Canon G9 or Canon EOS 400D

I am looking to buy a new camera. I have tried looking on the net so see
what the difference is between compact digital and a DSLR. I am still non
the wiser. Anyway, I have come up with either the Canon G9 or the EOS 400D
and wanted to ask here what is the best camera. I wanted to point and shoot
initially and then have the features there to learn about so I can grow into
it.

Thanks for the help

 

If you can afford it, I'd say go with the EOS. You can start out using it
as a point and shoot by setting it to automatic mode where the camera makes
all the decisions. You just have to decide where to point it and when to
press the button. The only real difference at this stage is that you have
to look through a little hole on the back of the EOS to see what the
camera's seeing whereas although the G9 also has a peep-hole to look through
it also shows you the view on the screen on the back, probably the way most
G9 owners will use it. Although the G9 has many user-configurable settings,
the EOS is in a totally different league when it comes to "growing into it"
and having control over the camera and thus the images it takes. You also
open up the possibilities of a whole raft of additional lenses and
attachments with the EOS which you can blow your life savings on once you
grow past the point-and-click stage. The G9 has very limited (if any) scope
for expansion.

My 2p
Steve

 

thank you Steve

will the 400 take better photos. will it be ojk to use wth the lense suplied
or will i have to buy another. its quality of photos that i realy want

 

Are you married to canon?

There is a big difference between a dslr and a P&S - perhaps some looking
on wikipedia will explain better than a short note in a news group.
Briefly, some differences are: a DSLR shows you what the lens is seeing -
the view through the actual lens is sent via a mirror to the viewfinder -
when it takes a picture the mirror flips up out of the way. A P&S may
have an optical viewfinder, an Electronic Viewfinder (EVF cameras often
come with long zooms) or simply an LCD screen on the back - none of them
actually show the scene through the lens though an EVF comes closest - it
shows you what the sensor is actually seeing. DSLRs have changeable
lenses - P&S do not.

From what you've said, I think a perfect camera for you would be a Kodak
P series. They are EVF cameras with 6 or 12x zooms. They also have full
manual modes and just about all the features of a DSLR at a fraction of
the cost (main difference from a DSLR besides non-interchangeable lens
and EVF is smaller sensor). These have been discontinued but are still
available from the online Kodak store. They also save pictures in raw,
tiff or jpeg, so you can start learing about all the things raw files can
do.

 

Simon,
The kit lens on thr EOS 400D is not excellent. However, it takes good
pictures, certainly as good as the G9. It's a 18-55mm lens, with a factor of
1,6, it gives you the equivalent of 29mm - 88mm. You can start that way and
when you get used to it and get into photos, you'll know what type of lens
you need. That lens costs less than $100. So, it won't break you. I have the
Eos30D and my first lens is the 17-85mm IS USM (in the range of $500-$600).
My long lens is a 70-300 IS USM (in the range of $650-$750). These prices
depend where you buy them USA or Canada, stores / Internet. I find these 2
lenses satisfactory for the type of photography I do (and my pocket book).
This discussion about lenses is important in the sense that these lenses are
not interchangeable from one camera to the next. If you start on Canon and
buy lenses, you pretty well have to stay with Canon or face a costly change.
Same for Nikon. So in DSLR cameras, it's essential to know what make you
want. You may change the model of your camera, and if the new model is not a
full sensor, you can still use the lenses you have. I hadan XT, now a D30
and can still use my lenses.
Take care.
Marcel

 

The latest top of the range P&S (point and shoot) cameras such as the G9 are
pretty darned good at what they do so the difference between the G9 and the
EOS in it's "standard trim" will be fairly minimal from the point of view of
holding a print from either in your hand and looking at it (or viewing it on
the computer screen) is concerned. However, as I said before, P&S cameras
are fairly limited in their scope for expansion. By expansion, I mean the
use of additional interchangeable lenses and other photography bling.

If you buy an EOS kit it'll most probably come with a bog-standard 18-55mm
zoom lens. The kit lenses do a pretty respectable job, certainly no worse
than an expensive P&S, although the P&S will almost certainly have a slight
advantage in the amount you can zoom in. The 18-55mm range is quite useful
though and will be good for most every-day things. Of course, if you want
to photograph the whiskers on a cat at a thousand yards then it will fall
some way short of expectations. But then so will the P&S. The advantage of
the DSLR (the EOS) is that you can buy an additional lens to fit in place of
the 18-55 for those occasions when bewhiskered felines need to be
photographed. By the time the "buy new lens" moment comes you'll be
familiar with the camera and know rather more about what you want to achieve
and what your photography stule is.

Of course, if you just want to take bright snaps then the EOS is overkill
.... and so, probably, is the G9!

You've probably done so already but if not, go out and buy a couple of the
camera/photography magazines and have a flip through. Most of the pictures
(probably nearly all of them) will have been taken with a DSLR or a bridge
camera (the type that another respondent to your original question has
mentioned). Don't worry about tweaking the images on the computer, digital
darkroom techniques or processing (something which photo mag's are also full
of). The camera will come with software to be able to do basic tweaking
with and, more importantly, a rudimentary way of cataloguing and filing your
images - vital when great granny decides she wants a picture of little Jenny
in the pigtails which little Jenny hasn't worn for 3 years since she cut her
hair short! Tweaking and darkrooming are a bridge that can be crossed at a
later date.

So, a long-winded way of saying that the images from the EOS and the G9 will
be pretty similar. You won't need an additional lens for the EOS, although
if you do get the EOS you'll probably fairly quickly think about expanding
the potential with another one. You need to think about the style of
photography you want to do and what you want to carry around. And vitally,
after you've read the magazines and dreamed, you need to think carefully
about in which direction your picture taking might take you in 6 months or a
years time and will what you buy today still fit with what you'll be wanting
to do then.

Another 2p worth.
Steve

 

I am pretty sure the conversion factor for all these: Xt, XTI, 20D, 30D,
40D, etc is 1,6
Take a look at:
http://www.digitalfotoclub.com/canon/canon-eos-digital.asp
Marcel

 

Others have given you a great deal to think about concerning the G9 vs the
400D. I thought of a couple of things I haven't seen mentioned.

First, the 400D is heavier and bulkier than a G9. You have to want to carry
DSLR around and it can be tiring.

The 400D and in fact any DSLR will require more maintenance than a G9. From
time to time the sensor (actually sensor filter) inside a DSLR will need to
be cleaned. At wide F stops the 'crud' that collects on the sensor filter
usually isn't noticeable, but at F20-F22 photos with a lot of blue sky (or
other solid color background) the 'crud' will stand out in the photo. How
often you need to clean the sensor will depend on the camera and how often
you change/remove the lens. If you aren't willing to learn to clean the
sensor filter, don't buy a DSLR.

Some have mentioned a lack of telephoto capability of the G9. If you need a
lot of zoom Canon has some non-DSLR cameras with 10x to 12x zoom which gets
you in the 300mm-400mm range of DSLR lens. I believe it is the "S" series,
but I am not sure what number they are up to. I believe the "S" series has
a full range of settings like the G9.

Determining the type of photos you think you will take may be helpful. If
you are interested in taking wildlife photos then the G9 is NOT your camera
as it lacks serious zoom. On the other hand it you plan on taking mostly
candid snapshots, the G9 is probably the way to go.

Before you buy either the G9 to the 400D, go to a store and hold each of
them to see how they fit your hand.

I started with a Canon G1 and moved up to the Canon 10D when it came out. I
like taking wildlife photos and the G series isn't the camera for that. If
you get a DSLR and get hooked. expect to start accumulating lens that cost
more than the camera!

Ron

 

The latest is the Canon Powershot S5is, announced 7th May, 2007. Effective
focal lengths (relative to 35mm): 36mm (f/2.7 to f/8) to 432mm (f/3.5 to
f/8). So many settings, with so much control over your shots, it's like a
fixed-lens DSLR (but with a smaller sensor, obviously). Its only serious
drawback is that it doesn't perform too well in very low light situations,
e.g. night shots.

Oh, and though it's a fixed lens, it can take an adapter for wide-angle
(e.g. .45x for 17mm efl) and tele-extender (up to 2.2x for 950mm efl)
lenses as well as all the usual filters.

This might not mean a lot to the OP, but what it adds up to is that if you
want Canon, and you want zoom, the S5 is the one to go for. Or you can pay
a fair bit less and get the S3 with an adequate 6 megapixels instead of 8.

 

*If* it has option to use external flash then you may want to give it a
try. It won't be easy to use external flash with P&S, but with powerful
external flash you may be able to do even better than DSLR.

Or with external flash you may have more problem of getting overexposed
than underexposed, and much greater distance than DSLR.