Canon PowerShot G11 hands-on

We'll certainly be going back for seconds, but at first blush Canon's new PowerShot G11 is quite the attractive piece. The real standout, of course, is that flip-out LCD -- which feels bolted on by the gods -- but really the whole camera's build quality (and corresponding weight) is immediately obvious. We found the LCD plenty bright and colorful, though it certainly feels small for a modern camera. The price isn't small, but hopefully the RAW, 10 megapixel results will speak for themselves.

Canon PowerShot G11 hands-on

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 22nd 2009 4:50PM]

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.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 22nd 2009 5:05PM]

... and in low light the new image stabilization leaves behind the first Gs (1, 2, 3, etc.).

Hari GS

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 25th 2009 8:20AM]

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)

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 1st 2009 3:31PM]

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

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 25th 2009 8:08PM]

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/

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 13th 2009 8:48AM]

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