what is comparable to the Canon Powershot G1 X Mark 11 without the price?

[RobertTheFat]

Bargain hunting can be loads of fun, but there's still a lot of truth to the old refrain that "you get what you pay for."

BTW, isn't it "Mark II", not "Mark 11"? The G1X has been around for a while, but not ten revs' worth.

[drmoreau]

Three options:

1. A lower end/used DSLR with kit lens. Will shoot better than the G1.

2. Get something from S or SX series and just learn how to deal with the limitations. Sure, the G series is better than the S(X) series but to be honest (from a DSLR shooter) it's not really THAT much better. Someone who really takes their time and learns to shoot with an S series will get much better photos than someone who sticks a G1 in auto mode and just snaps away. I've done some pixel peeping and while there is a difference I don't find the G series to be night & day different from the S series....whereas ANY DSLR is night & day difference over the G series.

3. Buy a used G series, one of the older ones in the 5 megapixel range. Sure, no huge prints, but they're still nice cameras and can be had on Amazon for under $100.

[RobertTheFat]

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@drmoreau wrote:

Three options:

1. A lower end/used DSLR with kit lens. Will shoot better than the G1.

2. Get something from S or SX series and just learn how to deal with the limitations. Sure, the G series is better than the S(X) series but to be honest (from a DSLR shooter) it's not really THAT much better. Someone who really takes their time and learns to shoot with an S series will get much better photos than someone who sticks a G1 in auto mode and just snaps away. I've done some pixel peeping and while there is a difference I don't find the G series to be night & day different from the S series....whereas ANY DSLR is night & day difference over the G series.

3. Buy a used G series, one of the older ones in the 5 megapixel range. Sure, no huge prints, but they're still nice cameras and can be had on Amazon for under $100.

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A 5-megapixel G would be the G-5, from around 2003. I had one and got some really good pictures with it, but it had infuriatingly slow shutter response. Taking pictures of children was outright impossible. That, and similar behavior from my wife's S50, were the reason we bought our first DSLRs. Today, anyone accustomed to any halfway modern digital camera would be driven mad.

I couldn't even palm the G-5 off on my 11-year-old granddaughter when she went to Portugal last year. (I figured that if she lost or wrecked it, it wouldn't matter.) Instead, she cadged a somewhat newer (and more compact) camera from her paternal grandmother.

The one good thing I can say about a G-5 today is that its batteries will work in a 50D.

[smack53]

Although I would tend toward getting a DSLR or mirrorless camera, the G series and S series cameras can shoot in RAW mode, and get much greater detailed photos than the SX series. I have one of each type, and the SX is way below the G-15 and S-110 cameras in image quality when the photos from the G and S are taken in RAW. The SX is only a JPEG camera, and with the smaller sensor and less bright lens, a lot of detail gets lost. The SX cameras are also very slow focusing by comparison, which is a frustration point for me.

The G1X series is a large sensor camera, and the G-7x is between the G-16 and G-1X for sensor size. I realize these can be rather pricey, so a later model used or refurbished camera can get you started for a bit less money. You might have to look outside of Canon if the price is a major issue. Just keep the sensor size and lens F numbers in mind when comparing cameras. Less expensive is usually for a reason.

Steve M.

[drmoreau]

I will say that from someone who hasn't used a compact (point & shoot) camera for years but has recently picked up an ELPH 300HS and an SX160IS I am extremely surprised by the quality of the images.

The ELPH is faster on the draw, quicker snaps and of course the nice lithium ion battery pack. The SX160, however, has the nice long zoom with image stabilization (something I'd have to pay a fortune for in an equivalent DSLR lens, which is why I got it) and while the ELPH may be faster the SX160 definitely is sharper when peeping the pixels at 100%.

Lately I've been doing some analyzing of the images from top-shelf compacts like the G1X and the Sony RX100M3 and I must say, while they have a large edge on the cheaper compacts in aspects like shooting speed, video quality and low-light ability there really isn't THAT much difference in quality at the 100% level so long as the lighting is good. I could tell very little difference between a G1X and an SX160IS for a landscape scene in full daylight. Sure, the G1X was a little sharper, but to me (coming from DSLRs) the pixels still seem "muddy" and distorted.

For someone who wants the highest quality snaps for the best price, I'll agree that you probably should go with an S series. They're the best value/cost option out there. Forget other brands (except maybe the top-tier Sonys or Panasonics). The Fuji, Nikon & lower-tier Sonys and Panasonics I've compared just don't hold a candle to the Powershots. Canons on the whole were always slightly noiser than the other brands, but all of them had over-sharpened details or the noise they did have was really chunky. Worst of all most of them had a sort of "watercolor" effect to the pixels when zoomed in to 100%. Canon seemed to be the only compacts below the $700 mark that didn't display this effect (with exception of Nikon, but they had ugly noise and were over-sharpened).

If a compact will be your only camera then I'd say go for an S-series, find one with the best video quality you can so you have a photo/video camera. If you're okay with taking snaps with your smartphone but want something with some nice zoom on it then go with the SX series. For me the SX was a no brainer since I didn't need the absolute best image quality (don't fool yourself, they're still quite good for compacts) since I already have the DSLR gear. I just needed something to toss in my truck's center console and keep handy for cool shots I would normally miss since I wouldn't have my DSLRs with me.

One thing I really like about the G1X compared to most cameras is the viewfinder. Shooting in broad daylight with a LCD screen is tough. It also makes it hard to stabilize the camera when it's outstretched like that. Let me show you the solution I came up with for my SX160IS since it has the long zoom capabilities.

It's a DSLR viewfinder (search for CAMERA LOUPE) with an adhesive metal bracket that sticks around the screen. You can remove the viewfinder by popping it off (it's magnetic). As for the grip that's something I made myself since I found the camera kind of slippery.