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WITH the growing popularity of entry-level DSLR cameras, prosumer cameras are becoming less attractive.
However, there are still some prosumer grade cameras that get photo enthusiasts excited. The Canon Powershot G series is one of the few cameras series that is known to deliver images that are a class above the rest.
The latest Powershot G11 carries on that legacy in delivering great quality pictures from a compact camera.
But don’t let its looks fool you. The G11 is built like a tank — it is a tough little camera that marries sophisticated features with full manual controls of a DSLR camera.
The camera has an unmistakeably retro charm as it looks like a classic rangefinder camera.
The G11 is a little on the bulky side. It was way too fat to fit in my pockets easily, so I still needed to carry a bag around to stow the camera.
Size issues aside, it still is a reasonably portable camera considering that you don’t need to carry a bag full of lenses as with a DSLR.
There are a few big changes to the G11 from its predecessor, the G10. Firstly, it has a 10-megapixel sensor which produces images at up to 3,648 x 2,736-pixels.
The notable drop in megapixel may be a cause of concern for some, but honestly 10-megapixels is more than sufficient for capturing detail and good enough for large prints.
The second big change is the return of the rotating LCD screen, a feature sorely missed since the G7.
The rotating screen is definitely a big plus as it lets you get creative with your shots. You can take shots from all kinds of different angles be they high or low.
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| TAKE A PICTURE: The G11's rotating LCD screen gives you great flexibility in your shots, especially for low angle shots. |
If you’re feeling particularly narcissistic or just want a plain old self portrait, the LCD screen also swivels around to the front to help you frame your shots.
Admittedly, the 2.8in LCD screen is smaller than the G10’s but it still has the same 461,000-pixel resolution, so it still displays very sharp images of photos you’ve just taken.
Located just above the LCD screen is a small optical viewfinder that you can use to frame your shots.
The viewfinder is far too small for practical use — given a choice I would stick to using the LCD screen for composing shots.
Features
The G11 has a 28-140mm lens, a pretty useful range especially if you are travelling and need both wide-angle and ability to zoom.
The camera also has optical image stabilisation, so that should help reduce blurry photos and videos from unsteady hands.
Interestingly, the G11 supports all sorts of accessories and conversion lenses that can be attached to expand its telephoto and wide-angle photo taking abilities.
You can also attach an external flash to the G11 if you fancy using bounce flash though this makes it bulky and slightly off balance.
The G11 has a new HDMI output port for hooking it up to a HDTV for displaying photos and videos. Other input/output ports along the side of the camera include the regular A/V output and a USB port.
The G11 interface is designed with the enthusiast in mind. While it may look slightly complicated with its many dials and buttons, they are all thoughtfully laid out and are within easy reach.
A dedicated mode dial gives you easy access to the camera’s different modes such as Advanced Program, Aperture and Shutter Priority as well as full Manual control.
There are even dedicated dials for ISO and exposure compensation located at the top of the camera.
There’s also a Smart Auto mode designed for those not familiar with cameras which handles most other settings.
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| NEAT: The G11 has lots of nifty dials and controls to give you full control when taking the shot. |
Additionally, there’s a miniature control wheel on the back that is handy for making adjustments to the aperture and shutter speed as well as for browsing through the in-camera menu.
Aside from the regular scene modes found on most compact cameras there are two new modes introduced on the G11.
The first is a high sensitive low-light mode that is basically for shooting pictures in dimly lit areas.
Like most high sensitivity modes there is a trade off — the camera lowers the resolution all the way to 2.5-megapixel and boosts ISO up to insane levels of 12,800!
While it sounds impressive, I was less than impressed with the pictures — the low resolution photos looked smudgy due to the massive amount of noise reduction.
Quick Shot mode makes the G11 handle like an average DSLR and makes it shoot faster using continuous autofocus.
This mode turns the LCD to a big info screen where you can view essential details and make changes to settings.
You will, however, have be forced to use the tiny optical viewfinder. The mode wasn’t particularly useful especially since it wasn’t any faster at shooting pictures.
Performance
The G11 is quick to start up and can begin taking pictures in less than two seconds upon hitting the power switch. The camera’s autofocus is decently fast, snapping to focus as soon as you press the shutter button.
It still isn’t as fast as a DSLR so there is a chance you’ll still miss a shot if a subject moves too fast.
The only time the autofocus truly suffers is when shooting in telephoto range.
The G11’s face tracking feature is useful especially when shooting photos of people as it focuses very quickly on multiple faces and selects the correct exposure for them.
There’s still the issue of shutter lag between shots and it comes off as a bit sluggish when shooting continuously. Naturally, this means it can’t keep up with scenes where there’s a lot going on at once.
We tested the camera out in a variety of situations and were quite impressed by the rich detail it manages to capture especially in macro mode.
It is worth noting that the camera has a very close minimum focusing distance of 1cm which is great for macro photography.
Picture quality is generally good and the camera handles chromatic aberrations extremely well when shooting outdoors on sunny days. Also, the colours turned out pleasing as they were deep and vibrant.
Make no mistake though, the G11 is a great camera for the outdoors but it certainly isn’t going to replace a DSLR when it comes to noise performance.
Images taken at ISO 80-200 were similar in quality and exhibited very little to no noise.
Noise starts to show up at ISO 400 though it doesn’t get really bad until ISO 800 where there’s significant loss in detail as the picture starts to look grainy and muddy.
Not surprising, anything captured above ISO 800 is not usable.
It is increasingly difficult to ignore HD video recording as it’s starting to be a common feature in most consumer cameras.
Disappointingly, the G11 lacks that feature and only records videos in 640 x 480-pixel resolution at 30fps (frames per second).
The recording quality while not too bad, it still isn’t anything to write home about. There’s also no option to zoom while video recording.
Conclusion
The Canon Powershot G11 is a dependable secondary camera to have especially for travelling when a DSLR is to bulky to lug around.
It will not replace a DSLR entirely, but the G11 has a bevy of features that will give photographers a nice alternative to the average compact camera.
The G11 is, however, quite pricey even for a prosumer camera as it’s almost in the price range of entry-level DSLRs.
For instance, for an extra RM300 you can get a Canon EOS 1000D. So it’s a matter of choosing portability and flexibility over the better image performance of a DSLR.
The camera’s performance is good as it has a speedy autofocus and it’s quick to start up.
It has modes that are accessible to beginners as well as manual modes and dials that advanced users will prefer.
Image quality is the camera’s main strong point though the ISO performance isn’t very good especially when shooting above ISO 400.
Another disappointment is the lack of HD video recording which will hopefully be rectified in the next model.
For all its ups and downs, give the PowerShot G11 a shot if you want a flexible compact prosumer camera and aren’t prepared to get a DSLR yet.
Pros: Solid build quality; good image quality, makes good use of external controls.
Cons: ISO performance isn’t great; no HD video recording; pricey.
Canon PowerShot G11
Prosumer compact camera
Sensor: 10-megapixels, 1/1.7in type CCD (3,648 x 2,736-pixels)
Lens: 5x optical zoom (28-140mm 35mm film equivalent)
ISO range: 80-3,200
Exposure modes: Auto, Scene, Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, Manual, Low Light, Quick Shot, Movie, 2 custom modes
Video capture: 640 x 480-pixels at 30fps, 320 x 240-pixels at 30fps, MOV format
Viewfinder: 2.8in LCD
Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery NB-7L
Storage: SD, SDHC
Interface: USB 2.0, HDMI mini connector, AV out (PAL/NTSC switchable)
Other features: Face Detection, AiAF, Optical image stabilization
Dimensions (W x D x H): 112 x 76 x 48mm
Weight: 355g
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