The Canon Powershot G10 is a replacement for the popular G9 advanced point-and-shoot camera.
The Canon Powershot G10 is a replacement for the popular G9 advanced point-and-shoot camera. It boasts a tremendous 14.7 megapixel sensor, 28mm wide angle lens, and support for the RAW file format. The G10 offers exceptional control for photographers interested in taking charge of their photographs, while still maintaining a convenient and comfortable design.Specifications Canon Powershot G10: 14.7 megapixels 5x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom Lens-shift image stabilization Auto and manual exposure JPEG and RAW file formats 28-140mm wide angle lens ISO 80-1600 Lithium-ion battery Secure digital memory storage 3-inch LCD displayLens and ZoomAs noted, Canon has traded length for width in the lens of its latest G camera, providing coverage all the way out to an equivalent 28mm at wide-angle. It's a smart move in our view, making the G10 the best advanced PowerShot yet for landscape shooting or working indoors in tight spaces.FlashAs befits a camera with a hot shoe, the G10 sports a fairly advanced flash controller using Canon's latest flash metering protocol to ensure compatibility with the most recent external flashguns. The controller also provides a full range of functions for use with the camera's built-in flash, including flash exposure compensation of up to 2 EV in either direction (also quickly accessible via the function quick menu), auto red-eye reduction settings, and first- or second-curtain slow speed sync.With a claimed range at wide-angle of 4.6 meters (or just over 15 feet), the G10's built-in flash has just a bit more kick than those on its closest competitors. Even working at the tele end of the lens, the G10 was able to convincingly fill up a scene with light, as in the following shot taken in a room without other illumination sources.Image StabilizationThe G10's lens element shifting optical image stabilization system continues Canon's tradition of offering a lot of IS options: Continuous, Shooting Only, or Panning, in addition to an off position for shooting from a tripod or in other situations where IS isn't needed. As always with Canon, the G10's optical stabilization technology wasn't intrusive and seemed to work well: I had success grabbing sharp shots down to shutter speeds as low as 1/10 at wide-angle.BatteryEven with an upgraded battery, the G10 struggles to approach current DSLR numbers for battery life. Blame it on the need to use the screen most of the time for shot composition (something most DSLRs don't deal with) but our G10 wasn't even able to hit Canon's claimed 400 shot mark: with some flash shooting and, admittedly, a lot of image review, I was never even able to inch over the 300 shot threshold between charges.Image Quality If you're looking for huge resolution the G10 camera delivers, pushing the envelope on image (and file) size to a level that few compact cameras have dared approach. Beyond concerns about limited dynamic range or higher noise with the G10's more densely packed sensor, there is the basic question of what to do with the G10's nearly 15 megapixel captures: the truth is that most of us don't need anywhere near this kind of resolution for the sort of shooting that we're doing with a compact camera. But the flip side of the G10 equation is that this camera packs enough resolving power via its lens/sensor combo to serve as a true professional's tool in a pinch.The Canon PowerShot G10 is recommendable without doubt, although you have to keep in mind that it is not applicable everywhere like a popular DSLR camera would be.The canon G10 is compact but it packs plenty of manual features and is ideal for an enthusiast who doesn't want to lug around a D-SLR. You will find it to be very well-suited to low-light photography and macro shots, but it will perform well in any situation.
