Canon PowerShot G11 hands-on
By Paul Miller 
posted Aug 19th 2009 10:27AM
posted Aug 19th 2009 10:27AM
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My G5 just broke, but I have no cash at all, I'm so sad I can't buy it! Thanks god the flip-out LCD is back!
Apply for some of that bailout money!, or you could put the camera on credit, and freelance as an American Paperatzzi
With a name like Billy Gun, you gotza be a US of Aer.
Amen! I'm still using a G2. That the later G models lost the the swivel LCD was disappointing. This is a welcome return.
Not that I've got $500 sitting around to buy a new camera, either.
@meat_juice, I'm in Brazil and It not easy to make deals here with a broken camera I guess someone broke it. My father gave the nick name "Billy Gun" when I was two year old - I think he watched too many western movies.. hahhaha..
@dagwud better days will came to us all..
@Billy Gunn: Yes, but I'd like to be young enough to remember them!
The flip out screens are half the reason I have gone with Canon for my last three digital cameras. It is a fully unappreciated feature.
Like on the Sony Ericsson G900.
I just looked over the specs at Canon USA... looks great all around, especially moving down in megapixels to improve high ISO noise. The only thing it is still missing for me is the ability to shoot video at 1080. If it had that, I'd buy my second G series in a heartbeat, but I think I'll wait for the G12.
Fraggle
Where do you see this exact specification? All I can find out is that it shoots "HD" video. Did you find somewhere where it lists the exact video capabilities: 720p?
okay I found it on the specifications page under "Time of Recordable Movies".
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=19209#ModelTechSpecsAct
The max movie recording capability list is 640 x 480, but under the Canon site's "Features" tab, one of the slides say it can record HD movies. I don't think 640 x 480 is considered HD (720p is usually thought to be the minimum standard for "HD") which makes me think that the specifications page may not have the most up to date info.
"If you long for the convenience of an advanced still camera that also creates superb movies, the new PowerShot G11 lets you record video in beautiful high definition."
Source: Canon G11 product page
@ Jaxim
Yeah, I saw 'HD' thing too, and I would be (happily) surprised to see that 640x480 was not the limit. But seeing as the other new models listed varying levels of video resolution (e.g. 1280x720 for the SX20), and that the S90 shares the same sensor as the G11 and also lists 640x480... I'm not too hopeful.
Still, stranger things have happened
Flip-outs from Canon's have always been good. Still love my G6.
So you knew it was real when the shots first leaked out?
I hope they put some decent optical zoom on this one.
Can you see if it has HD video recording?
One of the features on the canon's website list it having HD video recording. I can't find the exact specifics but it sounds like it can record at least 720p - but that's only a guess. Still looking thru the site for answers.
Movie clips
• 640 x 480 @ 30fps
• 320 x 240 @ 30fps
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0908/09081908canong11.asp
It has a mini-HDMI port, but doesn't deliver HD clips.
640 x 480 @ 30fps doesn't seem like "HD". I consider 720p the bare min.
Maybe the specs have not been updated with the latest capabilities.
Yep. 720p is the minimum HD.
"If you long for the convenience of an advanced still camera that also creates superb movies, the new PowerShot G11 lets you record video in beautiful high definition."
Source: Canon G11 product page
I like my G2 powershot--too bad it still works. = ) I'm sure this one will take awesome pix too.
I loved my G2 as well, but I replaced it with a $250 A620 which completely outperformed it. I've had a G7 since late 2006, but will replace it with a G11 now that Canon has gone for noise reduction instead of the megapixel race.
i get one if it does 3200 iso nicely..
Can someone please explain to my WHY a flip-out display is soooo awesome?
Seriously. How is it more useful to use the display like pictured in that first picture, than it is to have the display built in, under the viewfinder?
I guess it could be useful for taking myspace-angled shots of yourself, but that's it.
That said, obviously the camera has a lot of great features to offer, and I WANT.
if you're at a concert say and you want to raise your camera up as high as you can to get a shot you can flip the screen so you can see what you're shooting. I hate when people are constantly doing this at a show, but that's one example.
It's not just the flip-out which is awesome, but in combination with the possibility to rotate it up and down. No need for a chair to stand on to shoot from above your head, or to crawl on all fours if you want to shoot from below.
I used it a lot on my Powershot G1, and I'm glad it's back.
You can take high or low-angle shots that would be either difficult or impossible to shoot without the flip-out panel. I could hold my G3 over the heads of a crowd (I'm tall, so this is like 8'6" up) or shoot low subjects like pets. I desperately missed this feature when I switched to a DSLR (Rebel XT) and even the LiveView of my current 50D doesn't cut it. I'd kill to have a swing out, articulated panel on a DSLR.
The design reminds me of that very old canon, the one from before they went digital, I like it for some reason.
If that thing had 10x optical zoom, I think I would be planning a trip to the store.
So, now you're going to the Bahamas instead?
Did you guys like immediately buy it after its launch? if yes, that's fuckin crazy!
Thank goodness Canon has drawn a line in the sand on this megapixel race! 10MP on a quality sensor is SO much better than trying to jam 14MP onto the same size sensor. Who would have thought that image quality would finally be a priority again in a camera?
With the new (Micro) 4/3s coming out and not being that much larger than this for about the same price, yet will have all the benefits of an SLR plus video, do you think this G-Series is still going to be as good a choice of a camera as it once was? $500 is a lot to pay for a point and shoot...
But the Olympus E-P1 is still $800-900, and has no tilting screen and slightly less zoom (I suppose you can stick a Panasonic 4/3 lens there for extra cost). And despite the excellent image quality, it still has its share of flaws - slow autofocus, no AF illuminator and flash. The E-P1 is bound to draw away many enthusiasts who can to spend as much as they want on cameras and would have gone to the G10 for their second camera, but despite being squeezed, there's still room for the G11. Much depends on the new sensor's performance.
While micro 4/3 bodies are about the same size, once you attach anything but a pancake lens to them they're no longer at all pocketable.
The point of the G11 is for people who want a high quality camera but not need a separate bag for it which is something you're not going to get from an interchangeable lens camera simply because the lens can't retract into the body
Since I own an LX3, my views are a bit biased. The new Canon G11 and S90 do have some good features (like the 4x zoom range on the S90), but not enough to make me want one. The reason I got an LX3 was the wide-angle (24mm), f/2.0 lens, up to 60 sec exposure, and the ability to add auxillary lenses, et. al. Neither of these Canon's hack it in these departments. Viva la LX3!
About time they dropped the MP race and focus on low-light picture quality.
Among the high-end P&S released last year, only the LX3/D-lux 4 got it right.
To be honest i'm not impressed. The 10MP CCD is an excellent idea but the lack of 1080p is a complete mystery to me. I'd also prefer the f2 lens in the S90.
Missed a trick there, Canon.
Yup, Canon got it right going 10 megapixels. I guess they paid attention to the complaints that the G10 shoed noise artifacts at ISO 100. They had to wake up. It appears they did.
I own a 400D and G9 and I must say that G9 feels like a 5D in the compact realm. A great companion.
What? No filter mount on the front yet? Get with it. That's the only thing I don't like about my G10 is that you can not put a polarizer on it. err.
does the lcd rotates 360° ??
Looks hot. I like the double stacked setting dial on the right side.
Looks nice, but I got a G9 a while back, and I'm not too sure this is enough of a leap in quality to warrant the price tag. Especially since I picked up an XSi with an IS 18-55mm on closeout for 449.
The flip out LCD+10Megapixels are nice, but I think the G10 looks better.
What is the screen size? Also, whats up with the pictures on the mode dial?
If this has a decent (and large enough) sensor it could be Canon's best P&S in a while. I just ordered an A710IS off of ebay, 'cause their current lineup is just awful.
I can't wait for more details on the G11. I got the Panasonic LX3 instead of the G10 because I wanted a good fast lens for low light pictures. Unfortunately, that's all the LX3 is good at. It takes mediocre daytime pictures. Auto focusing is slow. Menu and controls aren't as intuitive as Canon's. The manual lens cover is really a buzz kill sometimes. Wide angle lens isn't really a big deal to me. And a few other nit-pick items. If the G11 image quality is a big improvement over the G10, I'm gonna sell my LX3.
I was debating the G10 and LX3 as well. I think I'm glad I got the G10 even though 14MP was excessive. ISO 200 has almost too much noise for bigger prints. But with a little effort processing out the RAW and balancing the noise and softening effect of a noise reducer, it is possible to get some decent larger prints. There was always a lot of resolution to spare(too much). So, If the G11 has any less noise by it being 10MP it will be worth it.
HEY GUYS,
I've set up a small petition to motivate Canon to add HD video recording to next years G12.
Have a go - http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/CanonG12
Thanks, Fraggle
My first was a 5MP Sony V1. Great, and with manual options. I had six months a little pocket Sony auto-only that gave decent results but needed tweaking and juggling. Then I got money for my G9 a year ago. It's amazing (although I still take in 5MP mostly). My favourite is available low lights, and the G9 is quite good until 200 ISO. I constantly use my tiny table tripod against walls, posts, etc. Or just held against door frames, Even on my knees or my own head! It helps keep it quiet enough. I work down to one-fourth of a second with good rate of useful shots. The flip out screen will help with all those against-the-corner shots when you want to include a little more of the room or hall, apart from those raised-arms pictures. I was missing my favourite angle of 28mm, and I was seeing a G10 somewhere in my future. Has anybody check G9 and G10 side-by-side on noise (have you got files to show me? thanks).
But the main appeal for me in that G11 is the lower pixel count; therefore bigger pixel sensor size. Larger area at pixel level gets more photons and software doesn't need to increase the signal and "guess" from just a few loose photons. That's basically why DSLR (with bigger sensors) have so much less noise. DPREVIEW.COM gives you that data of "pixels by square milimetre"; go and see the differences. Compacts: about 40 million pixels by sq. mm. DSLRs: 4 or five million. G11: about 24 million. We'll see what that means in the final images.
I usually wait a few months until they "iron out" software and little things as cameras and customers bring in the feedback.
Thanks for all your comments.
... and in low light the new image stabilization leaves behind the first Gs (1, 2, 3, etc.).
Hari GS
Some answers found in the User Manual (online at http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=19209#DownloadDetailAct)
:
1. The video resolution is indeed limited to VGA (p.115)
2. The display can rotate 170° horizontally, and then tilt +180°/-90° (p.19): this should allow in practice to shoot oneself or shoot on a wall, or shoot from above a crowd.
3. Finally, the zoom can be used while in video mode (p32)
I like the www.bhphotovideo.com write up at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/643177-REG/Canon_3632B001_PowerShot_G11_Digital_Camera.html on the Canon G11 camera
Read reviews and content on camera
You can add filters to this, tele-adapters, macro lenses, probably even wide angles. I think you can add them to the G9 & G10 as well.
I had three adapters for my A620 but I think you can do something similar with the G series (filters are larger):
1 - permanently mounted to a Raynox DCR-1540PRO, circ polarizer & UV
1 - permanently mounted to a Raynox HD-6600PRO (no filters because they would vignette, even thin ones)
1 - with just a 52mm Hoya circ polarizer and UV filter
http://www.lensmateonline.com/
The point of a compact is to travel light. While traveling in Hawaii I carried the tamrac 5692 case. The case fit my G9,it's charger, a white balance card, and extra memory cards. Mounted on my belt or worn with shoulder strap it was always with me for those impromptu shots. I would pull it out shoot and put it away keeping it protected. Many of my landscapes where lacking definition without a polarizer. The use of a lens adaptor and filter would mean carring a camera bag or leaving the G9 always in harms way around my neck (not to mention looking like a turist ). While many want a faster-wider lens, I want to see polarizer and the ability to use camera flash as fill flash with external flash in bounce mode. Am I alone or does anyone else agree.
hal