Which is better of these 2 cameras?

[Jake_Sully]

I'm curious which one of the above said cameras would you guys prefer for LOS?

I'm leaning towards the G11 but still open minded and curious about your comments.

I've always preferred ultra compacts but willing to throw my preference asides.

My real needs are image stabilization (my hands can shake terribly and that can ruin shots as you will see) and good low light performance. I want to be able to take snaps at night that at least come close to what other BM's have captured of the LOS nightlife with their cameras.

Here are some of my  current camera's snaps in low light and you can pretty much tell there is a lot of noise and low light performance is just horrible. Also my shaking hands often ruin the shot. So I'm open to any and all suggestions you might have.

Thanks if you're able to advise me for a good purchase.

[Snick]

Trick question , answer is neither


S90 has been replaced by S95. G12 will be out in weeks.
S95 vs G12 , I would get the S95, the size factor alone makes it a better camera for shooting the girls - and it does better in the dark than the G12.

I use the S90, as does 3 or 4 other guys. Never met anyone using the G11.

[rxpharm]

Actually you can probably get the S90 at a discount now the S95 is coming out. Keep you eyes open as they will be selling quick at the discount price.

Snick actually there are a few people shooting with the G10, Bumblebee, Karl and Jimbo, but I don't think anyone posting to the forum is using a G11.

[Jake_Sully]

The thing that attracted me to the G11 was the movable LCD screen and from the reviews its pictures actually had less noise from the G10 but that's going per the review at: http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/G11/G11A.HTM

[rxpharm]

Sounds like you have narrowed it down to these 2 cameras - go into the store and see you how like handling them, and take a memory card to view the photos back at home.

You will have to decide if you want to take the bigger G11 around or the compact S90/95.

The G11 does NOT have a bigger sensor than the S90/95 despite its size, so you will not get the same quality you get with a DSLR.

Keep in mind if you plan on drinking at the bars to the point of being drunk, the swivel LCD has a much higher likelihood of being damaged if you pull it out.

[azza33]

My real needs are image stabilization (my hands can shake terribly and that can ruin shots as you will see) and good low light performance. I want to be able to take snaps at night that at least come close to what other BM's have captured of the LOS nightlife with their cameras.

I wont give advice on a camera but if you enjoy night landscape which seems to be what you have shown above... get yourself a tripod to do that and overcome the shaky hands issue.

I, too, suffer from unsteady hands and as such you will be hard pressed to capture the hand held night shots with the same clarity as others

[rxpharm]

ahh, but a tripod won't help him with lowlight photos in the bar!

The S90/S90 has IS so that will help.

[Bumblebee]

(rxpharm @ Sep. 05 2010,00:44) Snick actually there are a few people shooting with the G10, Bumblebee, Karl and Jimbo, but I don't think anyone posting to the forum is using a G11.

My Canon is a S5 RX, a bit bulkier than the G11.  I use it during the day.  My weapon of choice for night prowls is the Panasonic ZS3/TZ7, there is a newer model now, but I find it pretty good, took all my March night photos in Pattaya with it.  Also it's got a 12 optical zoom.  Great HD video as well.

Most of the bar photos here, except for the first page were taken with the Panasonic, to give you an idea of the quality.

https://theladyboyforums.com/cgi-bin....2;st=20

[azza33]

If you have slightly shaky hands even IS doesn't really assist that much on the night shots .. just my experience.

btw RX ... why do you hate tripod so much? ... and i'm only advocating them for landscape not bars or random street shots.

[rxpharm]

I don't hate tripods, but Jake is specifically looking for a camera that will work well in bars - can't really use a tripod in those situations.

I have used a tripod to take photos of the moon - it's a useful tool in the right situations - and the bar is not one of them.

(Bumblebee @ Sep. 05 2010,00:44)

My Canon is a S5 RX, a bit bulkier than the G11. I use it during the day. My weapon of choice for night prowls is the Panasonic ZS3/TZ7, there is a newer model now, but I find it pretty good, took all my March night photos in Pattaya with it. Also it's got a 12 optical zoom. Great HD video as well.

Thanks for the correction Bumblebee, I was recalling incorrectly - but I think we did have a chat where you were considering it. I have a Panasonic TZ5 - one model earlier than the TZ7 for my compact point and shoot camera.

[Bumblebee]

(rxpharm @ Sep. 05 2010,06:56) I don't hate tripods, but Jake is specifically looking for a camera that will work well in bars - can't really use a tripod in those situations.

I have used a tripod to take photos of the moon - it's a useful tool in the right situations - and the bar is not one of them.

(Bumblebee @ Sep. 05 2010,00:44)

My Canon is a S5 RX, a bit bulkier than the G11.  I use it during the day.  My weapon of choice for night prowls is the Panasonic ZS3/TZ7, there is a newer model now, but I find it pretty good, took all my March night photos in Pattaya with it.  Also it's got a 12 optical zoom.  Great HD video as well.

Thanks for the correction Bumblebee, I was recalling incorrectly - but I think we did have a chat where you were considering it. I have a Panasonic TZ5 - one model earlier than the TZ7 for my compact point and shoot camera.

Yea I was impressed with the quality of the G11 when I saw it, and the S90 for sure is fantastic in low light, but I am happy with the Panasonic and the mega zoom will always win it for me.  A 3 optical zoom ain't gonna get you pics like this from the discreet comfort of 50+ metres away in a secluded bar.  

[azza33]

that was one fine shot

[spare wheel]

im happy with the TZ6 which on Rx rec and BB's coaching i love it hope it last's more than my others as i like a and drop it or lose it

SW

[azza33]

I carry 2 cams on my trip
1) canon 550
2) canon 950 for rainy nights, on the piss, or when I can't be bothered lugging around the 550.

[Jake_Sully]

Such good advice in this thread. Thank you all!

Very good point azza. I could always take the SD1000 Elph for my rainy weather camera. That of courses leaves the question of what my main camera would be

Snick I love the portability aspect of the S90 but I lose the swivel lcd which is something I want after having to try 10 times maybe to take a good self portrait and wasting time and snaps. I mean I can deal with it.. I have thus far, but I was however looking forward to not making errors with that swivel lcd anymore. Also the zoom is only 3.8 vs the 5x.

Rx very good point of swivel getting damaged if pulled out.. I guess I won't be pulling it out and will use it like a standard camera.

Thank you for bringing up the Panasonic ZS3 BB.. did some research on that and apparently it has a lot of noise in ISO 1600. Also the Canon SX210 IS is canon's answer to that.

Btw I did find a good video of a person taking vacation pics with his G11 and at least from my perspective the pictures came out great. Maybe a little too vivid. Take a look at 1:40 to 2:00.. quite a few night time snaps that come out just beautiful

Choices choices choices.. what's important:

zoom vs image stabilization vs low light vs low noise vs portability vs hd movie mode. I can't have them all.

So far I've been looking at all the cameras mentioned in this thread and gone by the tests done by imaging resource and every camera except the G11 tends to have noise at higher iso's. I find that surprising because the S90 is supposed to virtually be the same camera. I mean here look for yourself:

G11 ISO 3200
S90 ISO 3200
ZS3 ISO 1600, it doesn't do ISO 3200


G11 ISO 800
S90 ISO 800
ZS3 ISO 800

So far I'm leaning:

1. image stabilization (thankfully its pretty standard now or getting to be)
2. low noise (judging by those snaps linked above I think the G11 beats the S90 by a tad)
3. low light performance (S90 starts gaining points here)
4. zoom & portability (ZS3 and S90 starts gaining the edge if I consider all 4)
5. hd movie mode (only the ZS3 does this and I almost never use this)

I'll do some more research and thinking about this before I decide.. but honestly your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated and most welcome! Keep em coming.. there maybe a camera or a detail I haven't considered yet.