Sun Apr 14, 2013 6:26 pm
Just curious as to if you're switching to a smaller platform to gain pocket portability, pocket portability with more manual control, or if the DSLR remains you main shooting camera.
I myself come from the opposite direction. I have yet to purchase a DSLR because I prefer the smaller footprint of a pocket camera and like to travel lighter. To compensate for some of what I lose with a P&S I buy higher end P&S cameras. In my case, I'm a Canon guy who had a G9 and now, a G12 for the past 1 1/2 years ( actually had a G11 that went south on me and I use my Best Buy warranty to exchange and this is how I got the G12, which turned out to be a better camera anyhow -- so the moral of the story is to buy the extended warranty if you're gonna make extensive use of an expensive P&S ).I use my G12 for leisure travel street candids, nature and landscape, & portrait/flash work in all sorts of weather/conditions. The camera is sturdy and reliable. I'll assume that the G15 would meet the same criteria. I used to shoot in JPG only mode. Now I shoot RAW and I do all of my post processing in RAW ( I shoot JPG+RAW when taking a test image so that I can evaluate my histogram etc, otherwise I shoot RAW ). I love the flexibility of these G series Canons.
So if you're going for a high end P&S ( more expensive ) I would suggest that you take my words and the insights of others only as an instructive guide. You're gonna want to get out and handle each of those camera's you're pondering to see how they feel in your hand, how their ergonomics and button functions compare, and ultimately, how their individual features add up for how you're gonna use the camera. There's a lot of subjectivity involved here as some folks will prefer certain layouts/logistics over others.
What I personally know about the feature set of the G15 is that it has a 28-140mm equivalent focal length range & a FASTER lens at F1.8-2.8 ( 1 1/3 stops faster than the G12 ). This is pretty compelling if low light is a priority. You also gain more ability to blur BG at longer zoom. Otherwise the G15 comes from the same rugged & reliable stock of other G series cameras. Interestingly, while the G15 and the Panasonic L list the same processor spec size, the G15 processor is slightly larger than the Panasonic. Not sure what sort of difference this makes in practical use. If I were in the market for a high end pocket P&S, the G15 would definitely be on my short list of cameras to consider. But once again, my opinion is subjective to me and how I do my photography.
So I seriously suggest that you don't make any firm decision until you hold those cameras in hand AND you visit dpreview to closely examine the specs on those models you are considering. Dpreview has a review at this link for the G15 <http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canon-powershot-g15>. It is thorough and extensive research and you should also be able to call up reviews on the other cameras. You can also do some side-by-side direct comparison from the testing data dpreview has and see first hand some of the imaging differences between the various cameras on screen. Keep in mind that DPreview is one of the best camera info resources out there for anyone who is camera shopping.
Good luck finding a new camera.
Barry