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April 29, 2005
[ REVIEW — Canon S70 & G6 ]
CANON POWERSHOT S70 and G6 digital cameras
Price: S70 $999 G6 $1099
Rating: 4.5 stars
The low-down: The Canon Powershot S70 and G6 cameras are the 7 megapixel evolutions of the company’s top optical viewfinder cameras. Think of it as the already excellent S60 and G5 getting better.
There are improvements in the sensors (now 7mp), the ergonomics and lenses, which have been further refined for the special requirements of digital imaging.
The two cameras share internal processing components and their differences are external. The S70 is a compact camera that can just about fit in a pocket. The G6 is a bulkier unit with a faster lens (f2 compared with f2.8) and a longer zoom range. For some users the fact that the S70 lens is 28mm equivalent at its widest will be a deciding factor -- the G6 is 35mm. But at the other end of the range the S70 is 100mm and the G6 140mm.
Both of these cameras can produce pin-sharp prints up to A3+ from images captured at maximum resolution. They both use the cheaper Compact Flash memory cards, but Canon only supply 32mb cards with them which is more of a futile gesture than a useful feature. Factor in the cost of a 256mb card when considering the purchase. Big dicounts are being offered around town, so use the difference between RRP and discount to justify a bigger memory card.
The added features on the G6 are worth more than the $100 difference in price: external flash shoe, swivelling LCD monitor, remote control and viewfinder diopter adjustment.
Like this: Canon’s Digic in-camera processing renders images that are almost invariably sharp, well exposed and colour balanced. But if you don’t trust the automation there is complete manual override on both cameras. Canon says these are “enthusiast” cameras.
Dislike that: Picture noise is surprisingly noticeable at ISO 400. This, presumably, is the trade-off for the extra resolution of the 7 megapixel sensor.
Parting shot: The S70 and G6 provide top image quality for this type of camera. The next logical step up in Canon’s range is the EOS300D digital SLR. Both the S70 and G6 are highly recommended.
Posted by terry at April 29, 2005 06:21 PM
