what camera is better Canon Powershot G7 - A640

[Sweetsushiboy]

what is the better camera to buy between the G7 and the A640 Canon Powershot.
I found a accessories package for the A640 with a wide lens and telephono lens plus other things to go with it. but still donno which one to buy.

please help. :mad2:
thanks Sean

[drg]

The decision is really option based. The G7 has a hotshoe, Image Stabilization and a slightly brighter/larger screen. The A640 has the highly desirable tilt and swivel screen ( a sad omission from the previous Powershot cameras), it runs on AA batteries, takes photos that seem to be better for post processing than does the G7(G7 are very sharp and contrasty and color can be overly emphasized in Face Detection mode among others), and the A640 costs easily $100 less or more at 'street pricing'.

Since neither camera supports RAW (the previous hands down tie breaker for the Powershot line models), the features you want should probably be your guide. AA batteries in NiMh rechargeables are easily available if you travel and take lots of photos.
IS and Face Detection are desired by some over almost anything else. The hot shoe is a plus, but it sounds like that this may not be a big factor for you.

For a compact camera, that tilt/swivel screen is still a major point for me. I own both G5 and G6 versions of the powershot cameras and the t/s screen is the one feature that has really stopped me from upgrading either one to a G7.

Feel free to ask anymore questions and welcome to PR!

[Rocket_Scientist]

Might also consider the S3 IS... Only 6 MP, but it has Image Stabilization, articulating LCD (though smaller), add-on lenses (sort-of) similar to the A640, I think, and it uses 4 "AA" batteries. Just to cloud your decision...

[Photo-John]

Most of the time those packages aren't such great deals. If it's on eBay or some unknown dealer, the accessories are likely pretty cheesy. I would choose the camera that best fits your needs and then shop at a well-known, reputable dealer. Personally, I like the G7 better. It's a more capable, better-looking camera. But you the Canon A-Series digital cameras give you a whole lot for your money.

If you can tell us more about what you want to do with the camera we might be able to give you some more direction. Also, if you haven't checked, you can compare the specs and read user reviews for both cameras here:

Compare Canon G7 and A640 Digital Cameras >>

Hope that helps!

[photophorous]

I have a G7. It's a very nice camera. The LCD screen has an anti-glare coating that makes it easy to see at sharp angles. So, I don't mind that there's no swivel screen. It helps make the camera more pocketable...it will fit in a large pocket. Build quality is excellent. Image quality is very good too, but I find it hard to get the most out of all 10 MP. Even in ideal conditions, a 100% crop often shows a slight lack of sharpness (compared to my D70s). However, the image stabilization is fantastic. You can get relatively sharp shots at shutter speeds as low as 1/4 sec if you use good technique. It tends to blow highlights more easily than my D70s, but the exposure compensation is easy to use, so that's not a big deal. Zoom range is good (although a little wider would always be nice).

I would have to look closer at the A640 to be certain, but I think I would pick the G7 because of the build quality, longer zoom range, and image stabilization. It really depends on what you want to do with it, though.

Paul

[Sweetsushiboy]

[I want a camera that is good at taking pictures from little distance. I want to be able to take pictures of things at night because I like that kind of thing. I like to take more landscape pictures and photo shop them together to make a large scene. But then again my wife takes the family pictures and that’s mostly portraits. I want to get a picture of how things look not just blurry over lighted pictures or to dark to tell what it is. I bought a Samsung digimax camera on a cruise big mistake. I hate it, the pictures in my opinion are horrible If the lighting is not perfect. when it is almost perfect its still does not look that good to me. I have been using my brother n laws camera it’s a canon Eos rebel. It’s really nice but I can't see buying it for myself. He is a graphic designer and uses it alot. I just like taking pictures not all that fancy kind of stuff he does.

[photophorous]

[I want a camera that is good at taking pictures from little distance. I want to be able to take pictures of things at night because I like that kind of thing. I like to take more landscape pictures and photo shop them together to make a large scene. But then again my wife takes the family pictures and that’s mostly portraits. I want to get a picture of how things look not just blurry over lighted pictures or to dark to tell what it is. I bought a Samsung digimax camera on a cruise big mistake. I hate it, the pictures in my opinion are horrible If the lighting is not perfect. when it is almost perfect its still does not look that good to me. I have been using my brother n laws camera it’s a canon Eos rebel. It’s really nice but I can't see buying it for myself. He is a graphic designer and uses it alot. I just like taking pictures not all that fancy kind of stuff he does.

Whatever you decide, I think you should get image stabilization. The bigger the zoom, the more you need it, and it's good for low light too. The G7 is kind of pricey, so you might consider something other than a Canon, but I think the G7 would do everything you need.

Happy shopping.

Paul

[Sweetsushiboy]

when you said something other than a canon what would you have in mind i have looked at lot of cameras in my price range (300-500) that looked good. what cameras would you have in mind

[Sweetsushiboy]

when you said something other than a canon what would you have in mind i have looked at lot of cameras in my price range (300-500) that looked good. what cameras would you have in mind

right now i am thinking of just getting the G7 is there something better for me ?????

[Photo-John]

I think you should also look at the Canon A710 IS and the Canon S3 IS. Both have lots of options, excellent image quality and image stabilization.

If you're willing to look outside of what Canon has to offer, I would also recommend Panasonic compact digital cameras. They all have optical image stabilization and they've been making full-featured super-zoom digital cameras for a while now. It seems to me that the super-zoom might be the best type of camera for what you want to do.

[Sweetsushiboy]

Photo John what camera/cameras do you use

[Photo-John]

Photo John what camera/cameras do you use

Well, that's a tricky question. Because I do some of the pro reviews here and handle almost all of the cameras, I use whatever happens to be handy, for a compact camera. For the past week I've been playing with the Fujifilm FinePix F31fd and the Sony T50, and I just wrapped up a review for the Panasonic Lumix LX2. My personal cameras are both Canon digital SLRs. I currently have a Canon Digital Rebel XTi and the Canon EOS 1D. I am almost exclusively using the XTi for my SLR needs right now.

[photophorous]

when you said something other than a canon what would you have in mind i have looked at lot of cameras in my price range (300-500) that looked good. what cameras would you have in mind

I guess I should have said, you should consider something other than the G7 and A640. John's suggestions are along the lines I was thinking, but there are others too. Consider all the major brands, figure out what specs you want, then read reviews to narrow it down. Don't hesitate to ask more questions about specs if you're having trouble understanding the differences.

Paul

[Sweetsushiboy]

After talking to you guys i think i have found what i want thank you very much.

[Photo-John]

After talking to you guys i think i have found what i want thank you very much.

And what is it? Don't tease us like that! I like to live vicariously through other people's camera purchases

By the way, I got the A640 in last week so we could do a review. I've been playing with it and think it's very, very nice. But I sure wish it had image stabilization. I think true optical image stabilization is an invaluable feature and I would recommend you seriously consider a camera that has it.

Whatever you get - let us know. And please post a review in the review section here!

[Sweetsushiboy]

I Bought Neither Of The Cameras I Was Going To Buy. I Went Out Researching Some More About Stabilization And Zoom And Some Things About Night Shots Ect.. I Also Found Out There Is A Lady Where I Work That I Into Photography Alot And Her Husband Is A Big Camera Buff. So I Asked Both Of Them Some Questions And He Threw Around Some Thoughts As Well. Anyway I Bought A Fuji S9000. I Actually Have Not Got To Use It That Much Yet (i Just Got It Yesterday). But I Have Played Around With It A Little And Took Some Pictures Of My Wife Cats And Dog And Some Pics Out Side Since We Just Had Some Snow Fall. I Actually Really Like It. I Am Not A Professional But I Really Like The Features I Have Played Around With And The Image Quality. I Am Hopeing To Get Some Time To Use It More This Weekend. I Also Think I Should Get A External Flash Since The One On The Camera Is Not Bright Enough For Me Outside At Night. Tell Me What You Think About My Choice.