Canon Powershot G11

- 10 megapixels, 1/1.7" CCD sensor
- 28-140mm stabilized lens- (idem G10)

- RAW format - VGA video 640 X 480 pixels at 24 fps

- Double noise reduction system

- 80-3200 ISO (12800 ISO mode in 2.5 megapixels)

- 2.8" Swivel screen Screen of 461.000 pixels

- SD/SDHC

- Lithium battery      

 

 

The compact camera for prosumers  Today, most of serious amateur photographers who started with a G1, G2 .... have moved to digital SLR with some relief: no shutter lag, optical quality, sensitivity, control of the depth of field, burst rate, etc. .... many have already changed once or twice. These serious amateur photographers or simply passionate photographers, take a lot of pictures and hate missing so many photo opportunities because they did not take they DSLR, still pretty bulky. So now, many want a compact camera to go along with their SLR, in order to have it with them all the time. The Canon Powershot G11 is Canon's answer to its most loyal SLR users. If the G11 may not be the most compact camera with its brick design, it is realistic to always have it with you in your bag, jacket or in your glove compartment ...

 

SLR users known how important ergonomic are, and it is one of the main assets of G11: it duplicates the ergonomics of the SLR cameras Canon EOS with, ultimate luxury, but so important, a real ring to adjust the ISO setting which makes it possible and easy to change it as often as wished. T the sensitivity  has become a parameter just as important as the aperture of your lens and the shutter shutter speed with a digital camera. Exposure memory button, AF point choice, …. these are refinements which one finds only seldom on a compact camera. The Canon user will quickly learn the operation of his Powershot G11. The mode selection dial will allow to switch from aperture priority to fully automatic in a blink of an eye.

 

 

The swivel screen : a major asset for the G11 An other ergonomic advantage alone would be a prize at the canon G11: the swivel screen. It once appeared on the first G cameras, then disappeared in favor of greater compactness of the unit and we welcome it back as it helps protecting the screen when the camera is  no longer used, but also allows otherwise risky composition or self-portrait. When shooting low speed, it also allows better stability. The 2.7" screen is of a respectable size and offers a comfortable resolution of 461 000 pixels.

 

 

The built quality of of the G11 is at its best : the polycarbonate seems robust and the main dials are made out of crenelated steel. It is solid, G11 inspires confidence, but you also feels that on the balance : the G11 is no light camera. The G11 offers a flash hot shoe of the same type as those which you may find on a DSLR. The G11 is compatible with the Canon Speedlite flashes  for much more important power than what you can expect from the integrated flash. It also offers a better and more even coverage in wide angle as well as a deeper range. 

 

Against all current trends, Canon irritates us ignoring HD video recording on the G11... unless the G12 with HD video is already in the pipes.... currently, a compact camera and an even more compact for enthusiast photographers can't come to the market without HD video. The G11 is however equipped with an HDMI output but it will only be used to view photos on a flat screen HDTV. This lack of HD video makes us angry because at Canon we know that inevitably, the purchasers of the G11 will be tempted by the HD video of the G12 to come ....  

 

28-140mm stabilized lensThe lens of the G11 is a nice piece of optics. Although not as bright as the first G series (f / 2), it provides high optical performance level: the sharpness is there, the distortion maintained at its lowest, as the chromatic aberrations are limited. from 28mm wide angle to decent tele perfect for portrait portrait photography of 140mm, the G11, without reaching the extreme versatility of the 25-300mm Panasonic TZ7 / SZ3, embraces the entire focal lengths range  a photographer expects from his compact camera, including the optical stabilization, Canon's know-how proven to be very effective on the G11 during our review.

 

 

Double noise reduction system

Canon wrapped the decline in the number of pixels in a marketing package that they call "double noise reduction system". This is made of : 

- a CCD sensor 10 megapixels announced as very sensitive (the megapixel cut is helping here). This is a pure mathematical fact that we have been knowing for 10 years now. The new design of the sensor has relocated photodiodes nearer to the surface so that they may gather more light.

- DIGIC IV processor: Canon's powerful chip gets new algorithms to improve the fight against noise grain by improving the selection certainly areas to smooth out as discriminating against the flat areas containing details to preserve the impression of sharpness. As we observed, it results in a gain of 2 EV compared to the g10 : you can hope to do with the Canon G11, photos with the same level of noise at ISO 800 as the G10 at ISO 200.   

 

 

Here is a series of crops (100%) of images taken at various ISO settings with the Canon G11, from 100 to 3200 ISO. The efforts of Canon result in cleaner photographs in high sensitivity with noise reduction engine which shows being respectful of the detailed areas and a color deviation pretty well contained when the highest sensitivities are reached. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In close-up photography, the  G11, macro mode activated, gives very detailed results. Click on the image to download the original file. Shooting RAW would have made possible to post process the image with higher sharpness if needed. 

 

 

Depth of field….foreground and background are in focus : the relatively small size of the sensor makes it difficult to detach the subject from the background and the Aperture priority mode loses its interest. IThe digital SLR remains ahead.

 The canon Powershot G11 is undoubtly a success: nice lens, sensor greatly improved, ergonomics perfect for canon EOS users, swivel screen.... Yet, 2 issues are to consider when taking a decision to buy or not the G11 : its high price and the ridiculous lack of HD video recording. Sold $499, the G11 price tag is more or less the same as an entry level SLR. Then, the calculated lack of HD video on the G11 is a substantial con against it because we know that the g12 will be released in a few months from now with at least 720p video and this will make the G11 obsolete. Nowadays, we can hardly do without HD video on a compact camera that exceeds $300 especially since this only requires software intelligence and that it does not increase the cost of production of the camera.

+ EOS type ergonomic
+ real ISO setting dial

+ swivel screen

+ improved sensitivity, decent quality at highest ISO settings for a compact

+ 28-140mm zoom range

+ efficient image stabilization

+ Speedlite flash hot-shoe

+ RAW format

+ Battery life

- the lack of HD video recording
- not a really compact nor light camera

- prosumers modes may be tricky for beginners