This camera was the first proper digital camera I owned. Before that, mine were really crap and I don’t think I saved many photos from the ones I shot. It proved to me that digital cameras were a force and were here to stay.
Of course, the one below is not my original one, that one was donated to a friend long ago when I upgraded it to a Canon Kiss. Back then I was a Canon girl through and through. I saw this one for sale on eBay for a fiver ages ago and decided to get it for old time’s sake.
Actually, the lot was for two “for-parts” examples. Both had different issues. It was a while ago, but I think one was missing the lens barrel cover and had cracks on the grip. The other was missing a battery cover. Having had one before I knew the lens barrel cover was not an issue and was just unsightly.
I also knew I could take it from the other sample. So I moved things around, recovered the grip and voila, a working, sparkly G5.
I bought my original G5 brand new when it first came out. I was living in China at the time. I remember the day perfectly as I was suffering from a hangover. I ended up having to get off the bus and walk about 10km home. For most of that journey, I was chatting to a friend on the phone as she motivated me to keep walking and not throw up. When I get a hangover I am usually ok in the morning and gradually get worse throughout the day. So I thought I could buy the camera and get back before it was too bad. I was wrong. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I had a hangover as I don’t drink much now.
Anyway, once I felt better the camera rarely left my side and I took it all over the world including Tibet. I loved the tilting screen and took a lot more shots of people. I used the camera until it literally died. I remember that vividly too as I was in an aquarium in Ikebukuro, Japan and trying to take a photo of a Mola or Sunfish, the first time I had ever seen one. But the G5 would not power up at all, I changed batteries and still nothing. So I walked out, went straight to Bic Camera and bought a Canon Kiss. It turned out both batteries had failed at the same time. I never did get the photo of the sunfish for some reason. I didn’t think much about the photos I took back then other than recording places I had visited.
Looking back at the photos, some of them seem dull compared with the vivid photos we get from digital cameras these days. Not the ones above of course, but I can see other issues. I spent some time going through some of the photos from my trip to Tibet and made a book of my time there. You can find that on the Zine Page and here.
Once my new G5 was all sparkly and ready I took it to Lytham Beach just in time for the sunset.
It worked just as well as I remembered. If you are looking for a vintage digital camera, the G5 is great.
I have written about a few digital cameras now. This is not a new direction for the blog, I still prefer to play with film cameras, but it was a trip down memory lane for me and wanted to record it for prosperity. Normal service will return soon 🙂
My first digital camera was the Powershot G6. I loved that camera and regret selling it.
I didn’t, as mine broke and I loved the kiss…but I was so happy to try one again. Recapturing a time gone passed, 20 years ago.
I’ve had one about 4 years now, and it is clear that for the ‘advanced amateur ‘ user it would have been a sensational camera new. – and it is quite nice even now. But didn’t fit my needs or budget at the time.r
It was, I was blown away by it at the time. I think this camera refreshed my love of photography thinking about it. Since that one, I have bought more and more until here we are.
Fabulous Peggy! My go to quickie digital camera is my Canon Powershot G11, I’ve also got the G3 and G6 I love them all, I’d get the G7x mkiii but it’s way off my payscale. Now the G5 always felt like you had something a bit special in your hands…something pro-spec…and it was a lovely black, mine died and I was gutted 😪
I was gutted at the time, but it lead me to the canon kiss and a whole new love of photography. One shutter closes…
Great photos! I can’t remember the brand of my first digital camera but it was bulky and made short films with no sound and they were sped up slightly. Good for Benny Hill reenactments I guess.
That was like my previous cameras. This one blew them all out of the water at the time.
Ah, the G5!
Formerly, a diehard Nikon film shooter, their P&S kit seemed laggy, inconsistent. I got a G5 from new after seeing shots on iPernity and never looked back.
Took it on a 12,000 mile shakedown tour of the US, seashore to deserts to mountains. cities, villages; indoors and outdoors, at workshops and studios, battlefields, an old prison, cropspraying aircraft, a dirigible hanger, curio shops, restaurants, old adobe churches, waterfalls, graveyards, street shots of people everywhere. Night, rain didn’t matter.
Fitted with the 430EX bounceable flash, shot a wedding and reception. Has huge prints made for a modest exhibit – seeing them come off the printer, lab staff couildn’t believe they came from a point-and-shoot.
But for the odd instance of purple fringing in small dark things against bright backgrounds requiring a fix in post, found then all to have exceptionally fine sensors. Bought them used on secondary markets and gave them to kids, grandkids, relatives, and friends. When it was announced, traded up to the G11. Followed-on with the tiny, eminently pocketable, unnoticeable yet fully capable SD1100is; the S95, S100, and S110, all used; was and am literally never without one. For digital, am using Sony A series machines now, but until the advent of decent cellphone cameras and processors, Canon Powershot P&S absolutely ruled.
I too have the S90 and the S100. The S90 I have a waterproof case for and took diving all over the world. You are right, they are the bomb. Maybe I will show a few of those photos soon. This post has reminded me how great canon p+s digital are. This one was ahead of its time, I would love to try one of the latest Gs. I am sure I would love it and might ditch my heavy dslr.
and…the prices of older digital cameras make them even more appealing! One of the reasons I didn’t have a G series was cost-I had to stretch to buy the DSLRs I used to make money. – not much left over.
Yes, I don’t remember how much I paid for the original. I know I thought about it a lot beforehand. On ebay now they are around £50 depending on condition of course. Quite a few have the same grip issue.
I don’t know what it is, but Canon p&s digicams tended toward dull colors. The same is true of my beloved Canon S95, which I always shoot in Vivid color mode to overcome the dullies.
Ditto Pentax DSLRs, Jim … All of ’em including my high-zoot fullframe K-1. The saturated standard colors went away when Pentax stopped using CCD sensors.
Peggy, many of those images from China are super. Considering you say you don’t always photograph people, these pictures suggest you should do exactly that, more often.
Thanks. I was surprised by how many photos of people I had from Tibet. The wonders of having a new camera.
I bought one just two weeks ago because it was only 30 euros, and came with a wide angle lens (a HUGE monstrosity of a thing) three batteries, charger, flash, memory cards and all the cables. And because I regret having sold my 5GX at the time. I love me a bitof a bargain!
I have too many cameras that I forget to use this very often. When I do I love it. You did indeed get a bargain.