Canon T1i or G10

[jennie]

Hi guys! i hope you can help me choose my first DSLR..i am currently looking at CanonXSi or T1i but then i stumbled upon Powershot G10..as i am upgrading from my P&S..the mobility of carrying the G10 is a plus for me..it is also reasonably priced as compared to T1i however, it's lens can not be changed which limits its use..i am interested in landscape photography and i would really like to improve my shots..thank you so much..

[Murtasma]

I would go with the T1i, the G10 is a very nice camera but I think it's over priced since it's a point and shoot camera. I wouldn't want to spend more then $300.00 on a point and shoot camera since you can't remove the lens, they typically have smaller imaging sensors and can't accept external flashes.

[prrs4me]

The g10 can accept an external flash. But it is a point and shoot. If you want to get in to the world of dslr than go for the T1i. You will find you can do a lot more with that camera than the g10.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by Murtasma

....I wouldn't want to spend more then $300.00 on a point and shoot camera since you can't remove the lens, they typically have smaller imaging sensors and can't accept external flashes.

Kind of the point of the G-series is that they have (slightly) larger sensors and flash hotshoes. Hence the higher pricetag. I love my G9. I think it was worth every penny. I'm seriously considering trading it in for a G11.

You do need to know that going from a P&S camera to a dSLR is not a straightforward upgrade. It's a different kind of picture taking paradigm, and being lightweight, convenient, and portable are NOT among a dSLR's strengths. If you're not prepared to cart a tripod and/or camera bag with you, you may want to rethink whether or not a dSLR is for you.

Also, cost-wise, a dSLR is going to be much more expensive than going with a P&S, simply because you'll be going into a system. That system gives you a lot more versatility than a P&S camera does. But it comes at a cost. Lenses can often cost as much or more than the camera. And that doesn't count a tripod, a flash or two, and a camera bag into the mix.

If you just want good image quality, P&S cameras can do that within certain limitations (daylight being one of them). There's a landscape photographer who compared his G10 against his medium format digital back within those limits, and found that the G10 delivers great image quality. It's if you need to go past those limits that a dSLR becomes what you want.

If having a pocketable all-in-one go camera is important to you, then you may want to consider staying with a P&S, despite its limitations.

[jennie]

..tnx guys..cost, portability and versatility are really my considerations..

i love my P&S and it does deliver but i am also aware of its limitation which a DSLR may address..however, a DSLR (body only) already costs so much plus i have to buy lenses in order to be versatile..plus, i love to travel and i dont want the extra weight in my arms..(it would be a good exercise though..lol..)

[n_mazur]

If price wasn't a consideration, then I'd say get the Ricoh GXR system. It fulfills your two other needs quite nicely. YouTube - Ricoh GXR camera system You'd have to drop about a thousand dollars to get the body and a medium telephoto lens though. Pretty neat concept though!

[Pen]

i dont own a G9 or 10 or 11, in fact the P&S that i own is frankly terrible, however i was at best buy the other day and checked out the G11 and was pretty amazed, dont know if you were considering the G11 as well but i would say look into it , however if you truly want versatility and that stuff then you are looking at a DSLR, but the G11 had quite a bit on it similar to DSLR's, however its lens is a 5x i believe, i dont know what it equates in 35mm terms but its nothing like say the sony hxc-1 (or whatever that one is) that has something like a 28-500mm+ equivalent zoom with its 20x or so lens, so if youre thinking about some serious nature/bird photography thats another place where the T1i will beat out the G10 or 11. Also the senor size and dealing with low light situations and other stuff that has already been mentioned, basically just weigh whats important, portability and still a great camera than the G10/11 or if you want a ton of versatility with a bunch of options than probably a DSLR system (with the T1i as the camera part) is a better choice.

[Pen]

i forgot to mention that if you are looking at the nature/bird photography, you will probably want a pretty good telephoto lens, 200mm or greater, especially for birds, Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Opinions? heres a link to a thread i did about the 400mm prime from canon, where inkista stated it is the bird in flight lens, and this great lens for nature/bird photography will set u back probably about double or maybe a little less of what your T1i will cost, so theres also the cost factor based on what u want to shoot.

[jennie]

Originally Posted by Pen

i forgot to mention that if you are looking at the nature/bird photography, you will probably want a pretty good telephoto lens, 200mm or greater, especially for birds, Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Opinions? heres a link to a thread i did about the 400mm prime from canon, where inkista stated it is the bird in flight lens, and this great lens for nature/bird photography will set u back probably about double or maybe a little less of what your T1i will cost, so theres also the cost factor based on what u want to shoot.

tnx pen! your review is giving me some light on this matter..i like nature but not usually wildlife..i really dont have the patience for it..lol..(maybe in time..) i prefer landscapes, sunsets and trees coz they stay still and i could play with composition..the lighting is quite tricky though which a DSLR may have more control than the G10..i usually overblow the sky with my P&S..i am fond of shooting churches and i dont get a good quality from my P&S..

as to the zooming option, the powershot SX20 is comes to mind..it has 20x optical zoom and 0cm macro..if Canon combine the lens of their telephoto series and the DSLR function of its prosumer series..that would be heaven..

[inkista]

Originally Posted by jennie

...i usually overblow the sky with my P&S..i am fond of shooting churches and i dont get a good quality from my P&S..

A dSLR will help you with lower light photography. And blowing out a sky is easier with a P&S, but it happens with dSLRs, too. You may want to learn how to do HDR processing with your P&S for the blown sky shots, and use a small tripod of some kind (say, a gorillapod or ultrapod) inside a church for longer exposures. I used an ultrapod to get this shot at the British Museum with a 3MP P&S camera (Canon S30):

as to the zooming option, the powershot SX20 is comes to mind..it has 20x optical zoom and 0cm macro..if Canon combine the lens of their telephoto series and the DSLR function of its prosumer series..that would be heaven..

The SX20IS has full PSAM modes. The only ways in which it's not as nice as the G11 are the lack of RAW, the smaller sensor, and the lens not going as wide. But you do have the superzoom, the flip-out LCD, and a flash hotshoe (which means Strobist lighting is a possibility). The CHDK might help you with the RAW. I do wish, though, that they'd use that larger 1/1.7" sensor of the G11 in the S superzoom cams.