Canon G10 vs. Rebel XS

[FloatingTohught]

Hi everyone,

I Just spent a few hours of my time looking for an answer to this simple question: If I went out today and bought a Canon G10 and a Rebel XS/XSi (with only the 18-55 mm lens), would there be an appreciable difference in picture quality when shooting in not too high ISO and normal lighting?

A bit of background to help you answer better. I've only owned P&Ss and have recently developed an interest in photography. I can't say I know much (or even little really) about photography, and I don't think that I'll take this hobby too far. I know, however, that I have an eye for it and I'd still like to take a really nice portrait or a good (semi-pro) looking shot of whatever every once in a while. I understand one is a P&S and one is a DSLR. So there's no need to tell the differences or advantages of either as this is addressed in online forums all over the place. This is also not a question about what should one buy as this will ultimately depend on ones preferences.

Most of what I read online was people either assuming or saying that a DSLR "ofcourse" will give you a better quality photo and then would explain that with talking about how it works or how the numbers are better. A friend suggested I go and compare photos taken with both cameras on flickr and frankly I couldn't tell the difference.

If you know something about photography... and I mean really know something about photography then please help me out here. If you have concrete examples of how different would the photos be, then please help me out. Actual photos would be ideal. And kindly, turn on your snob detectors as you write your responses and take care of snobbery before it shows on the page :thumbsup:

Thanks!

[Grandpaw]

By starting out telling us that your time is precious and telling us that you know the differences between the types of cameras and that we should only answer if we REALLY know something about photography and to turn off our snob detectors before answering, I just have one thing to say, and that is good luck getting anyone to respond to your post after showing this kind of attitude. Have a nice day, Jeff

[Anbesol]

A friend suggested I go and compare photos taken with both cameras on flickr and frankly I couldn't tell the difference.

Yes, there is a difference, a significant difference, and a difference that becomes even more glaringly obvious the higher the ISO. Looking on Flickr was a bad idea, they are resized, downsized and edited random web photos.

Link - If you look at the Still Life ISO range results in full res on there, you can immediately notice a rather massive difference, select Canon T1i in the first and the G11 in the second, then look for the still life results, look at ISO 100, then 800, then 1600, huge differences. The specific differences are in raw pure resolution, detail, image grain, tonal range and accuracy, etc.

We have a good community of helpful photographers here and the last thing you're likely to find here is someone 'snobby' by the way.

[FloatingTohught]

Grandpaw, thanks for the lesson. I didn't want to upset you or anyone else. I just wanted to point out a few things hoping to keep the discussion focused. I took out a word from the original post, hope it makes you happier.

Anbesol, Thanks a million, this was really helpful :thumbsup: .

Any more input would be greatly appreciated.

[Grandpaw]

Grandpaw, thanks for the lesson. I didn't want to upset you or anyone else. I just wanted to point out a few things hoping to keep the discussion focused. I took out a word from the original post, hope it makes you happier.

Anbesol, Thanks a million, this was really helpful :thumbsup: .

Any more input would be greatly appreciated.

There were three things that hit me the wrong way. The first sentence did say something like I spent my precious time looking for an answer. This made me wonder if maybe you thought your time was more precious or important than the other members here. Well you eliminated the word precious and that helped.

The second thing that bothered me was the statement.....
"If you know something about photography... and I mean really know something about photography then please help me out here."
What bothers me about this statement is that it gives me the impression that only the best and highest qualified should answer your question. Now this leads me to the question , just who decides which one of our members are smart enough to give you a answer worthy of consideration.

The third thing that bothered me is this.
"And kindly, turn on your snob detectors as you write your responses and take care of snobbery before it shows on the page "
This makes me wonder if I do believe I know something others may not know does this elevate me to the snobbery class and that I should dumb down my answer before putting it on the page?

When someone new comes to a respectable site like this one that has many members covering the knowledge from beginning level to professional and starts out with this kind of wording in their post it just doesn't set well with me. There very well could be a member on our site that has researched this very question and has a place where you could see the photos you are looking for or give you a link where you can find out what you need. They might be new to photography and not really know anything except a place they could tell you about that would get you help with your answer, so don't eliminate anyone by how you word a question.

Remember, the more positive way the question is asked the more positive the answer you get will be. Again, have a nice day and see you on the forums, Jeff

[Loupey]

This is also not a question about what should one buy as this will ultimately depend on ones preferences.

I'm not sure why you are even asking this question then.

My wife has a G9 and my son has the XS. There is a huge difference. I can see it. My wife and son cannot, perhaps. You said you can't (at least with the G10). So it depends on how you want to use them and what you expect from them.


btw, I would have answered earlier when I first read your post but your last paragraph turned me off. I didn't know if I had what it took to answer your question.

[FloatingTohught]

Hey Loupey, thanks for replying. It helps that you've tried both lines... certainly gives you a better perspective.
I haven't noticed any big differences in flickr but I didn't really consider or wasn't able to find info about compression and editing. I did, however, notice a difference on the pictures taken in "image-resource" website (Link by Anbesol)

I'm not sure why you are even asking this question then.

The reason I asked is that I have already looked at other aspects of both cameras and was tempted mostly by the G series portability. I didn't want that to be part of the discussion. Considering how good P&S's are getting, I was wondering if the quality of their images are now coming close to DSLRs. I wasn't able to find a meaningful way to address this question. (i found a lot of "P&S is bad, DSLR is good" which wasn't particularly helpful)

:aureola: I honestly had the best intentions and meant that last paragraph in the best way possible. That obviously didn't come across :idea:.
I noticed that some semi-pro/pro users have some strong feelings about equipment and would occasionally blindly look/talk down on some traditionally inferior products (P&S's in this case). I was hoping that the last paragraph would get those people to think twice and consider the fact that I'm closer to an average Joe when it comes to photography, which would then help them decide whether they think the difference in quality is or isn't worth it for people like me. I have seen some users, for example, arguing that if you did not intend to make a career out of taking pictures or make money out of them otherwise, then you're almost always better off with a P&S in your pocket! That was his point of view (he's an ex-pro), but I'm sure other people have different arguments.

Cheers

[readingr]

Whenever I go to buy a camera I work out what I am going to use it for then work out which to buy.

I use DLSR, SLR, and Compacts. I have more compacts that SLR's.

I take the compacts with me everywhere and have sold photo's taken by compacts, so quality is not a major concern. It's only a tool and the photographer is the important aspect.

I suggest you forget the quality difference between the two camera's you have highlighted and consider how you want to use it as this is far more important, because my compacts get a lot more use than the (D)SLR because they are taken everywhere. I frequently take a photo on the compact and then go back with the (D)SLR to take another photo purely because of technical need, e.g. Lenses, size of sensor... and of course the tripod.

So to answer you question I have photo's that look good from a 3Mpixel fuji camera bought in the year 2000 and sold these.

My current compact is a Nikon L6 which slips into a pocket, and the Canon Powershot Pro1 which is sort of a bridge between DSLR and compat but with L class lens, and my wife's phone camera N97 if desparate.

SLR canon AE1 film, and the Canon D5 DSLR.

Hope my diatribe helps to sort out your question, but still not sure if I am qualified to answer your question.

Roger R.

[Loupey]

Considering how good P&S's are getting, I was wondering if the quality of their images are now coming close to DSLRs.

Keep in mind that as P&S improve, so do dSLRs.

The nice thing about compacts is that they are compact. The bad thing about compacts is that their imaging sensors are compact. So getting wide angle views requires ridiculously short focal lengths - which are prone to all sorts of lens problems. The digital noise produced by the smaller sensors is my main beef.

Take any P&S to dinner at any fine dining establishment, turn off the flash, and see what I mean. It doesn't have to be that dark even - take it to an indoor party at night (a New Year's party for example) turn off the flash and the same thing.

The lenses that are afixed to compacts are dreadfully boring and slow. Pay attention to the max aperture (especially at the long end of the zoom).