ANYONE have the story on the Canon Powershot G6

[SamuelH]

I’m a little disappointed with Canon customer service, and hope maybe someone has an answer for me. I’m trying to get a straight answer about the Canon Powershot G6, and can seem to get one.

I recommended the camera to a few friends who wanted to buy good P&S digital cameras, and I also wanted to get one to replace my wife’s aging G2, but every retailer I’ve contacted by phone or checked via their website has it listed as, Clearance (out of stock), Out of Production, Unavailable, etc. Some pages redirect you to another camera saying the G6 has been replaced by the S3 IS, while others just pulled it off their sites altogether.

I suggested to one of my friends when we couldn’t find it to call the 1 800 ok canon, and see if they could offer some help finding it, and my friend called me to say they were rude to him and no help.

I called myself and was shocked to get the same general response. I was told it was still available, in production and that I should just search the internet, pricegrabber, and I would find some. I explained what I had been told by B&H and other retailers on the phone, as well as what I had found after an exhausted search of the net, and was told, “They’re not the manufacturer, we are.” I asked again if she could help me find a dealer that had some, and she seemed annoyed, but took my zip code, came back on five minutes later only to say Staples was the local vendor. I told her I checked Staples and they no longer carry or even list it, and she told me I’d just have to check the web.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Canon, have a huge investment in Canon gear, but this is odd.

Can anyone, give me the truth or a straight answer on the G6, please.

Thanks,

Sam

[Joe_Allebaugh]

Sam,

Canon has discontinued the G line earlier this year. The G6 is the last model. Here's hoping the line will be replaced by a small rangefinder style model using their 8MP APS-C size sensor!

Joe

[SamuelH]

Joe,

Thank You.

I don't understand why Canon customer service won't admit this, but oh well. Since the Canon Pro 1 isn't available either, it looks like I'll try the S3 IS for my wife, and see if that works.

Thanks again,

Sam

[Alan_Ackoff]

Seems ironic to me to find folks looking for the G6. I just gave mine to a friend because I never used it. It's a great little camera as far as features, but it's an awkward size--too big for a pocket camera and too small for my big hands to feel completely comfortable with the controls. If I put the G6 in a bag it always seems to get jostled and turned on so that the battery runs down--verey annoying! I have a couple DSLRs so the G6 just sat in a drawer this past year.

I'm looking for a good pocket camera and considering the Ricoh GR Digital since reading about it in this forum. Wondering though if I should hold off and wait for the next version to see if they do anything about the noise issue that everyone talks about. (By the way, the G6 also is very noisy above ISO 100.)

I have a feeling that there may be something better coming along in a little while.

[BWBrock]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't understand why Canon customer service won't admit this, but oh well. Since the Canon Pro 1 isn't available either, it looks like I'll try the S3 IS for my wife, and see if that works.

[/ QUOTE ]

I suspect that Canon farms out their Customer Service to another company. Usually, a top manufacturer like Canon, BMW, etc. pays a substantial amount of money for their customer service departments. Sometimes the information provided to the customer service subcontractor is not updated in a timely fashion and you end up with a response like the one you got. If their system says the G6 is in production, they're likely trained to trust their system and insist that it is in production even when we know otherwise.

Keep in mind that many customer service people are not "into" the products they represent with as much passion as the owners of the product. As a result, they will never provide as much useful and up-to-date information as that provided by Canon's Chuck Westfall. Most customer service people will act only as professional as they need to and fulfill the basic requirements of their jobs.

[Alan_Ackoff]

Canon's CPS service is exceptional. CPS and Chuck Westfall are two good reasons why I shoot Canons.

I bet we'll see a worthy successor to the G6 before another year goes by. It will be interesting to see what it is. Can you imagine a G6 with a full frame sensor? Is that too much to ask for? Do you think Canon (or anyone else) will ever make a point and shoot with a full size sensor?

[Tony_Gamble]

" Do you think Canon (or anyone else) will ever make a point and shoot with a full size sensor?"

Not until lens design moves even further forward.

I had not realised, until yesterday, that my new 24-105 IS for my 1Ds will not accept the 2X extender. As lenses get shorter in front of the camera body they use more and more of the sensor cavity.

Tony