Not totally photo related, not just a journal. A bit of both.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

G-10 or LX3?



I have been looking at cameras recently. My Olympus PnS has finally become so unreliable that I am swearing off the Stylus line after close to 20 years of different models. I want something bigger but not dSLR sized. Rangefinder sized.

My initial thought is for something like the Canon G10, 14.7MP camera. Looks slick feels good in the hand with its magnesium alloy body, but there seem to be some concerns in the noise caused by cramming of all those pixels on the sensor. That seems to be the only drawback. I want something I can carry around unobtrusively while, say, shooting on the streets of Toronto or on trips without drawing attention to myself etc.

A couple of good reviews are here and here of the G10. Noise is the issue mainly, as I said before. Check out this side-by-side noise comparision at iso800 of the G10 and the LX3 and the Nikon Coolpix P6000 on dpreview.com. iso1600 is brutal for all three but the LX3 seems to be least horrific...

All things being equal, I might go for a Panasonic LX3. The full review of the LX3on dpreview starts here, and as with all their reviews its uber detailed. There are some good points in the comments in this post too.

Canon G10 is $579.99CAD and the Lx3 is $599.99CAD at Henry's. At B&H online the prices are $449 and $459USC respectively.


If anyone has any thoughts on either of these cameras - especially at the higher iso's I would love to hear them.

Mike

Mike Wood Photography

2 comments:

Mark R Coons - Music Man5 Photos said...

I have a G-10, bought mine for reasons very similar to yours. I wanted a camera I can carry around when I do not have a dSLR with me.
As a Canon user I got the G-10 after just a cursory examination of several other cameras (the Panasonic being one).
I got the G-10 because I am comfortable with Canon cameras and because my external flashes would work it.
I do not do much high ISO shooting so I have not had any concerns of noise as yet.
The Panasonic would have been my second choice, for the same reasons you mentioned. Either way you'll get a great camera.

Unknown said...

Mike:

You should seriously consider the Sigma DP2.

The biggest selling point is the large Foveon sensor (14 MP), the same as used in Sigma DSLR cameras.

24.2 mm f/2.8 prime lens (3x optical zoom).

Looks wonderful.