Compare Prices on Canon G10
I'm a hobbyist who long ago owned a Konica SLR and shot lots of slides. In the digital age, I've only owned point-and-shoot cameras and have become frustrated by their lack of flexibility and quality. I looked long and hard at SLRs but don't yet feel I can spring for the heed. I also wanted something more easily portable. But I wanted complete control over shutter hasten and aperture, and I wanted to be able to shoot in RAW for more post-processing flexibility. I decided to spring for the G10.
Since purchasing this camera about a week ago, I've taken about 2,000 shots. (I went a miniature nuts!) Here's what I've learned so far:
-- Although the auto settings produced very satisfactory pictures, this camera really comes into its fill when you shoot in Manual mode. I was able to routinely find some sparkling descend sunset scenes on a lake with beautifully saturated color and inequity by tweaking shutter rush and aperture settings separately.
-- I'd say that the noise at 400+ without post-tweaking is remarkable, though nowhere come what I conventional to search for on 400 ISO film succor in the day. It was easily reduced post-processing using a noise-reduction program that works within Photoshop, and I ended up with some comely indoor shots with minimal peril. I even took some night landscape pictures with a luminous moon at 1600, and was pleasantly surprised at the results after tweaking them afterward.
-- I was able to procure extremely bright photos in macro mode (closeups of bees in flowers, that kind of thing), again without a tripod. I'm peaceful getting the hang of focusing on the right allotment of the flower that I want; I fetch it more cumbersome to do it with this camera than I did with my faded SLR (where you honest turned the lens with your hand) .
-- The camera did a valid job out of the box at face recognition. The built-in flash on auto settings was unbiased OK; it didn't hideously over-expose the faces, but it didn't behold entirely natural either. Again, interesting away from the auto settings and using beget flash judiciously helped me manufacture some grand more natural and glowing portraits. I would imagine adding a separate flash attachment would support even more. I found my celebrated portraits were taken with no flash at all and some light tweaking with dissimilarity in Photoshop.
-- The optical zoom met my needs well. I loved having the wide-angle capability for landscape shots, and I got some sparkling, very certain pictures of a bald eagle at the top of a tree with the telephoto zoom. The camera clearly showed me when I was tantalizing beyond the optical zoom into digital zoom, and my pictures of the eagle deteriorated accordingly. I will probably turn off the digital zoom.
-- The camera comes with all kinds of built-in scene settings (snow, night snapshots, sunsets, underwater, etc.), most of which I haven't yet found that genuine. I did accept a couple of fun foliage shots using the sunset and foliage settings, but in both cases I could've gotten the same results simply tweaking in Photoshop afterward. If you don't want to mess with post-processing programs or playing with the camera's controls, I could seek how these scene settings could be useful.
-- Photoshop CS3 can't originate the RAW files from this camera yet. This is a vast drawback for my purposes. I have opened the RAW files in the Canon software that comes with the camera, but it's not nearly as worthy or intuitive as Photoshop. So for now, I'm exporting the RAW files to Photoshop as TIFFs, and they're titanic -- 85 MG. The quality is pleasurable, however, and I'm hoping that Adobe will lickety-split add befriend for the G10.
I'll try to add some photo examples to this review. I noticed they accept a itsy-bitsy washed out when saved for the web; the originals are worthy more shining.
As point-and-shoots go, this is about as profitable as it gets for my purposes. I gave it five stars, though I'd like to give it a half-star demerit for the lack of RAW succor in Photoshop (a jam I hope will soon be corrected) . If you're not quite ready for the leap to an SLR but you want more control and quality than the favorite point-and-shoot camera, this is an outstanding choice.
I am what one may call a "serious amateur" photographer. My first serious camera was a WWII-vintage 35mm Leica rangefinder that my dad, while in the U.S. Army, got from a captured German Oberleutnant (he said he won it from him playing cards!) . I level-headed have that camera, though it needs work. My first "new" SLR was a Canon F-1 I got support in the early 1980's. Wife Number One got that - along with all the lenses and accessories - in the divorce.
At this stage in my life, I collected care about the quality of pictures I choose, but I no longer have the money or the desire to carry around a chunky DSLR body with a satchel plump of lenses, flashes, filters, etc. Forgive me, O gods that guard the purity of the photographic arts - I want a point-and-shoot! But I don't want a toy, either.
My first choices would have been something like a Leica DLUX 4 10.1-megapixel Digital Collected Camera or a maybe a Sigma DP1 14MP Digital Camera. Both - sorry to say - are a shrimp too rich for my blood factual now. That left me with idea B - either the Panasonic DMC-LX3K 10.1MP Digital Camera with 2.5x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Dismal) or the Canon Powershot G10 14.7MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.
As grand as I have liked Canon products in the past (I have owned Canon scanners and printers as well as cameras over the years and have always liked their products), I was highly suspicious of the Canon G10 on the grounds of its 14.7 Megapixel resolution. How distinguished digital noise would I have to endure so Canon could claim victory in the latest skirmish of the megapixel wars? I was also very intrigued by the Panasonic for its lens - extremely expeditiously for a point-and-shoot at f2.0 and its unusually wide angle of 24mm (35mm equivalent) .
In the extinguish I got the Canon G10 for the following reasons:
1. Most of my shooting is either portrait or outdoor scenery shots, where short to long telephoto (60mm-200mm equivalent) is most appropriate, so the grievous wide angle of the Panasonic was less useful to me. If you are someone who takes lots of family group shots in conclude quarters, you may feel differently, however.
2. The Canon, though with a slower lens than the Panasonic, was nevertheless able to pass my "art museum test." In other words, I could occupy agreeable hand-held shots indoors of art objects in available light at fairly improper ISOs of well under 400, sometimes at nearly 200; shots positive enough to point to the depth and detail of every brush stroke. I found that to be genuine enough for me. But if you are someone who likes to do available-light shots in candle light or outdoors around camp fires, the extra hasten of the Panasonic's lens may then become crucial.
3. The Panasonic, though admittedly an salubrious camera of its type, was awkward to employ, at least for me. It was a tad too itsy-bitsy for comfort (I am a sizable guy, 6'4", 280 pounds, with hands like catcher's mitts) . The camera always felt on the verge of slipping out of my hands, especially when holding it in my left hand while messing with the controls with my factual. And mess around I did, since the controls were not particularly intuitive in their operation. I'm definite one could accumulate old to honest about anything, especially if one reads the manual and practices with it long enough. But I am of the school that believes that valid interface execute means NOT having to read the manual!
4. The Canon G10, in my belief, objective fits. Huge enough and properly shaped for my hands to feel comfortable appealing, but unbiased limited enough for carrying in a coat or jacket pocket (though admittedly too great and heavy for a shirt pocket) . What's more, every major control is plainly marked and positioned fair where God intended for it to be. I found that the Canon passed my "users manual test" as well. Only with the most obscure and least-often-used functions did I have to wreck out the damned book to figure out how they worked. The camera feels satisfyingly solid, with very honorable design quality; it objective feels suitable in the hands. I found I felt comfortable with the camera very like a flash, could rob pictures moral away, without hassling with learning the manufacturer's perverse sense of control interface logic.
5. I found the image quality to be generally gracious, with large detail reveal and surprisingly obscene noise at ISOs below 400. Left to the camera's automatic white balance sensors, I found the color balance fair a tad bit cold for my taste, but what do I know... I'm an worn Kodachrome guy. In any case, it is easy to situation your absorb custom settings for color temperature to suit your preference. Even if forced to seize shots at ISO 400 and above, all is not lost. For Photoshop users, I recommend PictureCode's Noise Ninja (http://www.picturecode.com/) plug-in. For users of The GIMP (sterling initiate source free photoshop alternative), try GREYCstoration (http://cimg.sourceforge.net/greycstoration/) . Both of these software plug-ins do an qualified job of cleaning up noise without positive objectionable artifacts. These tools enable shots at high ISO to be grand more usable, unless you express on those poster-sized blow-ups.
In sum, the Canon's worst shortcoming, noise at high ISO (a plight with ANY digital point-and-shoot that sells for less than a tremendous), is more than outweighed by its sheer usability, its satisfactory feel, solid design quality and intuitive interface, as well as image quality honorable enough to satisfy objective about anybody. I will step out here and say that on prints 11x13 and smaller, it would lift a fervent scrutinize indeed to deliver the contrast between most images from a G10 and those from a DSLR selling for more than twice the label.
What's more, the Canon G10 offers, for those who want to glimpse the deeper capabilities of the camera, a wide array of automatic shooting modes as well as trustworthy creative control options, including RAW image attend (although Canon's implementation is Mild proprietary and not yet natively supported in Photoshop), shutter or aperture priority, plump manual exposure mode, and dependable control not only of depth of field, but independent focus and exposure locks, too. This is an easy camera for a novice to fair remove up and employ, but is sufficiently advanced for the serious amateur or pro when he or she needs high quality with outrageous bulk, and for that novice who wants to grow into his or her original hobby.
For a novice, this camera may seem a touch pricey, but at less than $500 is truly a consume compared to the prices of other high-end point-and-shoots to which the Canon G series is often compared.
If you're in the market for a general purpose advanced point and shoot digital camera, try this one for size.
- The controls are nicely laid out - all the things you need to construct your shot (exposure settings, macro/normal button, flash on/off etc) are all readily accessible on the honest side of the camera body
- It's lightweight yet feels sturdy
- It lends itself well to accessories such as teleconverters, external flash units, and even a waterproof shell
- The LCD veil is tremendous and shiny and contains plenty of useful information like (for example) a live histogram, exposure settings, gridlines to support you shoot straight, and even an exposure meter when shooting fully manual
- At 28mm wide you can secure a grand group of people into the shot quite easily
- There's plenty of shooting options that will veil most needs
I gave the G10 4 stars because I'm being nitpicky:
- When shooting through the viewfinder, there is no info at all about your exposure setting, number of shots, battery life, etc. Nothing. Unprejudiced the concept. (I do like how the image magnifies accordingly when you zoom)
- The aperture opens up only to 2.8 and closes down only to 8.0, when shooting rotund manual mode.
- And sadly yes, there is a glowing amount of pixel noise when shooting in vulgar light without either a flash or tripod. This could be a spot for those of us who have been scolded for popping off flashes where we shouldn't.
I did not inquire this camera to rise to the level of a high quality film SLR or DSLR. When I bought it I was in the market for a marvelous street photography camera - something light and surreptitious enough to photograph unusual things I would approach across in my daily romps in the city. Something that I could tweak a bit instead of relying on the camera's preset exposures.
For that spend the Powershot G10 suits me honest dazzling - even exceeding my expectations at obvious levels. It's worth a try.
