Close to a decision - need some help

[jenlpet]

I have been reading a lot of your forum and have appreciated all of the advice so far! My husband and I have been looking at new cameras - primarily P&S - for our upcoming Disney trip - Seems like we have narrowed down to the Canon G12 and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V - we have two active kids - and so we are weighing the different options and what is best for the trip and beyond - thinking about the zoom, the flash, how well it does in low light etc. So, if you had to choose one, which would you pick?

 

[havoc315]

Neither will do much in low light but the Canon G12 would be slightly better. Most p&s flashes are comparable; I try to avoid using a flash except in "fill".
Of those 2 cameras, the Sony has the much better zoom.

 

[photo_chick]

I'd go for the G12 myself, but that's more personal preference than anything else. And you can totally rock that camera in low light if you know how, within reason. Don't expect it to let you shoot on some of the darkest rides at Disney, but it can serve you pretty well for indoor low light pictures of your family. Again though, not without a little knowledge. But really that is what it comes down to for getting great images with any camera.

 

[valandemmy]

Not much on P/S cameras, but just doing a quick comparison the two are no where near the same. canon g12 is only a 10mp with 5 x optical zoom, whereas the sony has a 16mp camera with a 16 x optical zoom. I would go with the Sony....

For the same price, you could get a decent entry level dSLR camera that could grow with you and your needs..anyway..just my 2cents...

 

[havoc315]

Not much on P/S cameras, but just doing a quick comparison the two are no where near the same. canon g12 is only a 10mp with 5 x optical zoom, whereas the sony has a 16mp camera with a 16 x optical zoom. I would go with the Sony....

For the same price, you could get a decent entry level dSLR camera that could grow with you and your needs..anyway..just my 2cents...

Hard to get a new dslr kit for that price, but could pick up used.
The optical zoom comes with a major trade off, a lesser lens and smaller sensor.
The G12, with a larger sensor and better lens, should produce higher image quality than 16mp on the smaller sensor.

 

[photo_chick]

Not much on P/S cameras, but just doing a quick comparison the two are no where near the same. canon g12 is only a 10mp with 5 x optical zoom, whereas the sony has a 16mp camera with a 16 x optical zoom. I would go with the Sony....

For the same price, you could get a decent entry level dSLR camera that could grow with you and your needs..anyway..just my 2cents...

If you're just comparing MP and optical zoom you're missing a big chunk of what matters with a camera.

But since you're pulling DSLR's into this, the 28-105 equivalent lens is more range that you get with the standard 18-55 kit lens on an entry level DSLR (that's about all you'll get for $500). So with the DSLR you'll pony up more cash for a longer lens. Then add the aperture to that. Most DSLR kit lenses start at what, f/4 or so on the wide end and f/5.6 on the long end... the lens on the G12 is a bit faster at f/2.8-4.5. You do get a little bit better ISO performance some of the entry level DSLR's, and the room to upgrade easily. And then there's the needs and wants of the user. Not everyone wants a DSLR in the first place.

It's not as simple as this camera has this and that one doesn't for most of us.

 

[jenlpet]

I'd go for the G12 myself, but that's more personal preference than anything else. And you can totally rock that camera in low light if you know how, within reason. Don't expect it to let you shoot on some of the darkest rides at Disney, but it can serve you pretty well for indoor low light pictures of your family. Again though, not without a little knowledge. But really that is what it comes down to for getting great images with any camera.

Any tips for doing that? We have a few older Canon models and have been pretty happy - so we were leaning toward it

 

[hakepb]

When the HX9v was introduced last year, its class leading stabilized 1080 60p video ended the PnS stereotype of marginal video as the HX9v video was at the level of high end consumer camcorders. The HX9v video also beats most DSLr's. EOSHD said:"This is what happens when you don’t overhaul your imaging chips for 3 years, Canon. The new Sony HX9v compact out-resolves the 600D’s video mode for resolution, and has 1080/60p. It is also a lot closer to a DSLR in terms of dynamic range than I expected it would be. It fits in my pocket and has a stabilised 24-380mm lens." http://www.eoshd.com/content/2930/sony-hx9v-vs-canon-600d-dslr-gets-beat-by-compact-in-video-mode

But photographically....isn't the g12 a s90 with a bit faster lens in a slightly chunkier package? The Canon would be far better from 1x-8x (with cropping on the Canon)

Have you looked at the Olympus ZX-1? A much faster lens than the Canon, and its only $199 on Amazon because they just released a ZX-2.


Olympus XZ-1
f/1.8-2.8
28-112mm

 

[SplashMo]

Instead of the G12 consider the Canon S95/S100/S110. Same internals as the G12 but with a better lens and much more portable. Has some lens issues. Extended warranty possibly?

The SONY RX100 is the current top of the line. You will likely want the grip:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/07/19/Sony-RX100-accessory-grip-from-Richard-Franeic

Both of these are very pockatable/pursable

The year we got the Canon G10 our picture taking dropped because of the size of the camera.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

i'd go for the g12 myself, but that's more personal preference than anything else. And you can totally rock that camera in low light if you know how, within reason. Don't expect it to let you shoot on some of the darkest rides at disney, but it can serve you pretty well for indoor low light pictures of your family. Again though, not without a little knowledge. But really that is what it comes down to for getting great images with any camera.

+1

 

[hakepb]

Instead of the G12 consider the Canon S95/S100/S110. Same internals as the G12 but with a better lens and much more portable. Has some lens issues. Extended warranty possibly?

The SONY RX100 is the current top of the line. You will likely want the grip:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/07/19/Sony-RX100-accessory-grip-from-Richard-Franeic

Both of these are very pockatable/pursable

The year we got the Canon G10 our picture taking dropped because of the size of the camera.

The s100/110 is not an absolutely better lens than the g12. At wide angle, the s100 is better (f/2.0 vs f/2.8) but when you start zooming the g12 has an advantage, but beither compare to the ZX-1 in their common range.
Length. S100. G12. ZX-1
50mm. F/3.1. F/3.1. F/2.1
100mm. F/5.1. F/3.9. F/2.7
112mm. F/5.6. F/4.1. F/2.8
120mm F/5.9. F/4.2. N/a
140mm. N/A. F/4.5. N/a

 

[wiigirl]

Instead of the G12 consider the Canon S95/S100/S110. Same internals as the G12 but with a better lens and much more portable. Has some lens issues. Extended warranty possibly?

The SONY RX100 is the current top of the line. You will likely want the grip:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/07/19/Sony-RX100-accessory-grip-from-Richard-Franeic

Both of these are very pockatable/pursable

The year we got the Canon G10 our picture taking dropped because of the size of the camera.

I have the SONY RX100 and absolutely love it...

 

[havoc315]

I have the SONY RX100 and absolutely love it...

I also have and love the RX100 but it's an entirely different price range than the cameras mentioned by the OP.

 

[photo_chick]

Any tips for doing that? We have a few older Canon models and have been pretty happy - so we were leaning toward it

Tips for getting a great shot? Learn the basics of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. How they each affect the image and how they work together to make the exposure. Understand that and you'll improve your images with any camera.