I’ve been stressing about which new camera to get. Every time I think I’ve made a decision someone else recommends a different one or points out a reason why a different model would be better and I’m going insane. I really like the Canon G6 and have done a lot of research on it but I’m concerned about it’s size. So, I created this box at work today at lunch that has the same dimensions as the G6. My thought was to carry it around for a couple days and see how cumbersome it is. My coworkers think I’ve gone batty, but I think it’s a good idea.
damn, that g6 is kind of boxy.
the Canon G6 is too bulky for someone who carries it daily. Also, I think their quality has slipped, my Canon Optura dvcam broke after about 2 hours of use and I’m real careful with this stuff. Check out some of the smaller Sony and Kodak cameras.
All work and no new camera make Rachelle something something…
Heh, brilliant.
I’ve got a G3 and I love it, but it is large for just carrying around in ones pocket. I consider it my “serious” camera. The G6 is slightly smaller, but not by much.
One thing with any of the G series cameras I really recommend is getting an external flash for it. Maybe they’ve improved it on the G6, but on the G1 and G3, the internal flash was really weak. The external flash makes a HUGE amount of difference. I’ve got a Canon 420GX for it.
For constantly having a camera on you, I’ve heard really good things about Canon’s digital elph cameras.
Why don’t you go to Best Buy or Circut City and check it out in person. That way you can have a better idea if the size of the camera is really going to bug you or not.
I’m about to invest in my first digital camera ever (very exciting stuff). Now…any opinions on Cannon vs. Kodak? Also…is having a digital camera that uses AAA batteries a bonus? Just curious… I’m actually deciding between the Cannon A95 or the Kodak 4MP (can’t remember model number). Thoughts?
Don’t go with the G6. It’s way too big. You’ll end up not taking it places where you would have taken a smaller cam. Also, if you want to steal a shot somewhere stealthy, you can’t really be stealthy with a G6. That thing is a beast.
TR – I went to Wolf to check it in person. They were kind of dicks to me and I don’t want to go back there and manhandle it again. Plus it’s not liek they let you take it and try to fit it in your hand bags and stuff.
Also, I favor Canon because that’s what I’m used to and that’s what a ton of my friends have.
The thing for me is that I can’t decide if I want to be more serious about photography.. a more serious camera that I can play with and learn on. Or if I want another daily camera that I can throw in my pocket every single day. Maybe I should check out and see what it would take to fix the elph in addition to getting a new one.
I thin the Canon A95 is def in the running. It’s smaller than the G6 and has a lot of manual controls. And it also is a lot cheaper and is expandable so you can add lenses with an adapter.
What do you mean by “serious”? Like what things are you thinking you’ll want to do in the future you can’t do with your camera now? Be able to enlarge stuff to poster size? Take good portraits? Or just get into how to make a really great photo? If by “serious” you mainly mean dedication, like really getting to know photography, all you need is manual control, really.
I started out with a K1000 with two lenses, taking black and whites mostly and developing them at school. That was sort of my “seriously getting into photography” thing. I moved onto a semi-pro slr, but after a while I started to lose interest in photography because of all the effort taking a great shot took. I didn’t start taking pictures again till I got an A50 a few years ago and at this point I doubt I’ll ever touch my slr again, or even a pro digital camera because all I’m really interested in is composition. Well, actually it’d be cool to have another manual slr, an analog counterpart to my A70.
Anyway, a dedicated flash on a powerful camera would mean you wouldn’t be limited by your equipment at all, but do you want to do those things at the expense of convenience and possibly comfort? Do you want to get into flash photography?
So the question is, what about your idea of “serious” would compel you to get a G6? A lot of famous photographers only had a rangefinder and nothing else, so depending on the ambition, it’s not necessarily hampered by equipment.
TR- Canon makes great cameras. Their camcorders can be a bit cheap, but I’ve had three Canon cameras, my wife 2, her sister 2, and my brother has one, and they’ve all been great. I prefer AA batteries because if you run out of juice and you’re in a bind you can go buy AAs anywhere. With powerpacks you can’t. The best thing is to use AA rechargables because you’re not going though batteries all the time but if you do get in a pinch, they’re everywhere.
G6? Toooo big.
The quality of a Canon way way way surpasses anything Kodak has ever done.
If I were to get something right now, and believe you me I’m looking to, I would get the Canon Powershot SD300.
$0.02
I thought I was going to “get into photography” about 3 years ago, but I wasn’t sure, so I got the Canon A40 (predecessor to the A95), which was pretty cheap at the time.
I’m glad I didn’t go overboard, because after a few weeks of trying to “get into photography,” that ended, and I just ended up taking snapshots when the occasion arose.
Bottom line, I’d get the smallest decent cam you can find, and stick with that. Your pics are great, Rachelle, because you compose them well and find interesting perspectives, not because of any manual controls or whatever.
My two brothers got those tiny Canon cams and take them everywhere and end up taking tons of pics. I tend not to lug my A40 around because it’s a pain and I end up taking far fewer pics.
for a compact, check this one out – it’s just about to be released:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/pr/kodak_01052005_esone_pr.html
Rachelle, step back a moment and look at your blog. It’s evident that you are serious about photography. The quality of your work is a direct reflection of your tools and your skills. Get the G6. It’s time to upgrade. The bulk isn’t as bad as you think. The extra features and quality of the camera will make up for the “bulk” which you’ll forget about after the first week of owning the new camera. You’ll be surprised at what you can do with the manual settings on the camera and how it will influence your work. If you’re making a box for the G6… in your mind you’ve already made the purchase.
Carry around a cardboard box as a test run at lugging around a real camera? BRILLIANT! *lol*
i guess by “serious” i meant that i wanted to start learning how to use the manual controls. so maybe that was the wrong word. so which model of canon with manual controls is the most compact and the best bet for your money? and it would be cool if it was one that i would have the option to buy lenses for. not sure if i want to definately, but i want that option.
I believe all the A models above the 75 have full manual. I have the A70 and it has apeture priority, shutter priority, and manual, including manual flash output. There’s only 3 settings to the flash output, but it’s 10 times more useful than having no control over the power of the flash. The 95 is the only one that has the swivel screen and it makes it slightly thicker and heavier than the other models. They all accept lenses, but I’m not sure if there’s a tele lens for the 75.
I use the manual mainly when I want to use the flash, because the camera will usually opt for just blasting the subject, leaving the background black. I use the apeture and shutter priority plus exposure compensation for most shots.
Isn’t that what the inventors of the palm pilot did?
The Canon A95 is slightly smaller than the G6 (4 x 1.7 x 2.6 where the G6 is about 3 x 3 x 4), has a lot of manual controls and you can get an adapter and put on some lenses. It also costs a lot less so I might actually be able to afford one of those lenses. I think this camera is where I’m leaning right now. I’m going to try to go check it out in person at lunch.
All your comments have really been insightfull! Rachelle, please do post your thoughts on the A95 once you take a look at it. I’m really interested…plus this is the camera I’m leaning towards too.
Hi Rachelle~
I love your website. In the midst of devastating tragedy, I find it reprehensible that you’re asking people to donate to your camera fund. There are other, more worthy causes out there, and I find it greedy on your part.
in my original post when my camera broke i asked people to donate to the tsunami fund, like i did, and then asked if they wanted to donate anything to my camera that they could do it. i guess the button on the right might seem greedy because there’s no background to it.
anyone who thinks i think my camera is more important than the tsunami doesnt know me. but ya know.. if you wanna help a sista out.. im not going to turn you away
Did people actually donate to your fund? Curious…
Anyhow…if people would rather donate to your fund then the tsunami fund…that’s their own problem. I’m sure those that donated to your fund did donate elsewhere too…
I wouldn’t sweat it.
Good luck!
Rachelle, I think you were extremely up-front about where you thought people’s donation priorities should be in regards to your camera woes v. tsunami relief. For people who TRULY love your website, donating to replace your camera isn’t just a nice thing to do, it’s an investment in something that brings them joy.
I can only speak for myself, but I donated to Doctors Without Borders because it was the right thing to do, and I donated to your camera fund because selfishly, it was the right thing to do for me. If I want to keep enjoying your work, giving a little in order to make that possible is a logical response.
Best of luck in finding a new camera; I’ll be watching your decision-making with interest since I suspect my own Elph S200 is having wistful thoughts of the camera afterlife as well.
I love love love my Nikon CoolPix…the pictures are brilliant!
thanks again to rob and to everyone who donated to the camera fund. i hope not to disappoint you all! and thanks to everyone who has shown support and given advice. it’s just as valuable. keep it coming!
I love my Canon G3 – check my web page for examples. (The A95 or one of those might work good for you, too, Rachelle)
My G3 is bulky for a pocket camera although it will fit in my pocket. Rachelle – it will fit in your purse, right? The flash is powerful enough for indoor people or food photos although you may want to set the flash for -2/3 stops. I got an external flash to do bounce flash and for small concerts or band and party pics.
I carry a small camera bag for the flash, some prints, an extra battery and Compact Disk, lens cleaner – but if Rachelle carries a purse the camera at least will fit in there.
The swivel out view screen is GREAT .. er.. GREAT.. no GREATER. I wouldn’t buy a camera without a swivel screen anymore.
I contributed to Rachelle’s camera fund!! I’m proud of it.(not enough to make a difference, but I made the effort). check http://www.dpreview.com also.
Thought you might be interested…
Checked out the price of the A95 on Amazon.com and you can buy it through Adorama for $309. You can also buy it through that price directly from them.
See site below:
http://www.adorama.com/ICAA95.html?searchinfo=canon%20a95&item_no=1
dpreview is my new BFF
thanks for the advice and donation, arthur. while the g6 might technically fit in many of my regular purses, it doesnt really leave much room for my cell phone, wallet, or ipod.
i was playing with the canon a95 at lunch today. i think i’m going to get it. it’s bigger than my elph but not too big and it has a lot of features im looking for that make it worth a little extra bulk. thanks for the buying tip, TR. I’ll be looking around for a good deal now!
I’ve got a Canon S1 which is a great camera (3.2megapixel). It has both optical and digital zoom which makes it a great camera for all types of photography. It is a little bulky for carrying around every day, and is hard on batteries.
I received a Canon SD20 for Christmas. I carry it on a daily basis to use at work as well as personal use. It has 5megapixel which means that I can crop the pictures as I see fit.
I recommend the SD20 for your use in your blogging. It can be purchases on the ‘net for $329. I think that it takes excellent pictures.
Of course, you can replace your SD200 for about $228
I would say go for the Canon Rebel.
Check out the Canon S70 — almost all the features of the G6 in a much smaller package. Santa brought one for me — IMHO it has a *great* wideangle lens and adequate 3.6x zoom. Be sure to get a fast CF card — the 1GB Lexar 80x works for me.
I’m happy to contribute to your camera fund — you are a talented photographer and I enjoy your work immensely!
I agree with the A series Canon… I started off with a Canon A70 and I loved it because of all of the manual functions that it had. Now that I have a Canon Digital Rebel, I have a better understanding about what does what.
Yep, Canon S70. Hands down. 7 mega-pixels, small, comes in black, manualish controls, rechargeable batteries, beautiful quality.
If you are serious about photography though, I would buy the digital rebel or the 20d if you can afford it. Any digital SLR puts you in a whole new league. But with size and issue, the s70 will rock your world.
what a great idea. now if you were REALLY nuts, you’d put some weights in there to approximate how much it weighs.