In search of the perfect vacation camera!
(Canon G10 vs. Canon XSI - Point and Shoot vs. SLR)
I have had various film and digital SLR and P&S cameras over the past couple decades. Since crossing to the digital, I have owned a 20D, 40D, XSI, 5D and 5d mkII along with over 8 digital point and shoot cameras. The conundrum I have often faced is balancing convenience (size, weight, etc) vs. quality. When leaving the house or going on vacation, I want to bring a camera, but hauling an SLR with lenses can often be a pain. Or, when riding my ATVs or snowmobiles, I don't want to risk vibrating my $2700 SLR to pieces. I recently bought a Canon XSI and 18-200mm IS lens for a recent vacation to Nuevo Vallarta. I picked this setup for its smaller SLR frame, built in flash, and great performance; and the lens for its 11 power zoom and image stabilization. I thought this would be a good compromise from hauling my 5D with a couple lenses and flash. as expected the camera preformed beautifully, but I did find myself leaving it in the room every now and then to lighten my load.
Since the introduction of the Canon G10, I never thought there was a PS camera that could hold up to an SLR. Many claim it is just as good with all the features and quality as an entry level SLR, we'll see about that claim. So when Circuit City announced they were liquidating I decided to pick one up for cheap to see if it could solve my problem.
Shooting with it for over a month now and running a few tests, I found the camera to be better than other P&S cameras I had available, but still not near the quality if an SLR when it comes to depth of field or noise control. No doubt it was better the the other P&S, and I didn't really expect it to hold its own against my XSI or 5D mkII, but it did make the decision much more difficult when I open my safe to grab a camera when leaving for a trip. I do find myself grabbing it more than my XSI. Now I either use my 5D or G10 and the XSI sees less use.
Will I sell my XSI, probably not. If I only had the 5D and G10, would I buy an XSI, probably not (except as a backup body for professional work). Knowing what I know now, having a 5d and XSI, would I buy the G10 again, probably not. Is the G10 the perfect vacation camera, probably not. So what I learned is, the G10 is a great P&S camera. Its smaller, lighter, has IS, a decent zoom, cheap and has a lot of features, but it doesn't produce the image quality I would like. The XSI has the image quality (with a good lens), and is cheap, but although much smaller than a 5D, it is still too big to throw in your pocket. Conclusion: There is no perfect cameral for all situations, but the G10 is camera in a small package.
Below are some tests I did for anyone looking for a comparison. Although not scientific, they do represent the results I see just using the cameras for normal day to day shooting.
Cameras:
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Depth of Field:
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Noise:
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Noise using studio strobes:
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