High end P&S? G9 or ??

rokklym · September 26, 2007

I've been debating on what to get for my next camera. I'd love a 10mp SLR, but what I'm affraid of is that I do alot of motorcycle travel, and I'll miss alot of shots simply because its too much of a bother to take out a big camera.

I want the best quality photos possible in a point and shoot camera. WHat would you recomend? G9 / G7? I've seen some amazing pics taken with the Canon S80 and that is one I'm thinking about also.

What you you recomend??

http://rokklym.smugmug.com/

rokklym · September 27, 2007

Nobody??

chrisjlee · September 27, 2007

rokklym wrote:

Nobody??

Yeah get the G9. Nothing beats that camera. You get manual controls and you can shoot in raw. If you're not a raw fan and are looking for a better price i'd suggest getting the g7.

ziggy53 · September 27, 2007

There are so many good choices now.

I am pretty enamored with the FujiFilm Fxx series cameras, mostly because of their decent high-ISO performance. (Blame Shay for getting me thinking about them.)

If you can find an F40fd, it's a lot of camera for the money. The zoom is a little limited but still a useful range. Really nice battery performance and the F40fd uses both xD and SD cards.

Any of the super-zooms from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, etc. are really handy for daytime landscapes (scenic and vista) as well as portraits. Models with image stabilization are even more versatile.

Look at the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and Nikon CoolPix S10 to start. Of these two, the Nikon is probably the more "packable".

rokklym · September 29, 2007

chrisjlee wrote:

Yeah get the G9. Nothing beats that camera. You get manual controls and you can shoot in raw. If you're not a raw fan and are looking for a better price i'd suggest getting the g7.

Thanks, Not sure if I need RAW or not, we'll see what the price difference ends up being.

rokklym · September 29, 2007

ziggy53 wrote:

There are so many good choices now.

I am pretty enamored with the FujiFilm Fxx series cameras, mostly because of their decent high-ISO performance. (Blame Shay for getting me thinking about them.)

If you can find an F40fd, it's a lot of camera for the money. The zoom is a little limited but still a useful range. Really nice battery performance and the F40fd uses both xD and SD cards.

Any of the super-zooms from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, etc. are really handy for daytime landscapes (scenic and vista) as well as portraits. Models with image stabilization are even more versatile.

Look at the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and Nikon CoolPix S10 to start. Of these two, the Nikon is probably the more "packable".

Thanks! I'll take a look at some of those other cameras as well. The S5IS is one that I was looking at, It seems that the "bigger" point and shoot cameras get better images than the compact ones.

BBiggs · September 29, 2007

rokklym wrote:

Thanks! I'll take a look at some of those other cameras as well. The S5IS is one that I was looking at, It seems that the "bigger" point and shoot cameras get better images than the compact ones.

The bigger cameras usually have larger sensors, which record the image better than the smaller compacts.

swintonphoto · September 29, 2007

I'd suggest the Olympus E-410 - it is a DSLR but is as small as many high end P&S cameras. Another good option is the SP 560 UZ - A great high end P&S with raw, huge zoom range, sensor shift IS, etc.

Art Scott · September 29, 2007

rokklym wrote:

I've been debating on what to get for my next camera. I'd love a 10mp SLR, but what I'm affraid of is that I do alot of motorcycle travel, and I'll miss alot of shots simply because its too much of a bother to take out a big camera.

I want the best quality photos possible in a point and shoot camera. WHat would you recomend? G9 / G7? I've seen some amazing pics taken with the Canon S80 and that is one I'm thinking about also.

What you you recomend??

http://rokklym.smugmug.com/

I do not ytasvel as much as I would like by MC but that was one reason I got the rig I have now.....I looked at al sorts of packs and even getting into another p/s(I sold my KM A2 when I went DLSR...and I miss it greatly as it shot raw and was a fantastic 8MP)....so since I wanted to carry the Dslr's on the bike and I wanted them handy for doing wildlife and landscape drive bys I looked a Lowe-Pros vest and belt system....but it was expensive and I started with a LOwe Pro 75AW cause it could be a chest or back pak but it carried only one body and lens (with s*** loads of my accessories) or it could be wornd as a belt pak.....but I found a standard wide pantrs belt was too narrow, so I went to a local gun show and bought a Military pistol belt and with a touch of alteration to the loop on the back of the 75aw made an almost perfect fit (I just cannot slide the pak off the belt with out knipping the sewwing I did...da loop is now a tad small for the buckles to fit thru...but it works).....then I ordered a 2nd 75AW and added top the belt, now I had a different prob, the dang system was pulling my pants down on long hike...remembered seeing a set of suspenders at the gun show so went on line and ordered a pair I now carry both cameras with lenses attached (as well as lens hoods), flash, 8-10 extra camera batteries, extra cf cards, extra "AA" batteries for flash, lenses pen, couple of hex wrenches, and other stuff in bags......... I don't find it takes all that long to pull a body with a 70-210 f2.8 lens attached out to shoot a hawk or eagle as I am scooting down the road....tri pod is attached to the grab bar of the seat for now....than k goodness for bungee cords......

if set on a p/s I would still get the best one can afford as you do not want to settle for lessor quality in your pics...personally I would look for a used Konica Minolta A2 it has some surprizing features like the totally movable focus point......I mean movable not little dsots or slashes but a true floating focus point.

Good Luck.

rokklym · September 30, 2007

swintonphoto wrote:

I'd suggest the Olympus E-410 - it is a DSLR but is as small as many high end P&S cameras. Another good option is the SP 560 UZ - A great high end P&S with raw, huge zoom range, sensor shift IS, etc.

I've heard alot of good things about that camera, good price too! I just wish it used SD cards, I hate the thought about buying more different memory cards. I started with Sony, and bought a ton of memory cards, for them only to switch to their smaller cards. Then I decided to swich to SD cards since they seem to be the most popular.

I wish there was a retailer around where I could take a look at the Olympus.

JESTER · September 30, 2007

I just received my new Canon G9. I took it out for a test drive over the weekend. I am impressed with the pictures it takes. It has a lot of bells and whistles on it. The only things I don't like about it is that it is thicker than I thought and it is heavy. But I guess it has to be to hold all the stuff it has in it. It has a nice bright LCD on the back and it has a 6x zoom which most Point & Shoot only have 3. You also have shutter speed and aperture priority shooting. As I said, I really like it except for the size and weight.

I do use the RAW and is one of the main reasons I got it. You can take it places that you couldn't take an SLR. I am carrying it on my belt right now and don't even know it is there. (It will not fit in your shirt pocket!)

Hope this helps.

Dave J.

p.s. I purchased it thru Amazon.com for about $485.

rokklym · September 30, 2007

Art Scott wrote:

I do not ytasvel as much as I would like by MC but that was one reason I got the rig I have now.....I looked at al sorts of packs and even getting into another p/s(I sold my KM A2 when I went DLSR...and I miss it greatly as it shot raw and was a fantastic 8MP)....so since I wanted to carry the Dslr's on the bike and I wanted them handy for doing wildlife and landscape drive bys I looked a Lowe-Pros vest and belt system....but it was expensive and I started with a LOwe Pro 75AW cause it could be a chest or back pak but it carried only one body and lens (with s*** loads of my accessories) or it could be wornd as a belt pak.....but I found a standard wide pantrs belt was too narrow, so I went to a local gun show and bought a Military pistol belt and with a touch of alteration to the loop on the back of the 75aw made an almost perfect fit (I just cannot slide the pak off the belt with out knipping the sewwing I did...da loop is now a tad small for the buckles to fit thru...but it works).....then I ordered a 2nd 75AW and added top the belt, now I had a different prob, the dang system was pulling my pants down on long hike...remembered seeing a set of suspenders at the gun show so went on line and ordered a pair I now carry both cameras with lenses attached (as well as lens hoods), flash, 8-10 extra camera batteries, extra cf cards, extra "AA" batteries for flash, lenses pen, couple of hex wrenches, and other stuff in bags......... I don't find it takes all that long to pull a body with a 70-210 f2.8 lens attached out to shoot a hawk or eagle as I am scooting down the road....tri pod is attached to the grab bar of the seat for now....than k goodness for bungee cords......

if set on a p/s I would still get the best one can afford as you do not want to settle for lessor quality in your pics...personally I would look for a used Konica Minolta A2 it has some surprizing features like the totally movable focus point......I mean movable not little dsots or slashes but a true floating focus point.

Good Luck.

Carrying an SLR or DSLR on a bike is kind of a pain. Some people have come up with some decent solutions though. I've had this magazine from AUS for a while and it kind of shows their photogs setup.

Click it for the bigger version.

Its nice to have a point and shoot for those quick shots, like this one I snapped in Baja Mexico.

Its really hard to decide what to carry on a big trip though. One one hand, you want the best possible pictures, but you want the camera quickly available too. One the other hand, do you want this big expensive camera hanging off you all the time when your riding rough trails of through a foreign country? Just like everything else in life its a comprimise I guess.

JESTER · September 30, 2007

This was taken with the G9 this weekend:

I would say it does pretty good on the colors.

rokklym · September 30, 2007

I went and looked at a couple cameras today. Basicly the only two ( in my budget ) that I liked were the S5is and the new Powershot SD850is. I might get the S5 for now and start saving up for an EOS 40D or something like that.

Belg · October 1, 2007

Ya know, I just spent all summer riding around the us with a dSLR in a "photographer's tankbag" I picked up out of touratech. I had my old A70 in my chest pocket for shots *while* I was riding, but unzipping the tank bag on the side of the road, whipping out the dSLR, and snapping a few frames was dirt easy and offerred me little impedance to either riding or photography. Either that, or my BS tolerance increased after riding across the plains...

Heck, I even had two lenses in there... all my spare cards and batteries, relevant filters for a 16-35 and a 24-70, polarizers, UV/IR, and lens hoods... with a 70-200 stashed in my right hard case...

3 time laid on it's side (one fatigue, one bad parking, one sand), no damage to camera. lens, filter, or anything.

Belg · October 1, 2007

PS - 2 Caveats... the A70 was there for the riding shots because it was bulky enough and old enough that if it went skipping down the road, it would protect the CF card, and have a low cost of loss.

Second, having upwards of 4.5K in glass/filter, 1K or so in cards, yadda, yadda... in a zip-off tankbag adds new levels of that thing we call paranoia. Needless to say, it went -everywhere- I did (most coat hooks in the bathroom stalls are strong enough to hold...carefully... your whole rig)

The tank bag wasn't tremendously huge (compared to any others) and worked just fine down the road. Nice, huge map pocket too. great for ipod, phone, whatnot.

All in all, I wouldn't shy away from dSLR on a motorcycle. Just plan smart... and use a p&s tosser if you're moving

rokklym · October 2, 2007

Belg wrote:

PS - 2 Caveats... the A70 was there for the riding shots because it was bulky enough and old enough that if it went skipping down the road, it would protect the CF card, and have a low cost of loss.

Second, having upwards of 4.5K in glass/filter, 1K or so in cards, yadda, yadda... in a zip-off tankbag adds new levels of that thing we call paranoia. Needless to say, it went -everywhere- I did (most coat hooks in the bathroom stalls are strong enough to hold...carefully... your whole rig)

The tank bag wasn't tremendously huge (compared to any others) and worked just fine down the road. Nice, huge map pocket too. great for ipod, phone, whatnot.

All in all, I wouldn't shy away from dSLR on a motorcycle. Just plan smart... and use a p&s tosser if you're moving

Thanks for all the info! I've seen people using a pelican case as a tankbag with a really trick gas cap mount from SW motech, but that will only work on one of my bikes. There are alot of people on advrider that are carrying DSLR's on their bikes, and alot of photographers that aren't willing to carry big $ on their bikes. I have a film SLR and I've hauled it with on a few trips, but never used it, for one reason its big, and the other reason is that its film and i'd rather take a ton of pics on digital just because its cheaper.

I've destroyed a few cameras already, but I guess that just goes with the territory! I bought a Canon A540 for my Baja trip and it was officially broke the first day, but still took pictures the whole time. It was a $200 throw away camera, but worth it for that trip.

Belg · October 4, 2007

rokklym wrote:

Thanks for all the info! I've seen people using a pelican case as a tankbag with a really trick gas cap mount from SW motech, but that will only work on one of my bikes. There are alot of people on advrider that are carrying DSLR's on their bikes, and alot of photographers that aren't willing to carry big $ on their bikes. I have a film SLR and I've hauled it with on a few trips, but never used it, for one reason its big, and the other reason is that its film and i'd rather take a ton of pics on digital just because its cheaper.

I've destroyed a few cameras already, but I guess that just goes with the territory! I bought a Canon A540 for my Baja trip and it was officially broke the first day, but still took pictures the whole time. It was a $200 throw away camera, but worth it for that trip.

Funny you should mention that, I had two Pelicans, both on a bestrest plate on back. 1550 and a 1560 (after lugging the 1550 around, I wanted wheels!) I kept my MacPro in there, occasionally my 70-200, and most of my support stuff like chargers... and clothes. If you have Jesse bags on a bike, you know why the clothes are in the pelican

Reminds me, I REALLY owe advrider a ride report, but I've been trying to get Terrawolf running how i want it.

And yeah, I'm looking at upgrading to a G9 or something Canon from the A70 for rolling shots

Maybe even a RAM mount...

Here's what it looked like with a 1550 on the back... That's the Touratech t-bag up front:

Belg · October 4, 2007

Oh, and PS.. if you ride High-vis, that nice, protective pelican adds lots of places for SOLAS tape... and you won't ever have to look twice at your bag at the airport. You -will be- the only Pelican

rokklym · October 11, 2007

Well, last Friday I went out and bought an Olympus E510 based on a bunch of recomendations, so I guess the G9 is out of the picture for now. Thanks for all the comments! It was a tough decision but I decided that I have enough P & S cameras and I want to take my photography to a higher level.

Grainbelt · October 12, 2007

rokklym wrote:

Well, last Friday I went out and bought an Olympus E510 based on a bunch of recomendations, so I guess the G9 is out of the picture for now. Thanks for all the comments! It was a tough decision but I decided that I have enough P & S cameras and I want to take my photography to a higher level.

Enjoy! I had a healthy internal debate before my most recent purchase for exactly the same reasons... what do I realistically want to pack on the bike.

I've enjoyed your pics on advrider, get that new camera out and take some more, eh?

High end P&S? G9 or ??

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