G25 or G30?

[runedog]

Hi,

I'm new here and would appreciate some help please. Last year I purchased a G25 just before the G30 was released. Would it pay me to upgrade or is it worth the outlay for a G30 as my G25 is still working well?

Many thanks for any/all replies.

[TheDiveO]

Before I recently went for the G30 I tried to compare the G25 and G30. Of course, your mileage may vary. I've got the impression that the G30 is a solid improvement over the G25. If you buy anew then the G30 has to offer the better tech, but if you think about upgrading I don't see much reason to do so.

Probably the most visible difference between the G30 and G25 is the optical system, with the G30 being equipped with a 20× zoom and 26mm to 570mm focal length. If you don't need this range, then the G25 should still be fine.

If I remember correctly, the G25 lacks the 1080p50 or 1080p60 video modes. Again, if you don't need these modes, then there's no reason to ditch the G25.

Another difference I noticed in the display which is a really fine Amoled display now for the G30. But I doubt that you want to upgrade your cam just for this. Similar, the electronic viewfinder has been improved ... yet not really a reason to trade in your previous model for I suspect. The G30 has more user-assignable buttons which is good, but most probably no reason to switch.

Alas, just my two cents. I would also love to hear what others think on this topic.

[runedog]

Many thanks for that, it is very much appreciated.

I train dogs so the extra zoom length could prove useful 🙂 Also, the amoled display seems a bonus. Sadly, I believe the G30 has no built-in memory compared to the G25 which is handly although I do have both SD Card slots filled 🙂

My other concern is, can I sell my G25 with most seekers opting for the G30 I would guess.

Thank you again.

[TheDiveO]

Sadly yes, the G30 has no built-in video storage memory.

Coming from GoPro equipment that never was a con to me but instead the rock-solid SD card interface and operation of the G30 is a huge bon. The G30 happily writes on SD cards without any loss or aborts, while the Heros get all sorts of hickups, crashes, and even filesystem destructions.

Two 32GB cards are worth more than 10 hours of high bitrate 1080p25 video at 25MBits. And the price of quality 32GB class 10 cards performing at 7Mbyte/s is acceptable. Even the shabby 32G Ultra cards that have pumping write throughput still work in the G30.

And yes, with the G30 in the market, the reselling value of the G25 has taken a serious hit. However, it's not all dark, as some people may prefer the lower weight of the G25.

Oh, be aware that the G25 batteries won't work with the G30! The battery the G30 comes with is quite okay. However, I purchased a genuine Canon larger battery and external charger. That gives me roughly four hours with the large battery.

[runedog]

Many thanks once more 🙂

I cannot understand why Canon has not added at least 32gig of flash memory to the G30 but, as you say, not a biggy 🙂

I see Ebay are selling longer-life batteries that claim to work with both models? Obviously, these are not Canon-made. I purchased a non-Canon extra battery for my G25 which seems to do the job well.

I too used a GoPro V2 for dog training but sold this has I went back to a CC (G25). I was going to look at the Sony CX900 but it hasn't arrived in the UK yet 😞 Not sure how this would compare. In my sparetime I enjoy looking around castles etc, so low-light video is a huge plus for me.

Thanks again for your time.