Canon PowerShot G11 Review
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 10 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 3.5Mb.
In general terms the Canon PowerShot G11 is capable of capturing plenty of fine detail, especially evident when images are downloaded and examined close up on a desktop, colours being for the most part natural, even when the likes of vivid colour mode are deployed to add some visual punch to blues and greens in landscape shots.
When left on default settings, sky detail tends to burn out still, so the ability to invoke the built-in neutral density filter proved useful in preserving detail throughout the image. Though there is some pixel fringing to be found between areas of high contrast, it's better disguised here than on most compacts or DSLRs for that matter.
Shooting at maximum 28mm wideangle on the Canon PowerShot G11, there is some barrel distortion visible, as most closely witnessed on our white wall test shots.
Canon has further suggested that the G11 features greatly improved noise reduction, delivering a two-stop advantage. Although ISO 12800 in theory allows for shooting in near darkness, the camera has to find a subject bright enough to focus on.
When it does, results actually leave much to be desired, detail smeared and the image taking on that all too familiar watercolour effect. So, it seems Canon's not quite up to Nikon D3S or Canon 1D Mark IV ISO levels yet (yes, true, they are almost 10 times the price).
Sticking less ambitiously to the manually selectable range which tops out at ISO 3200 reaps more impressive results, images at that top setting displaying so little noise they're comparable to levels witnessed at ISO 800 on most rivals.
Noise
There are 7 ISO settings available on the Canon PowerShot G11. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.
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ISO 80 (100% Crop) |
ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
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Focal Range
The Canon PowerShot G11's 5x zoom lens offers a versatile focal range, as illustrated by these examples:
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28mm |
140mm |
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Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting. You can change the in-camera sharpening level if you don't like the default look.
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Original (100% Crop) |
Sharpened (100% Crop) |
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Chromatic Aberrations
The Canon PowerShot G11 handled chromatic aberrations well during the review, with fairly limited purple fringing present around the edges of objects in high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.
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Example 1 (100% Crop) |
Example 2 (100% Crop) |
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Macro
The Canon PowerShot G11 allows you to focus on a subject that is just 1cm away from the camera. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.
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Macro Shot |
100% Crop |
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Flash
The flash settings on the Canon Powershot G11 are Auto, On, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Slow Synchro and Off. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.
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Flash Off - Wide Angle (28mm) |
Flash On - Wide Angle (28mm) |
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Flash Off - Telephoto (140mm) |
Flash On - Telephoto (140mm) |
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And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Red-eye-Reduction settings caused any red-eye.
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Flash On |
Flash On (100% Crop) |
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Red-eye Reduction |
Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop) |
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Night
The Canon Powershot G11's maximum shutter speed is 15 seconds, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 1/4 second at ISO 1600. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.
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Night Shot |
Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Canon PowerShot G11 camera, which were all taken using the 10 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
Sample RAW Images
The Canon PowerShot G11 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Canon RAW (CR2) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).
1/60s · f/3.2 · ISO 80
6.1mm
Download original
4/10s · f/2.8 · ISO 80
6.1mm
Download original
1/100s · f/4 · ISO 80
6.1mm
Download original
1/125s · f/4 · ISO 80
6.1mm
Download original
1/100s · f/4 · ISO 80
6.1mm
Download original
1/30s · f/2.8 · ISO 80
6.1mm
Download original
1/100s · f/4 · ISO 80
6.1mm
Download original
1/100s · f/4 · ISO 80
6.1mm
Download original
Sample Movie & Video
This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 640x480 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 20.6Mb in size.
Product Images
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera / Lens Extended |
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Front of the Camera / Lens Extended |
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Isometric View |
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Isometric View |
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Rear of the Camera |
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Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed |
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Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed |
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Rear of the Camera / Flip-Out LCD Screen |
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Rear of the Camera / Flip-Out LCD Screen |
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| Top of the Camera |
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| Bottom of the Camera |
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| Side of the Camera |
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| Side of the Camera |
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| Side of the Camera |
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| Memory Card Slot |
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| Memory Card Slot / Battery Compartment |
Conclusion
Priced exactly the same as its still current predecessor in the G10, the G11 offers the advantage of a flexible LCD screen plus higher ISO options. If neither is particularly important and a higher resolution will serve better, then the older G10 is the one to go for.
With the G11 taken on its own terms, although the lens in use can't be swapped, the broader than average 28-140mm equivalent focal range makes for a wealth of creative possibilities from landscapes to portraiture.
But perhaps the most notable thing about the G11 is that Canon has stopped playing the numbers game and is trusting the camera's target audience to realize that there's more to digital photography than ever increasing helpings of megapixels with each successive product.
For us though, it doesn't quite hold up to its manufacturer's claim of this being the ‘ultimate' compact - particularly when you've had the opportunity to swap lenses as on the competing Olympus Pen and Panasonic GF1 Micro Four Thirds models, the latter being a near ringer for the Canon in terms of size, shape and form. But then, with those models lenses cost extra, and with the G11 you have mostly everything you'd want in one neat package, which shouldn't be underestimated.
| Ratings (out of 5) | |
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| Design | 4.5 |
| Features | 4.5 |
| Ease-of-use | 4 |
| Image quality | 4.5 |
| Value for money | 4 |
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Canon PowerShot G11 from around the web.
reviews.cnet.co.uk »
The Canon PowerShot G11 offers excellent photograph quality and options for a compact camera, and the downshift from the old PowerShot G10's 14-megapixel sensor to a 10-megapixel one has paid dividends. But it remains a fat, heavy and expensive compact that's not without its flaws, including sluggish responses and an awkward main controller.
Read the full review »
photocrati.com »
Canon’s primary reason for reducing resolution was to improve high ISO performance. That strategy was successful and the G11 definitely provides obvious benefits by ISO 800. At this ISO, the JPEGs are surprisingly smooth, although there’s more smudging of fine detail due to noise reduction processing. Even so, I was able to make excellent letter size prints from my technically-best images after some careful sharpening. By comparison, the G10 produced ISO 800 images that were very grainy; while there was less smudging, all of my friends preferred the smoother prints made from G11 photos.
Read the full review »
Specifications
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Zoom |
¹ Depending on the image size selected. |
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AF Modes |
¹ Some settings limit availability |
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Manual Power Adjustment |
¹ Not all functions of the flash are supported. |
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External Flash |
¹ Not all functions of the flash are supported. |
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Modes |
¹ Recording pixels fixed at 1600 x 1200 (ISO 3200 Mode) and 1824 x 1368 (Low Light Mode). |
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Continuous Shooting |
¹ Under conditions where the flash does not fire. |
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Movie Length |
¹ Depending on memory card speed / capacity / compression setting. |
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Battery life |
¹ Using the batteries and memory card format supplied with the camera (where included), except where indicated. |
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Flash |
¹ Not all functions of the flash are supported. |
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* Standard Output Sensitivity / Recommended Exposure Index. |
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According to ISO 12232:2006 (20th April 2006) which specifies the method for assigning and reporting ISO speed ratings for digital still cameras. |
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