Canon G9, Sigma DP1 or Nikon P5100

Hi Folks,
As some of you know my G9 was stolen a couple of weeks back. My intentions where not to replace it but have found myself needing a small P&S...
Now as I was getting ready to order a G9 yesterday, I found a few places that actually had the SIGMA DP1 in stock including a local store here...Problem is that they will not let me sample the DP1 unless I buy it...I really want this camera but how does this DLSR in a Point and shoot compare to the G9? Does anyone have it?
I am also considering the Nikon P5100...I hear it is very light and compact...

I found the
Canon G9 for $479.00 locally
Sigma DP1 for $799.00 locally
Nikon P5100 for $329.00 locally...

All three will fit in my shirt pocket which is what I want.
Thanks folks.

Javier,

Maybe you could purchase the Sigma online or elsewhere at a store that has a decent return policy. I've returned things at B&H and Norman camera with no questions asked. As long as you return it in the same condition, contents, etc. neither place will charge a restocking fee although they both have that option open to them.

Just a thought.

Norman Camera has it in stock.

http://www.normancamera.com/product-...Digital_Camera

Liz

Having not used the Sigma DP1, it's hard to recommend it - even though I do love the idea of a full DSLR sensor in a compact camera. If memory serves correct, the DP1 is a little larger than the G9 and definitely larger than the Nikon P5100. But I would be amazed if the DP1 didn't have the best image quality. Remember that it has a fixed lens - no zoom - so it won't be as flexible as the Nikon or Canon.

We're actually wrapping up a Nikon Coolpix P5100 review right now. The studio tests are already shot and posted. If you want to compare them to the G9 studio sample photos, you can check them both on our Digital Camera Sample Photos Directory.

I was very excited about the Sigma DP1 when it was announced. But in the past couple of years since they first showed it at PMA, the image quality of small sensor compact digital cameras has improved considerably. I love the image quality of the 12-megapixel Canon G9 and the SD950 IS. And for me, compact cameras that fit in my pocket are the most exciting. So I'm less interested in the DP1 than I was back then. If someone wants to introduce a real pocket camera with an APS-C sensor, I'll be all over it.

I still think G9 is a good option, and it's not so expensive online

Liz,
Thanks for the great advice. I was so close to ordering the DP1 but then got to thinking, how much better can it really be than the G9 i was very impressed with? I also really liked the two custom personalized settings it has...

John, I was wondering if the DP1 was larger than the G9 which I wish in itself was a little smaller...BUT you did peak my interest in that you just finished reviewing the Nikon P5100...So if I may ask a few questions...A perk of being a member of the best forum on the web...
What where your impressions on autofocus speed? More to the point, how would you rate the auto focus speed of the nikon compared to the canon?

DP1 issue quote from amazon customer review

" The autofocus is simply too slow for a camera at this price, and it is made worse by the fact that the preview image freezes while focus is acquired. These problems combine to make it very difficult to focus and frame the image properly in dynamic situations.

Other issues are the rather slow write speed for RAW files...3 seconds, even with a SanDisk Extreme III card and the fact that it takes too many button presses to change the ISO."

for me G9 is the best solution (only $449 )

9mot,
thank you so much for your valuable input, More importantly, welcome to the forum..Glad you are here and look forward to seeing images from Thailand. :)

Thanks jgredline

Hi Folks, After much thought and debate, I decided on another G9...It would be to hard after having that for a short time to have anything less....
As much as wanted the DP1, not having the option to try one out, was a deal breaker for me. I did contact a few places. Adorama and Buy dig and, once I buy it, I own it..
Thanks for the help.

I got my new G9 today. Interesting thing though. The camera looks the same as my old one, but the menu is different. This one seems faster and the images are much better. With my first G9, there was some white balance issues that are no longer an issue. Strange.

Maybe new firmware?...I am/was in the same debate. As you may know I just picked up a Panasonic TZ3. Well, I love the size of that thing, but I find myself frustrated by the lack of manual controls, and hating the lack of a viewfinder. I guess I am just old school.

I'd consider an S5, but again the viewfinder (evf) is a deal breaker for me. So that leaves me with the G9. I used to own a G2 and still find myself missing it now. So I too am finding the G9 to be about my only choice. I guess I really don't know much about the Nikon.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EOSThree

Maybe new firmware?...I am/was in the same debate. As you may know I just picked up a Panasonic TZ3. Well, I love the size of that thing, but I find myself frustrated by the lack of manual controls, and hating the lack of a viewfinder. I guess I am just old school.

I'd consider an S5, but again the viewfinder (evf) is a deal breaker for me. So that leaves me with the G9. I used to own a G2 and still find myself missing it now. So I too am finding the G9 to be about my only choice. I guess I really don't know much about the Nikon.

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The G9 is an excellent camera. It has many features and is a pleasure to use. It's one of the best, if not the best p&s out there right now. Here are the first shots I took with mine straight out of the box. Only two images were cropped a bit. No other post processing except to resize.

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...ad.php?t=36533

Liz

I agree with Liz. I am so enjoying my G9, infact more than my DSLR's...No kidding. It is a joy...The only thing I wish was that perhaps it was a little wider, but that is a case of being spoiled.

I just bought a G9. You guys and my previous experience with my G2 convinced me that the G9 was the way to go. Now what to do with my 10D or my Rebel XT.

EOS, You done good grasshopper :)

OK, Here are some G9 pics I took last week.
http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/2346/img0312fb8.jpg

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/5196/img0394tv6.jpg

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/7430/img0397tv6.jpg

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/5734/img0324ni6.jpg

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/6223/img0333xr0.jpg

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/7264/img0348yw4.jpg

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/4339/img0350kz3.jpg

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/1411/img0358lt3.jpg

Feel free to post your G9 images.......

Well...After reading this I know more than ever I made the right choice in going with the G9...
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigmadp1/

Now, I am not a fan of DPR, but I too in my research found many of the problems they discovered.

May I ask how fast is the shutter speed for the G9. Would I be able to take, like, wildlife photos with it?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dawgdawg

May I ask how fast is the shutter speed for the G9. Would I be able to take, like, wildlife photos with it?

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For wild life photos, you really need to consider a DSLR or at the very least a good bridge camera if you want A P&S.

While I believe the G9 to be the best in its class, you will have a hard time with wildlife photos.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jgredline

Well...After reading this I know more than ever I made the right choice in going with the G9...
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigmadp1/

Now, I am not a fan of DPR, but I too in my research found many of the problems they discovered.

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What were the problems? I looked at the review but I don't have time to wade through it all. While I like the G9, I have been super impressed with the image quality of the Sigma. I can't see there being any issues there.

Since we have the Sigma DP1 for review, we now have studio samples for the Canon G9, the DP1, and the Nikon Coolpix P5100. They're all posted at the original resolution and you can download and print them for comparison. Printing at your normal print size is my recommendation for the best way to compare image quality. Viewing at 100% shows noise, but isn't really a good real-world image quality test. At 100% on your computer, a 4-megapixel and a 10-megapixel camera might look exactly the same. But when you print or resize to share on the Web, they'll look very different. Normal viewing sizes are what matter the most. I make test prints to compare at 8.5x11 inches.

Canon PowerShot G9 Studio Sample Photos
Nikon Coolpix P5100 Studio Sample Photos
Sigma DP1 Studio Sample Photos

And just for reference: Canon EOS Rebel XSi / 450D Studio Sample Photos

All digital camera studio sample photos >>

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Photo-John

What were the problems? I looked at the review but I don't have time to wade through it all. While I like the G9, I have been super impressed with the image quality of the Sigma. I can't see there being any issues there.

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In that review and a few others, the biggest problem that people had was extremely slow auto focus and there was a problem with the Green channel I believe. I do not remember exactly what, but there was quite a bit of problems, Most of which I am sure a firmware update could fix, but for the price of it, I did not like what I was reading.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jgredline

In that review and a few others, the biggest problem that people had was extremely slow auto focus and there was a problem with the Green channel I believe. I do not remember exactly what, but there was quite a bit of problems, Most of which I am sure a firmware update could fix, but for the price of it, I did not like what I was reading.

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The DP1 is definitely no speed demon. But for me, I think I might choose it over the G9 or the P5100. Those cameras are all chunky enough that if I had one, I'd choose image quality first. Right now, if I go compact, I want something that will fit in my pocket. And I'll happily trade some image quality for that. I hadn't used it in a while, but I took my Canon SD950 IS out a few days ago and was really pleased with the image quality it offers for such a compact camera. I still wish it had a wider lens. And as soon as Canon (or someone else) offers a pocket camera with comparable image quality and a wider lens, I'll be first in line :)

Thanks for following up here. That's valuable since I'm sure there are people watching this thread. And I'm sure I already asked you, but please post a review on the user reviews page. We need your review!

Canon PowerShot G9 User Reviews >>

FWIW....

A complete user review of the Sigma DP1 is located at:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/re...igma-dp1.shtml

A few could points but lots of bad ones as well. Not worth the high price, at least for me.
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Quote:

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Originally Posted by mwfanelli2

FWIW....

A complete user review of the Sigma DP1 is located at:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/re...igma-dp1.shtml

A few could points but lots of bad ones as well. Not worth the high price, at least for me.
.

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Yes, price is definitely an issue. But size is an even bigger issue for me. If I'm gonna have a camera that big, I'd rather just carry an Olympus E-520, Nikon D60, or Canon XSi/450D.