I have a Canon G12 now, and I'm looking to upgrade due to its low light performance. Considering the following:
1) The Canon EOS-M is the cheapest way to get an APS-C sensor. It is marked as discontinued, and you can find it for $300-400 bundled with the f/2 prime. From reviews I've read, it has terrible battery life (one person saying it went red after only 100 shots, others saying 200 is more like it, Canon claims 230). A firmware update made the autofocus faster than the initial reviews complained about, but it's still slow. The LCD doesn't articulate. It has a touch screen where you tap to focus. That f/2 lens has gotten good reviews, though.
2) The Sony NEX-5R body is $500, and the 50 mm f/1.8 lens I want is $300. Has articulating LCD and image stabilization on that lens, which is surprising/cool. More than I wanted to spend, but I'd stretch my budget if necessary.
3) The G1X is on sale for $600 at B&H, which is exactly what I'm looking to spend. Its sensor is much bigger than my G12 and Micro 4/3, but still 20% smaller than Canon's APS-C sensors. The lens has an aperture range of f/2.8 to 5.8. I really liked my G12 except for the low light performance, and this keeps the same "feel" and interface. I'm just not sure how big of a jump it will be for low light due to the speed of the lens. I'd be willing to give up interchangeable lenses if this would solve my low light problem.
Any suggestions or thoughts? My actual goal in upgrading is to get better low light performance. I don't really ever take pictures of sports or anything fast moving, and I don't see myself buying a wide variety of lenses. Really just want a fast prime.
1) The Canon EOS-M is the cheapest way to get an APS-C sensor. It is marked as discontinued, and you can find it for $300-400 bundled with the f/2 prime. From reviews I've read, it has terrible battery life (one person saying it went red after only 100 shots, others saying 200 is more like it, Canon claims 230). A firmware update made the autofocus faster than the initial reviews complained about, but it's still slow. The LCD doesn't articulate. It has a touch screen where you tap to focus. That f/2 lens has gotten good reviews, though.
2) The Sony NEX-5R body is $500, and the 50 mm f/1.8 lens I want is $300. Has articulating LCD and image stabilization on that lens, which is surprising/cool. More than I wanted to spend, but I'd stretch my budget if necessary.
3) The G1X is on sale for $600 at B&H, which is exactly what I'm looking to spend. Its sensor is much bigger than my G12 and Micro 4/3, but still 20% smaller than Canon's APS-C sensors. The lens has an aperture range of f/2.8 to 5.8. I really liked my G12 except for the low light performance, and this keeps the same "feel" and interface. I'm just not sure how big of a jump it will be for low light due to the speed of the lens. I'd be willing to give up interchangeable lenses if this would solve my low light problem.
Any suggestions or thoughts? My actual goal in upgrading is to get better low light performance. I don't really ever take pictures of sports or anything fast moving, and I don't see myself buying a wide variety of lenses. Really just want a fast prime.