS-300D replacement and may be A90 or S500.

Thanks,
-Nick

 

[Jon S.]

Here is my two cents on it (as a new G3 owner who has an A70 backup)

If you are a new photographer the G3 is PLENTY of camera for you to grow into. It has tons of features and lets you really grow in the hobby. Plus, I personally think that having a camera with some limitations will allow you to grow a little quicker in knowledge on photography. (here is my slightly twisted logic) If you buy a camera that takes perfect pictures every single time on auto mode, why switch and learn about anything else or how to compensate for a slightly dark picture (or whatever the case may be)? If you are already a well versed photojournalist, yea, wait and get the D300 or right now grab a 10D (probably a little better bet if you are already semi-pro)

The other thing to think of, no matter which route you go, is that the mony you spend won't stop with the camera, you will want a good flash, lenses, etc, etc, etc.... the list is never ending.

I just made a similar choice between a G3 and a 300D and I decided to get the G3 now, and 6 months or a year from now, when I have learned all I can from the G3 and am ready for a step up, then I will start looking for DSLR, whatever the current model is.

GOOD LUCK!

-Jon S.

I know that if I get G3, I may end up buying a DSLR later. Instead
of spending money twice and end up getting midsize and large size
camera, should I just wait and get A80 and EOS-300D instead ?

I used a friend's G3 for a week and really like it especially the
articulate LCD. A80 has many features of G3 and I can still
augment what it lack with EOS-300D.

Another option for me would be to get G3 this year, wait for next
year EOS-300D replacement and may be A90 or S500.

Thanks,
-Nick

 

[JoeSal129362]

The G3 is available for unbeatable prices now, many accessories (CF,Flash,Tripod) could always be used later with your 300D. Why wait get something now and begin practicing with manual photography you could always sell the G3 later

I know that if I get G3, I may end up buying a DSLR later. Instead
of spending money twice and end up getting midsize and large size
camera, should I just wait and get A80 and EOS-300D instead ?

I used a friend's G3 for a week and really like it especially the
articulate LCD. A80 has many features of G3 and I can still
augment what it lack with EOS-300D.

Another option for me would be to get G3 this year, wait for next
year EOS-300D replacement and may be A90 or S500.

Thanks,
-Nick

 

[noomnews]

I decide to go for the G3. I figure I'll need a light weight camera anyway. I still have Nikon FE-2 which may be replace by EOS-3XX later.

I ordered from butterfly photo for $492. I already have some compact flash around so nothing is needed (yet).

Thanks Everyone
-Nick

 

[Brad Nichol]

log wrote:

Looking at the indicated pricing of the 300D in Australia, and the current selling prices for the G3 G5, I feel I would go for the 300D. However a DSLR and digicam fulfill different purposes and I can easily see the need for both. I own an A70 so I probably wouldn't upgrade to an A80, otherwise I would consider them as a pidgeon pair.

I really feel that keeping you expenditure relativley low at the this point of digital camera development is wise, just ask those who bought D30 at the original price, right now they probably feel asharp pain in the pocket bearing in mind the rapid progress! This has to make

the combo of an A80 and 300D pretty sensible for those who need the flexibility. I for one would rahter loose a few hundred than a few thousand dollars on equipment in the next year or so. My advice wait a few weeks and buy the 300D and get an A70 cheap now if you can.

I dunno. I did buy the G3, but the instructor at the photography
circle I attend said that now is the time for me to get started
with a dSLR...

I am resisting the thought....

...except that, even though I know I haven't fully explored the
possibilities of the G3, there have been times when I simply
haven't been able to take the shots with it that I wanted, either
because of low light conditions or lag. (Just ignore my own
personal limitations here....)

But even a 300D is heavy so I won't carry it around with me the way
I carry my G3, so there'll be shots I'll miss with it too....

I know that if I get G3, I may end up buying a DSLR later. Instead
of spending money twice and end up getting midsize and large size
camera, should I just wait and get A80 and EOS-300D instead ?

That is a tempting thought. I'm tempted. Wonder what's the resale
price of a slightly battered G3 with lots of accessories....

I used a friend's G3 for a week and really like it especially the
articulate LCD.

Yup--it's that swivelling LCD that makes the camera for me, now. Is
this frivolous?

A80 has many features of G3 and I can still
augment what it lack with EOS-300D.

Another option for me would be to get G3 this year, wait for next
year EOS-300D replacement and may be A90 or S500.

And that is another thought....

Sorry, I have nothing to add to help you in your dilemma, except to
tell you that you are not alone.

--
Zero-one imaging

 

[Man-Fai Wong]

If you expect to end up using 2 cameras anyway, eg. A80 + 300D, then I agree w/ a couple others that the G3 is the way to go. As mentioned, if you get the G3, a few accessories can be shared w/ the 300D, including Canon flash (eg. 420ex, 550ex) and batteries. The fact that these things can be shared should easily offset any initial cost advantage of the A80 over the G3 given how affordable the G3 is nowadays. For instance, I already save $$$ on extra battery for my G3 by sharing w/ my Canon miniDV camcorder(!).

Even if you expect to sell the non-DSLR compact, I don't see an advantage to the A80 cost-wise. The purchase price diff between A80 and G3 will likely carryover into their resell value/price to a good extent, so where's the advantage?

To me, it'd make more sense to consider something like a Canon S400 or other ultra compact vs a G3 as a companion for a DSLR, not the A80 vs G3. Not saying that one should or should not get the S400 or its ilk, but at the very least, there are clear advantages to an ultra compact over the G3 whereas the A80 seems to have nearly zero advantages, except the modestly lower price, which again can easily be offset as described above.

Man

I know that if I get G3, I may end up buying a DSLR later. Instead
of spending money twice and end up getting midsize and large size
camera, should I just wait and get A80 and EOS-300D instead ?

I used a friend's G3 for a week and really like it especially the
articulate LCD. A80 has many features of G3 and I can still
augment what it lack with EOS-300D.

Another option for me would be to get G3 this year, wait for next
year EOS-300D replacement and may be A90 or S500.

Thanks,
-Nick

 

[log]

Brad Nichol top-posted:

log wrote:
Looking at the indicated pricing of the 300D in Australia, and the
current selling prices for the G3 G5, I feel I would go for the
300D. However a DSLR and digicam fulfill different purposes and I
can easily see the need for both. I own an A70 so I probably
wouldn't upgrade to an A80, otherwise I would consider them as a
pidgeon pair.

I really feel that keeping you expenditure relativley low at the
this point of digital camera development is wise, just ask those
who bought D30 at the original price, right now they probably feel
asharp pain in the pocket bearing in mind the rapid progress! This
has to make
the combo of an A80 and 300D pretty sensible for those who need the
flexibility. I for one would rahter loose a few hundred than a few
thousand dollars on equipment in the next year or so. My advice
wait a few weeks and buy the 300D and get an A70 cheap now if you
can.

You missed the bit of my post where I delighted in the flip-out-and-swivel LCD?

I dunno. I did buy the G3, but the instructor at the photography
circle I attend said that now is the time for me to get started
with a dSLR...

I am resisting the thought....

...except that, even though I know I haven't fully explored the
possibilities of the G3, there have been times when I simply
haven't been able to take the shots with it that I wanted, either
because of low light conditions or lag. (Just ignore my own
personal limitations here....)

But even a 300D is heavy so I won't carry it around with me the way
I carry my G3, so there'll be shots I'll miss with it too....

I know that if I get G3, I may end up buying a DSLR later. Instead
of spending money twice and end up getting midsize and large size
camera, should I just wait and get A80 and EOS-300D instead ?

That is a tempting thought. I'm tempted. Wonder what's the resale
price of a slightly battered G3 with lots of accessories....

I used a friend's G3 for a week and really like it especially the
articulate LCD.

Yup--it's that swivelling LCD that makes the camera for me, now. Is
this frivolous?

A80 has many features of G3 and I can still
augment what it lack with EOS-300D.

Another option for me would be to get G3 this year, wait for next
year EOS-300D replacement and may be A90 or S500.

And that is another thought....

Sorry, I have nothing to add to help you in your dilemma, except to
tell you that you are not alone.

--
Zero-one imaging

 

[log]

To me, it'd make more sense to consider something like a Canon S400
or other ultra compact vs a G3 as a companion for a DSLR, not the
A80 vs G3. Not saying that one should or should not get the S400
or its ilk, but at the very least, there are clear advantages to an
ultra compact over the G3 whereas the A80 seems to have nearly zero
advantages, except the modestly lower price, which again can easily
be offset as described above.

Ah, but the A80 has a clear advantage to me in that it has a flip-out-and-swivel LCD, similar to (but not the same as) that of the G3. I know I'm being frivolous about this, but I find that feature so useful, I now have difficulty considering any camera that doesn't have it, regardless of how ultra-compact that camera might be.

 

[Man-Fai Wong]

Ah, but I did not say you should get an ultra compact -- and I specifically pointed that out. My point was that it's probably not worth saving the small $ diff to get A80 instead of G3 if what you basically want is a G3 before upgrading to a Canon DSLR.

IF you're very tight on budget AND have no expectation to jump to DSLR AND feel the G3 doesn't offer any advantages over the A80 for your usage, THEN and ONLY THEN, would the A80 make more sense than the G3 me thinks.

YMMV of course.

Man

To me, it'd make more sense to consider something like a Canon S400
or other ultra compact vs a G3 as a companion for a DSLR, not the
A80 vs G3. Not saying that one should or should not get the S400
or its ilk, but at the very least, there are clear advantages to an
ultra compact over the G3 whereas the A80 seems to have nearly zero
advantages, except the modestly lower price, which again can easily
be offset as described above.

Ah, but the A80 has a clear advantage to me in that it has a
flip-out-and-swivel LCD, similar to (but not the same as) that of
the G3. I know I'm being frivolous about this, but I find that
feature so useful, I now have difficulty considering any camera
that doesn't have it, regardless of how ultra-compact that camera
might be.

 

[noomnews]

To me, it'd make more sense to consider something like a Canon S400
or other ultra compact vs a G3 as a companion for a DSLR, not the
A80 vs G3. Not saying that one should or should not get the S400
or its ilk, but at the very least, there are clear advantages to an
ultra compact over the G3 whereas the A80 seems to have nearly zero
advantages, except the modestly lower price, which again can easily
be offset as described above.

Ah, but the A80 has a clear advantage to me in that it has a
flip-out-and-swivel LCD, similar to (but not the same as) that of
the G3. I know I'm being frivolous about this, but I find that
feature so useful, I now have difficulty considering any camera
that doesn't have it, regardless of how ultra-compact that camera
might be.

The articulate LCD is one of the most important factor for me. This rules out S400.

I agree on the A80. It is smaller than G3. Had I got A80 + 300D, I could cover what G3 can provide. On the otherhand, I don't want to wait anymore. I decided to get G3 eventhough I know that I want something smaller like the A80 but the only disadvantage of G3 on being bigger offset other advantages as pointed out by many people.

Man, thanks for pointing out about the battery. I have Canon MiniDV also. I guess I am locked in Canon solution

After all, there is nothing wrong in having G3 + A90 ? + EOS301D ? We have two photographers at home.

-Nick

 

[log]

To me, it'd make more sense to consider something like a Canon S400
or other ultra compact vs a G3 as a companion for a DSLR, not the
A80 vs G3. Not saying that one should or should not get the S400
or its ilk, but at the very least, there are clear advantages to an
ultra compact over the G3 whereas the A80 seems to have nearly zero
advantages, except the modestly lower price, which again can easily
be offset as described above.

Ah, but the A80 has a clear advantage to me in that it has a
flip-out-and-swivel LCD, similar to (but not the same as) that of
the G3. I know I'm being frivolous about this, but I find that
feature so useful, I now have difficulty considering any camera
that doesn't have it, regardless of how ultra-compact that camera
might be.

The articulate LCD is one of the most important factor for me.
This rules out S400.

I agree on the A80. It is smaller than G3. Had I got A80 + 300D,
I could cover what G3 can provide. On the otherhand, I don't want
to wait anymore. I decided to get G3 eventhough I know that I want
something smaller like the A80 but the only disadvantage of G3 on
being bigger offset other advantages as pointed out by many people.

Hehehehe.... So you've joined me? Have fun....

Man, thanks for pointing out about the battery. I have Canon
MiniDV also. I guess I am locked in Canon solution

After all, there is nothing wrong in having G3 + A90 ? + EOS301D ?
We have two photographers at home.

Hmmmmmm....

 

[Rybber]

I have had 3 IXUS camera's, and while being a power user on those, I decided I needed more manual features.

I really wanted the features/speed (focus speed being VERY important if you want full control) of the 10D, but it was too big and too expensive. I ended up buying the G3. Picture quality is great, but not that big a step up from my S230 - I really wanted the clean, crisp images of DSLR cameras. All-in-all the G3 is a great camera, the swivel LCD, battery comsumption, 4x zoom and more is all very nice. But what I'm really disappointed in, is the autofocus (sometimes it uses 1-2 seconds). It was one of the biggest misses on my S230, and even though I did read plenty of reviews on the G3 saying it had slow AF, I thought I could live with it... but it it so slow that I keep missing those precious moments! The best workaround for me is manual focus and continuos drive mode.

So now the 300D is released: this camera supposidly has all the qualities I'm looking for. I'll most likely run out and buy it as soon as it is released. I might keep my G3, as the only thing I'll miss is the swivel LCD.

The conclusion is, that if you appreciate the same camera qualities as I, then wait for the 300D!!!

--
... Greets, Rybber
http://www.pbase.com/rybber

 

[Man-Fai Wong]

Man, thanks for pointing out about the battery. I have Canon
MiniDV also. I guess I am locked in Canon solution

Ha ha. Yeah, it was a small factor for me too. However, just make sure you have a BP511/512 battery, not the bigger ones for miniDV, if you plan to share a backup w/ your camcorder. The higher-end camcorders come w/ bigger ones. My ZR40 came w/ a BP511. These smaller batts are actually not that useful for primary use w/ the camcorders since they'd only last about 1.5 hour w/ LCD on. Still, if you plan to get a Canon DSLR, you can easily share w/ that as well.

Man