Canon PowerShot G15 vs Nikon Coolpix P7700
The Canon versus Nikon debate has been around for almost as long as Coke versus Pepsi or dogs versus cats (well, maybe not quite). Both manufacturers make excellent cameras, but that hasn't stopped people from choosing sides. Naturally, we here at DPReview love a good debate, so we've decided to put the two flagship compact cameras from Canon and Nikon against one another in a head-to-head battle.
This review is going to be a bit different to those you'd normally read here on Digital Photography Review, in that rather than looking at one camera and placing it in context alongside its competitors, we'll be directly comparing how two cameras compare in terms of design, features, performance, and photo quality. Which one will come out the winner? You'll have to read on to find out.
Both the PowerShot G15 and Coolpix P7700 have a rich history. The PowerShot G1 debuted way back in October 2000, and featured a 3.3 megapixel CCD, 3X zoom lens, optical viewfinder, swiveling LCD, and hot shoe. The Coolpix P7700's family tree is a bit more convoluted, though it's probably fair to say that its original ancestor is the Coolpix 5000 from 2001. That camera offered a similar feature set to the aforementioned G1, but sported a 5 megapixel sensor.
Before we begin, here's a quick look comparison of features and spec on the two cameras - if one of them bests the other in any particular way, we've indicated it in green.
Feature & Spec Comparison
Canon PowerShot G15 |
Nikon Coolpix P7700 |
|
---|---|---|
Sensor size/type | 1/1.7" CMOS | 1/1.7" BSI CMOS |
Resolution (total/effective) | 13.3 / 12.1 megapixel | 12.8 / 12.2 megapixel |
Lens focal range | 28 - 140 mm (5X) | 28 - 200 mm (7.1X) |
Lens max aperture | F1.8 - F2.8 | F2.0 - F4.0 |
Min. focus distance | 1 cm | 2 cm |
LCD size/style | 3-inch / Fixed | 3-inch / Fully articulated |
LCD resolution | 922,000 dots | 922,000 dots |
Optical viewfinder | Yes | No |
ISO range | 80 - 12800 | 80 - 6400 |
Burst mode (claimed) | 10.0 fps | 8.0 fps |
Max movie resolution | 1920 x 1080 / 24 fps | 1920 x 1080 / 30 fps |
Ext. mic input | No | Yes |
GPS support | No | Optional |
Remote control | Wired | Wired, wireless |
On-board memory | None | 86 MB |
Battery life (CIPA) | 350 shots | 330 shots |
Street price * | $449 / £399 / €465 | $389 / £299 / €401 |
* At time of publication |
Hopefully, you can immediately see what separates these two cameras: the G15 offers the faster lens and optical viewfinder, but has less zoom power and a fixed LCD. The P7700, on the other hand, has more zoom power and a swivel LCD, but no viewfinder. It's also cheaper at time of publication in the USA, UK and Europe, as you can see in the table above.
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital
Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help
you understand some of the terms used).
Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
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