G7 vs S3 IS

[robmiller]

As far as I can tell, the S3 IS is the vastly superior of the two cameras, but is a good £50-70 cheaper than the G7. Are you just paying for compactness with the G7?

The only feature of the G7 I can see that the S3 doesn't equal or beat is the size of the LCD, which doesn't particularly bother me, and then there are loads more pros—such as IS, better optical zoom, etc.

So, am I missing something? I was considering the G7 as an upgrade from my A95 (I don't want to move to dSLR quite yet) but the S3 seems like a veritable steal in comparison.

 

[cmt]

I HAD the s3, but now have the G7.

To me its easier to get the shots i see in my minds eye with the G7 due to the control layout (The ISO dial, Thumbwheel control for settings etc).

The metal construction of the G7 is also nice compared to the sometimes creaky plastic of the S3. The zoom is not as long and the Max Ap is less on the G7, but most of my shots are within the 210mm reach of the G7.

The G7 has IS as does the S3, and it also has a built in ND filter (which the S3 does not)

The best thing that could be said is that you need to hold and play with each one to find out which suits - i did and ended up with the G7.

Some of my shots from yesterday can be seen in this thread.

 

[robmiller]

Hmm, might have to nip into a shop and have a play in January, then. I don't think I'll be too bothered about the construction, but it's something you can only gauge by holding it, I guess.

Reassuring that there doesn't seem too much in it, though; we'll just see if the G7 is worth the extra cash