Canon g12?

[Fantastic Mr fox]

Hi, I use a canon 5 d mk 2 and want a good quality 'compact' what do you guys think of the g12? Any good? I did have the g9 which I liked ( until my 2 year old dropped it on the floor......ouch) I am naturally attracted to canon but anything better?

Fmf

[operanut1972]

If its good enough for the likes of Andy Rouse then it's good enough for me. I had a G9, it is now my wife's camera, I am looking at the G12 or the next variant thereof.

[Fantastic Mr fox]

Good point! I was definitely interested in one and then started to read some mixed reviews and some suggestions that the power shot s95 was as good and £100+ quid cheaper......

[operanut1972]

Many bad reviews generally come from people who don't fully understand the functions of the camera and have often been miss sold, or at least this has been my experience.

[andrewinpompey]

My wife has a G12 - at my recommendation - and it is pretty impressive, e.g. its ISO capabilities, swivelling screen, focussing is pretty fast for a compact, and so on. But then it should be good, as it is quite expensive.

If you are going to be using it outdoors a lot, that might be a reason to go for the G12 over a cheaper compact, as it might better withstand moisture, dust etc.

[jaybie]

I recently was looking for a compact and ended up with the S95 rather than the G12. It is not possible to really to compare the two as it's like comparing apples to oranges though the image quality is comparable and and both are really usable up to ISO800. The reason I went for the S95 was its compact nature as it easily fits in the pocket plus it is a very handy wide angle and a lot lighter than my Sigma 10-20mm.

The main choice comes down to the flexibility and options of the G12 or the compactness and ease of use of the S95, which better suits your needs will be down to you but you need to handle both (and other similar models) to help with the decision.

I don't think that either the G12 or S95 are particularly dust or weather proof though.

JohnB

[Meta menardi]

I have a G12, and I think it is great, there is a lot to learn and you need a book to go with it, the manual is good but it uses so many links, even printing it off is pointless. Biggest niggles are that the half pressure on the shutter button is not all that easy to find, you think you are locking on to the focus and bang, you have shot, and leaving the selection on auto for colour balance gives some odd results, shoot in slightly low light and you can see the balance goes to a rather blue cast. If you want a clicker, you won't get the best from it.

[bripriuk]

I have a G12 and like most owners I am very happy with it. I use it as an extension to my 50D kit, with one of the best points being the performance with my Canon 380ex flash. The tilting back and the fact you can use a remote release make it great for macro shots of Fungi, etc, and having the ISO setting on a dial instead of in a menu is a real plus.

Brian

[DaiTheDragon]

I bought the G12 mainly for fungi and Landscape and can't fault it. Too get the best out of it you really need to use it a lot to learn the many features including the video.
I bought a remote release and a small tripod Manfrotto MKC3-H01 Compact Tripod - Black (MKC3-H01) - Warehouse Express all I need now is a better flash probably the Canon 280.

Dai

[Wildbear]

Great camera, its my camera of choice when I can't be bothered lugging around the 7D.
Plus being able to get a reasonable priced underwater housing was a bonus for me. Especially when traveling and snorkeling and at my work.