Canon Pro1: Buy or Not?

[gootlah]

I'm looking around for a simple p&S for days where I don't feel like lugging 10kg of equipment. I've done a quick check on the pros & cons for this camera.

Things like noise (there's always noise ninja or neat image to remove this), dust (only early batches)... Did I miss out any?

I read that the focusing with the new firmware had been greatly improved? Anyone can testify to this?

I've been to the shops and played with the camera and thought it was very well made and small to fit into my camera bag along with the 20D. Just be scanning the shops here, the price for the Pro1 were in the range of $1400. Very expensive..

I paid Amazon.com a visit and after conversion and shipping to a US address, the price was less than S$1000.

Its really tempting as I've got friends coming back from there, so can always "tong pang" or carry back.

Tell me what you think of this simple camera.... I don't expect it to be a 20D or even a 300D or a DSLR for that matter.

[DaNi3L]

I've had one before moving onto 300D awhile ago. Must say that I really liked it, and it has been able to produce some stunning results. Colours and contrast are really great, thanks to the L glass used. But the old problems of P&S cams are still inherent. ISO, AF speed and etc. But then again, it can take movies too.. Haha

Now that the new firmware has dramatically increased the AF speed (i havent done a comparison), it might be a good idea to give it a try before you buy it. Another strong contender would be the FZ20.

[gootlah]

I don't like the idea of getting SD memory cards especially when I've got CF ones. Also, I like the idea of using my existing flash on the Pro1. Hence, I'm ruling out the FZ20.

[Goldenstars08]

This is a very good compact Dig cam with L lens.
As a backup cam also good.

[scramblur11]

It is quite a good cam but still have the usual prob of a P & S...like high noise etc....

maybe if u realli nt in a hurry, can wait and see whether there will be any replacement model which uses digic2...

[gootlah]

I've just been down to cathay this evening, to try out the Pro1. Brought along my 420ex to try out. Here's what I can say:

Build: I love the build, the layout of the buttons and feel that makes you at home after using a Canon DSLR. The firmware was still the old one v1.0 which wasn't really that bad or unusable. With the new firmware upgrade, it should be even better.

Image Quality: I'm a lover for strong and contrasty colors which the Pro1 easily provided. However, some photos were not as sharp @ f4 as compared to a G2 @ f2 (of course the zoom on the pro1 is 7x and g2 is 3x). Some may disagree with me but I feel that my G2 is better. As long as I shoot anything (indoor/outdoor) @ f2.4 to f4 on my G2, it'll be sharp. Not so on the Pro1, I guess I need more experimentation on the Pro1 to really find out the "sweet spot". Mind you that the G2 is a 3-4 year old technology with a 4MP sensor as compared to a 1 year old technology (Pro1). The photos taken in P mode came out alittle overexposed. I noticed this at dpreview's Pro1 gallery too.

Conclusion: I'll give this camera a miss. The photos didn't look all that impressive to me. It's a pity as it comes with both the wide angle 28mm lens with an impressive 200mm L - zoom range. Still, this camera fail to impress me, as much as the G2. I'll wait for the next generation of the Pro1 to arrive. I might take alook at the G6 in search for my portable camera for the time being....

[gootlah]

The above is my observation after 1hour of trying.. so please don't flame me.

It's only my humble opinion...

[gootlah]

Oh yes, forgot to mention the noise on the Pro1. The noise on the Pro1 @ ISO400 is about 20D @ ISO1600 or 3200.

[Hilarion]

I personally have owned and used it and must say that the quality of the pictures are stunning although a little slow and not quite user-friendly. But again, it's a matter of getting used to.

[gootlah]

I'll go down to another shop to give the camera another chance...

[gootlah]

Closing thread... just got a Sony 828.