For the last couple of days I have felt an urge to experiment with my Canon G7. Off and on I have enjoyed shooting with it, but I bought at it at just about the worst time to have purchased that camera in Canon's line. The G7 shoots only jpeg and I cannot talk myself into being satisfied with that format when I have worked so long with RAW files.
The last couple of days, I have been reminded of how nice it is tote the lightweight camera. It's quite handy for my walks. The photo above was taken during my Sunday evening walk/therapy session. I walked two-thirds of a mile in my trip to the mail boxes and back. Finally, I am moving beyond our drive. One thing was clear: for now at least, a DSLR would have been heavy by the end of the jaunt. Still, as convenient as the point and shoot is, I miss the controls of my DSLR's, and I miss the heft of the heavier cameras when it comes time to frame and trip the shutter.
Unfortunately, I recognize this urge to use the G7 for what it really is. I am flirting with an upgrade to the G12. There are several reasons. Better performance at higher ISO's would be a welcome bonus. The sensor in the G7 is several generations old, and I feel confident that the G12 would give me more flexibility to shoot in lower light. Still, the ultimate frustration with my current version of a point and shoot is the inability to shoot RAW files. That is the true source of this edition of gear lust.
No doubt the smaller camera would always be my second choice and picked up only when conditions make a DSLR impractical. Not surprisingly, the G7 suffers badly when compared to the 40D and 50D. I have no illusions that a G12 will fare dramatically better in a direct comparison.
I am still on the fence about this. I know there are many photographers who are deeply satisfied with the Canon S90. While some of them are people I greatly respect for their more informed opinions, I find myself stuck on the notion of a G12. I can't determine whether I am dense, stubborn, sentimental, or just old enough to be stuck in my ways.
We shall see how this turns out. But, for now, the G12 is the clear front runner.
