# Large Sensor PowerShot? [CR1]



## Canon Rumors Guy (Jun 23, 2011)

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<strong>Just a dream?

</strong>From the â€œa rep saidâ€ files, an email today said Canon would introduce a larger sensor PowerShot for the fall. It will apparently end the perceived love affair the world has with the Fuji X-100.</p>
<p>Possible?</p>
<p>Iâ€™m not sure. Has Canon ever struck you as a company to get into niche markets in the photographic world? Unless the next â€œGâ€ camera has a larger sensor for maybe $100 more, I just donâ€™t see it.</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong>
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## Admin US West (Jun 23, 2011)

I've wondered why it isn't done already? I'm not aware of any physical reason. We've had tons of point and shoot film cameras that have a lens and system to work with a FF sensor, and who needs a lcd on the back?


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## ronderick (Jun 23, 2011)

I doubt that having a large sensor powershot is enough to convince enthusiasts who have the x100 to desert Fuji in droves. 

After all, there's enough near-compact cameras in the market boasting APS-C sensors (Sony's NEX comes to mind - which also has the capability to switch lens).

Now, if we're talking about the 5D2 FF sensor inside a Canon P or 7 body with Leica M-mount... ;D


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## Admin US West (Jun 23, 2011)

I'm thinking the kind of camera you will find at Best Buy, a camera that would appeal to mass sales and production, but have better IQ and low light sensitivity, but still have the typical P&S zoom lens.

I might not buy one, but, if marketed right Best Buy type dealers might sell a lot of them.

I could be wrong, and probably am, the average camera buyer first looks at the price, and if its in his perceived range, he's interested. Or, they ask the camera expert who quickly directs them to the highest markup item.


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## distant.star (Jun 23, 2011)

To end the x100 love affair, Canon would have to do something Fuji isn't doing -- manufacture and sell the damn things.

You can't find a retailer who has an x100 at this point. That kind of scarcity is fine if you're selling a $5k camera, but not that kind of camera meant for a mass market.

I'd say it's possible but not likely. Canon seems to have their plate full with reimagining its SLR lineup. 

That x100 is a sweet looking piece though.


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## Canihaspicture (Jun 23, 2011)

I think it would be best to mass produce FF sensors. put them in everything you can fit them in and then put limitations or crop values via firmware or slight hardware mods like what been done with microprocessors for years. Heck, you really don't even need to use a full frame mirror if it's meant to be a crop camera anyway.


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## macfly (Jun 23, 2011)

Well it's more than just the sensor, the camera has to work, and based on the aweful G12 I've been messing around with I doubt they're on the right path.

The G12 is such an absolute piece of junk that I won't buy anything expect the absolute top of the range Canon again. I haven't owned such a useless camera since my very first Fed Zorki lll back in the mid 70's. How Canon created such a piece of junk out out what was an almost acceptable platform amazes me. My weekend with at the Montreal F1 GP was so tragic I just started laughing at all the pictures it missed, 19 out of 20, maybe 39 out of 40. No matter what I did to override its silly nanny habits it would still dwell and pause, missing every single bit of action, it was so stunningly useless that I'm actually amazed they sell any of them at all!

So, even if they put a bigger better chip in a pocketable camera, there is no guarantee that it'll be any use at all based on the disaster that is the G12!


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## davidonformosa (Jun 23, 2011)

When talking about a bigger sensor the question to ask is how much bigger? It may not be going to APS-C size, but rather a percentage increase above the sensor in the current G12. 

Canon have to add something new to the next camera in the G series. I suggest a faster lens -- the Canon G12 is only f/2.8 compared with f/2 for the Canon s95.


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## hmmm (Jun 23, 2011)

*Sounds good to me*

Aps-C sensor, or a sensor midway between the current size and APS-C, a reasonable non-interchangeable lens something like a 28-105 f2.8-4 IS, a hot shoe and a tilt swivel LCD, and full 1080P video. That doesn't sound like to much to ask for in a $500 - $600 camera.  

I've been staying off the G upgrade cycle waiting for a camera roughly along these lines.


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## Hillsilly (Jun 23, 2011)

With a few overseas trips coming up, I've been considering a small, low weight, quality camera system to take with me. And, I'm also thinking that such a camera would also be useful for general family photos. Micro four thirds seems the likely option as I don't like being restricted to the one lens of the x-100. How I wish Canon would enter the market with a small, mirrorless, APS-C based camera with a new range of fixed pancake lenses, but with the added ability to autofocus quickly with EF lenses with an adapter. 

After doing a bit of reading over the last few weeks, I don't think that "mirrorless" could be considered niche. Instead, as the quality, responsiveness and range increases, I think more and more first time purchasers will prefer this option over entry level DSLRs. 

My long range prediction - in five years time, there will be no DSLRs below the 7D equivalent. This is because the only reason to buy a DSLR will be better weather sealing in a tougher body, real-time viewfinder, more computing power, faster autofocus, use of EF lenses without an adapter, better battery life, FF sensor. But, for people that just want a camera with better picture quality than a P & S, most of the DSLR advantages are irrelevent and I'd be willing to bet they will choose a mirrorless option (and hopefully a Canon one).


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## ronderick (Jun 23, 2011)

distant.star said:


> To end the x100 love affair, Canon would have to do something Fuji isn't doing -- manufacture and sell the damn things.
> 
> You can't find a retailer who has an x100 at this point. That kind of scarcity is fine if you're selling a $5k camera, but not that kind of camera meant for a mass market.



The thing with the x100 is that it's one of the few MIJ models Fuji has - others are usually limited-run bodies such as GF670 and Klasse W. The rest of the Fuji P&S platoons are mostly MIC. Even w/o the tsunami complicating things, it would still have been in short supply.

BTW, the x100 is not targeted toward the general public. The price of the x100 is comparable to 60D kit with 18-135... Not to mention that there's no recognizable "auto" or "P mode" for this camera.



distant.star said:


> That x100 is a sweet looking piece though.



Agreed. I think that's probably the main reason why it's selling so well (though there are also people who find having a bright, built-in optical viewfinder in a smaller-than-ur-typical-DSLR camera too sexy to resist) ;D

Again... just wish Canon would take a daring step into this supposedly niche market... things would probably get more interesting...


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## polpaulin (Jun 23, 2011)

without a large sensor I shall never buy again a phowershot


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## polpaulin (Jun 23, 2011)

macfly said:


> Well it's more than just the sensor, the camera has to work, and based on the aweful G12 I've been messing around with I doubt they're on the right path.
> 
> The G12 is such an absolute piece of junk that I won't buy anything expect the absolute top of the range Canon again. I haven't owned such a useless camera since my very first Fed Zorki lll back in the mid 70's. How Canon created such a piece of junk out out what was an almost acceptable platform amazes me. My weekend with at the Montreal F1 GP was so tragic I just started laughing at all the pictures it missed, 19 out of 20, maybe 39 out of 40. No matter what I did to override its silly nanny habits it would still dwell and pause, missing every single bit of action, it was so stunningly useless that I'm actually amazed they sell any of them at all!
> 
> So, even if they put a bigger better chip in a pocketable camera, there is no guarantee that it'll be any use at all based on the disaster that is the G12!


 I bought a G10 and sold it 3 months later


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## Flake (Jun 23, 2011)

I'm just waiting for the release of a Canon evil camera which will work with the flash system, and hopefully the EF series lenses. Large sensor will give a better IQ, otherwise my only choice will be the excellent G12 (sorry Macfly the rest of the world is against you here).

I cannot see Canon putting a larger sensor in a compact, mainly because of lens limitations, so far as I know there is no camera currently on the market which would compete, large sensor might be a USP, but I can't see that being enough in a market of people who just want a camera for snaps.

Much more likely is a competitor to Sony's NEX or Olympus PEN range which have both sold well, so well in Sony's case that they have taken second place from Nikon in some markets. Canons has been worried about Sony ever since they bought Minolta and it's very likely they have taken notice of Sony's success and want a share of it.

I'm in the market for this camera when it's released (if ever).


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## epsiloneri (Jun 23, 2011)

I'm sure large-sensor P&S will come eventually, once sensor-area prices get low enough. The issue now is that sensors are so expensive per area that it dictates the price at the introductory level. To have a P&S with a 600D-like APS-C sensor while being substantially less expensive than a 600D would cut into the margins (to have a P&S at 600D price levels would not sell well). 

Once sensors become a smaller fraction of the total cost to produce a camera, we will start to see larger format P&S. Looking even further into the future, I foresee inexpensive P&S to have large sensors with simple, perhaps even plastic, lenses that give better IQ than current P&S.

Once the sensor cost becomes insignificant, I predict that larger-format sensor P&S will be less expensive than the smaller-format P&S.

To me, it's only a question of _when_.

And no, a camera without preview screen is an impossibility except for very special circumstances.


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## Flake (Jun 23, 2011)

today pentax launched a new evil camera http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=4774

Another player in the market.

As for this type of camera being too expensive maybe a straight point & shoot, which I can't envisage being launched, but the evil type cameras are at least as pricey as the 600D if not more so, and they're selling well despite that.


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## Bob Howland (Jun 23, 2011)

polpaulin said:


> macfly said:
> 
> 
> > Well it's more than just the sensor, the camera has to work, and based on the aweful G12 I've been messing around with I doubt they're on the right path.
> ...



I own a G10 and use it a lot.


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## macfly (Jun 23, 2011)

That is a cute looking little camera, but one I doubt will sell well at all, the next iPhone & Samsung phones will have an 8mp camera, so I wouldn't be suprised to see that kill a big chunk of the makret for everything under the 4/3 type camera systems.


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## UncleFester (Jun 23, 2011)

If they are going to build them to look like rangefinders, why don't they just build rangefinders and cut the cute-retro look nonsense.


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## Admin US West (Jun 23, 2011)

UncleFester said:


> If they are going to build them to look like rangefinders, why don't they just build rangefinders and cut the cute-retro look nonsense.



Rangefinders are for manual focus lenses. They are very difficult to build to accomodate a range of interchangable lenses. For a fixed lens, they are ok, but if I put a long lens or a zoom lens on such a camera, a rangefinder is pretty much useless and so would be the camera,


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## polpaulin (Jun 23, 2011)

Bob Howland said:


> polpaulin said:
> 
> 
> > macfly said:
> ...


well my small daughter use a lot her ixus , the quality is nearly the same, it is a very good camera for familly photo


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## hmmm (Jun 23, 2011)

Canon T3 APS-C 12.2 MP is now $549.99 at B&H. Take that sensor, put it in a G- type compact body, give it a compact lens that can be smaller and faster because it does not have to clear the mirror. Seems doable for MUCH less than the competition.


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## PaulRivers (Jun 23, 2011)

> Canon would introduce a larger sensor PowerShot for the fall. It will apparently end the perceived love affair the world has with the Fuji X-100.
> 
> Iâ€™m not sure. Has Canon ever struck you as a company to get into niche markets in the photographic world?



This sounds like *exactly* the kind of thing Canon would do. It's *exactly* like with the lx3.
1. They don't want to introduce a product that might compete against their dslr line
2. They don't want to take a risk on creating a new type of camera
3. But once someone else does and it's successful, they also don't want to risk someone else establishing themselves as the leader in the market

So, they -
1. Wait for a competitor to introduce a product into the market
2. Watch how successful or profitable it is
3. Then introduce their own product with some aspect that's significantly better to compete with it

That's what they did with the lx3. It wouldn't be surprising to see them do exactly the same thing with the xz-1, and just introduce the same kind of camera only with a cost less than $1200.

I think a g12-sized camera with a fixed f2.0 lens, for low light shots, is a lot *less* niche than m43rds - everyone wants a camera that can take indoor lighting photos without a flash, and the best compacts are only on the edge of being able to do it, and then they still have noticeable noise. Canon doesn't want to compete against their own dslr's, but once someone else is doing it's not "is this going to slow down dslr sales" as much as it is "is someone else going to establish themselves as the premium manufacturer in this market and we'll lose out?".

P.S. I think the x100 is ugly as hell.
P.P.S. Neither the NEX or m43rds have "sold so well". The m43rds crowd seems to feel that if they repeat wishful thinking enough it will magically come true. One can just look at amazon's list of top selling cameras (I'm in the US so I'm looking at the US stuff) -
http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/photo

#1 is a cheap Canon compact. #2 is a flip hd video camera. #3 is a Canon t3i. #4 is a Canon sx210. #5 is the Canon s95. #6 is a Canon 300hs (actually, Canon usually has several of the top spots but not usually all of them - they probably have some promo going). I've periodically checked it for the last 6 months or so, and as long as the s95 is actually available at or below retail price it's always in the top 20. There's always also a few Canon dslr's in that list as well, Canon or Nikon.

The lx5 is all the way up to #25. Several Sony compacts in the list. The x100 is #44, despite being "temporarily out of stock". #72 is a "Fujifilm INSTAX 210 Instant Photo Camera Kit with 5 Twin Pack of INSTAX Film" - yes, with film! lol...

But in the entire top 100 list, I can't even *find* the Sony NEX or a m43rds camera. *That's* how well they're selling.

I have occasionally seen them make their way into the top 100 - but never into the top 20. The x100 is a lot less "niche" than m43rds or a nex.


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## Caps18 (Jun 23, 2011)

I am looking for a small p&s that has a fixed 24mm pancake lens or built-in, but will accept an adapter to allow EF zoom lenses, Image Stabilization, and autofocus to work.

That way, I can bring the 24mm or 35mm p&s with me on bike rides and evenings out. Yet, I can still carry a few good lenses when I travel to get better shots and don't want to carry around the 5D m2 (or when venues won't let me bring in my 'professional' camera...  )

It would have a few benefits over the iPhone, but the iPhone would take acceptable pictures in a lot of situations as well... but it wouldn't have the zoom (420mm-840mm).


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## adamdoesmovies (Jun 23, 2011)

Flake said:


> today pentax launched a new evil camera http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=4774
> 
> Another player in the market.
> 
> As for this type of camera being too expensive maybe a straight point & shoot, which I can't envisage being launched, but the evil type cameras are at least as pricey as the 600D if not more so, and they're selling well despite that.




I think pretty much everyone agrees that this camera wouldn't suck, and would probably succeed if it didn't have a webcam-sized (exaggerating but only a little!) sensor!


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## Hillsilly (Jun 24, 2011)

The Amazon list linked to by PaulRivers makes interesting reading, but I'm not sure how relevent it its. The list shows that Canon P&S cameras are top sellers and Canon DSLRs are also top sellers. And with the T3i at number 5, it also shows that a very high number of people are happy to pay a little bit more for a better all round camera. 

But, what it doesn't show is how many people (if given the choice) would buy a more compact, mirrorless version of the T3i with EF (and FD!) compatability and a range of smaller lenses vs the T3i itself.

My gut feeling is that it would be quite a high percentage. After all, the sheer number of P & S styled bodies in the top 100 suggests that this is a preferred camera shape for a lot of people.

The lack of NEX and m4/3 bodies in the top 100 probably says more about people not wanting to buy into those systems. To buy into m4/3 is probably a conscious decision people take after weighing up a lot of factors. I don't think its the sort of thing that consumers would do on the spur of the moment. 

But I think a Canon option is an entirely different proposition. You have the brand recognition, you have the vast number of people already owning and happy with Canon cameras, you have upgrade options, you have access to a vast range of lenses. Why wouldn't you buy one? And if Canon can price them similar to the competitors ($400 - $600), you'd be silly not to buy one.

I'm not advocating a radically different camera, just a thinner, restyled T3i with an electronic viewfinder. 

You'd also need a new lens mount and a 15mm, 30mm and 60mm pancake lens (assuming 1.6x crop). Maybe keep the 18-55 EFS with adapter as the kit lens.


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## bycostello (Jun 24, 2011)

4/3 will replace the slr market... you just don't need a mirror with modern elctronics... so why do i need to carry a brick with me... weddings, ok i will... but for my personal stuff no... the gf3 first camera to come out with a decent shutter lag, or rather lack of it.... if canon don't announce soon will be going for one of them....


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## Rocky (Jun 27, 2011)

ronderick said:


> Now, if we're talking about the 5D2 FF sensor inside a Canon P or 7 body with Leica M-mount... ;D



That will be my dream camera. I have a few Lieca lenses waiting for it. The M9 is too expensive for me due to shift of priority.


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## Rocky (Jun 27, 2011)

macfly said:


> Well it's more than just the sensor, the camera has to work, and based on the aweful G12 I've been messing around with I doubt they're on the right path.
> 
> The G12 is such an absolute piece of junk that I won't buy anything expect the absolute top of the range Canon again. I haven't owned such a useless camera since my very first Fed Zorki lll back in the mid 70's. How Canon created such a piece of junk out out what was an almost acceptable platform amazes me. My weekend with at the Montreal F1 GP was so tragic I just started laughing at all the pictures it missed, 19 out of 20, maybe 39 out of 40. No matter what I did to override its silly nanny habits it would still dwell and pause, missing every single bit of action, it was so stunningly useless that I'm actually amazed they sell any of them at all!
> 
> So, even if they put a bigger better chip in a pocketable camera, there is no guarantee that it'll be any use at all based on the disaster that is the G12!


Sorry to hear that. I hate to tell you that the G12 or any point and shoot is not suitable for action or sport photography. To shoot Formular One Grand Prix, You definitely need a Good DSLR with fast auto focus.


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## bycostello (Jun 28, 2011)

Rocky said:


> macfly said:
> 
> 
> > Well it's more than just the sensor, the camera has to work, and based on the aweful G12 I've been messing around with I doubt they're on the right path.
> ...




yeah that was user error i'm affraid, you got to know what your camera can do... no compact (well except the GF3) has a fast shutter lag that can freeze sports.. you would need to use manual focus to stand a chance to capture such fast sports.. or as the other guy said, use an SLR...


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## gmrza (Jun 28, 2011)

macfly said:


> Well it's more than just the sensor, the camera has to work, and based on the aweful G12 I've been messing around with I doubt they're on the right path.
> 
> The G12 is such an absolute piece of junk that I won't buy anything expect the absolute top of the range Canon again. I haven't owned such a useless camera since my very first Fed Zorki lll back in the mid 70's. How Canon created such a piece of junk out out what was an almost acceptable platform amazes me. My weekend with at the Montreal F1 GP was so tragic I just started laughing at all the pictures it missed, 19 out of 20, maybe 39 out of 40. No matter what I did to override its silly nanny habits it would still dwell and pause, missing every single bit of action, it was so stunningly useless that I'm actually amazed they sell any of them at all!
> 
> So, even if they put a bigger better chip in a pocketable camera, there is no guarantee that it'll be any use at all based on the disaster that is the G12!



I understand your feelings, and see that you believe very strongly that the G12 is a piece of junk.

I own a G11. Let us work on the basis that the G11 is functionally almost equivalent to the G12. Actually, it lacks a few features that the G12 has, so it must be a worse piece of junk.

In that light, I would like to present the exhibits below, which prove what a piece of junk the G11 is.












My cousins' bulls were so offended by the lousy G11 that they threw anyone who tried to get onto their backs!

This last one is not a sports shot, but is further proof of just what a lousy camera the G11 is.






#sarcasm off

Seriously, my wife got much better shots of the bulls with the 5DmkII (oh sorry, that is also a lousy camera for sports).
I would not take a Powershot to shoot sports professionally, or to shoot professional studio portraits, or to shoot a wedding.
On the other hand, when you understand its limitations, a camera like the Powershot G11 or G12 can produce amazing results.
That said, I would probably never take a 5DmkII with on my bike as it would not fit in my backpack with my notebook and clothes.

When I want a camera that I can just pocket, without having to cart an entire backpack with me, the G11 gets my vote. Yes,
it has shortcomings, but every camera on the face of this earth is a compromise.

It's all about horses for courses.


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 28, 2011)

macfly said:


> The G12 is such an absolute piece of junk...How Canon created such a piece of junk out out what was an almost acceptable platform amazes me. My weekend with at the Montreal F1 GP was so tragic I just started laughing at all the pictures it missed, 19 out of 20, maybe 39 out of 40. No matter what I did to override its silly nanny habits it would still dwell and pause, missing every single bit of action, it was so stunningly useless that I'm actually amazed they sell any of them at all!



Well, as we all know, the best craftsmen and artists blame their tools for a poor result. Oh wait, that's wrong, isn't it? 

Thanks for the photoset, gmrza - nice demo of what a tool like the G11 can do in the right hands.


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## macfly (Jun 28, 2011)

gmzra, sorry, I simply don't belive you, those images could not have been captured intentionally with a G camera. 

The images that came out might be nice, but they aren't the images that you thought you were taking when you pressed the button, because what you were looking at and trying to record happened half a second or more before these. In the first image you probrably wanted to freeze the horse mid air as it was jumping and in second you probrably wanted the guy who'se been thrown from the bull in mid air too. Oh well, thats a G for you.

I don't mean to call you a liar on a public forum, but I know that no G will capture a moving object with anything approaching precision predicability.

neuroanatomist, I do this for a living, but sometimes don't want to take my work gear to an event like the F1 GP when I'm just going to hang out with friends. There is an extensive set of images of car, boats and planes racing in the SPEED section of my website, and I have covered a lot of racing events for many magazines. www.macfly.com


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 28, 2011)

macfly said:


> I know that no G will capture a moving object with precision predicability.



There, I think you're wrong. The G12 has a relatively long shutter lag - that's reproducible and quite predictable. If you're shooting _un_predictable action, that's a problem (even the short shutter lag of a Canon 1-series can be an issue in some situations - particularly for Servo AF; the deep DoF of a P&S obviates that issue, though). But a grand prix race strikes me as a situation where the action is predictable - you have a feel for your shutter lag, then you press the button that long before the shot you want (ideally, having prefocused). I've used that technique with good success with an S95. 

Macfly, sorry, I know that was a little harsh. I've looked through some of your portfolio previously, and there are some great shots there - you certainly know how to use your gear. That's why it sort of surprised me that you found the G12 so limiting. Granted, it's not a dSLR. But it's not supposed to be - heck, my cheapest lens costs twice what a G12 does, and it can't even take a picture without a camera body...

Btw, back in November you were going to eBay your G12 in favor of a m4/3. Why do you still have it? If you do go that route, maybe we'll see a post about that camera being a piece of junk, too - the current offerings from Oly and Pano aren't much faster on the shutter than the G12.


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## unfocused (Jun 28, 2011)

> Well, as we all know, the best craftsmen and artists blame their tools for a poor result. Oh wait, that's wrong, isn't it?



Umm. You might want to take five minutes to look at Macfly's blog or website before you criticize his craftsmanship.

He's made it very clear in previous posts why he doesn't like the G12. Not trying to put words in his mouth, but as I recall, he indicated in the past that he feels the G12 was a step backwards from the G10, which he previously owned.

He's entitled to his opinion and I think he makes some valid points. I also appreciate that a photographer working at his level in the industry takes the time to participate in a forum like this and share his opinions. 

I appreciate his opinion because it has helped me in considering whether or not to buy a G12. The downsides that he's mentioned in the past help me to evaluate the camera for my own needs.


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 28, 2011)

neuroanatomist said:


> The G12 has a relatively long shutter lag ... the current offerings from Oly and Pano aren't much faster on the shutter than the G12.



I just read about the solution - the new HTC Slide smartphone features an 8 MP camera with an f/2.2 lens, backside-lit sensor, and "_zero shutter lag to give an instant shot_." No more need for a separate camera...


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jun 28, 2011)

macfly said:


> gmzra, sorry, I simply don't belive you, those images could not have been captured intentionally with a G camera.
> 
> The images that came out might be nice, but they aren't the images that you thought you were taking when you pressed the button, because what you were looking at and trying to record happened half a second or more before these. In the first image you probrably wanted to freeze the horse mid air as it was jumping and in second you probrably wanted the guy who'se been thrown from the bull in mid air too. Oh well, thats a G for you.
> 
> ...



I've also had people tell me a image could not have come from my point and shoot, and they called me a liar. It certainly lowered my opinion of them.

My wife has a G11 which I occasionally use, it is a excellent point and shoot. Yes, when taking action images, you have to anticipate what is going to happen and press the shutter a little early, but the ability to do that shows skill. And, of course, you won't get as many perfect images as someone shooting 10 FPS with a 1D and then looking to see if he happened to get a good one. I do that with my 1D MK III, but its luck more than skill when I get a perfect one.


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## gmrza (Jun 28, 2011)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> macfly said:
> 
> 
> > gmzra, sorry, I simply don't belive you, those images could not have been captured intentionally with a G camera.
> ...



The point I was trying to make is that, given an understanding of the limitations of the tools you are using you can achieve good results.

Macfly: with the horses, I achieved exactly what I wanted - the barrel races are totally predictable, because the course goes around the barrel. After the first couple of riders, you can work out exactly when to release the shutter - give or take a bit, depending on your own reactions and the skill of the rider. The bulls are a bit more tricky, because the action is much less predictable. You do however still get an idea of when the rider is going to fall - the scary moments usually happen just around when he hits the ground. Admittedly, my keeper rate was not as good as that of my wife, who was shooting with a 5DmkII - still not the ideal camera, but better.

There is no way you could guarantee a success rate necessary for professional action photography with a G series. That doesn't make the camera a piece of junk. Much the same way, I prefer to cut wooden sleepers with a circular saw, because I can rip cut a 2.4m long treated pine sleeper in seconds. I don't have any idea how long the same job would take with a hand saw, and whether I could even cut a straight line that way. That doesn't mean that my hand saw is a piece of junk.

Don't knock the tool if you are using it outside of its intended range of uses... If you manage to stretch the tool to its limits and get good results, enjoy the satisfaction!

The other point I wanted to make is to make the most of the tools you have, rather than complaining. Which is why it is fun to leave the DSLRs in the cupboard sometimes and take out the G11.

Oh, and look at Neil van Niekerk's blog post about shooting a wedding with a Fuji X100!:
http://neilvn.com/tangents/2011/06/13/review-fuji-x100-photographing-a-wedding/
Great results - yes. Fun - absolutely yes. Would he risk doing that for a paying client - never!


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## j7h (Jul 1, 2011)

I wouldn't wait for sensor costs per unit area to drop. Silicon wafer processing don't drop very quickly, but the amount of stuff that can be put on to a wafer increases dramatically, hence our world of constant miniaturization. A wafer with many small sensors can have quite a few defects and only a few of the die will be affected. The same wafer with large sensors and with the same defect map would lose a few of the larger sensors, but the cost of the lost sensors is amortized over fewer good sensors. It's a tough game to play in.

As for wanting a non-SLR to focus as well as an SLR, that's also very difficult. The autofocus mechanism for SLRs and non-SLRs is quite different. Here are links I found to a pair of really good descriptions of the operation of each type of focusing mechanism. They do a good job of explaining why phase detection in SLRs is so much faster than contrast detection in non-SLRs. The Java applets are fun.
http://graphics.stanford.edu/courses/cs178/applets/autofocusCD.html
http://graphics.stanford.edu/courses/cs178/applets/autofocusPD.html

Just chose the right tool for each job.


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## macfly (Jul 2, 2011)

What a good link, thanks for sharing.

and here's my answer to the rubbish G12 - http://www.dpreview.com/news/1106/11063015olympusEP3preview.asp


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