Canon Powershot G11

Is this solid flagship model better than the G10?

It’s rare – if ever - that a follow-on model should offer specification that appears, on paper, to be a step back rather than forward.

But that’s what appears to have happened in the case of Canon’s new PowerShot family flagship in the G11, compared like for like with the year-old G10 on key specification. So what is its manufacturer’s game?

On the outside at least there appears to be little difference between the two chunky, sturdily constructed models, identically priced at the time of writing, save for the fact that the newer G11 differs in offering a tilting, 2.8-inch, 461-dot resolution vari-angle LCD at the rear as opposed to the G10’s larger 3-inch fixed monitor.  So, in theory, here is a camera in the G11 that will deliver shooting from a wider and more awkward variety of angles than its predecessor. Canon says implementation of the adjustable screen is a direct result of customer feedback.

As well as the slightly smaller monitor, resolution has dropped to 10 megapixels from the G10’s 14.7MP. Fine, that’s still more than enough for most enthusiasts but what about professionals? Everyone will have their own requirements and, viewed positively, in offering both the G11 and higher resolution G10 with an otherwise near identical feature set, Canon is arguably widening consumer choice – even if it may leave some scratching their heads.

Look deeper into the G11’s specification and other ‘rewards’ make themselves apparent. For example there’s a new maximum user selectable light sensitivity setting of ISO3200, up from its predecessor’s ISO1600. And if you select the new dedicated low light mode accessible via the rangefinder-like dial on the G11’s top plate, this can be expanded up to ISO12800 equivalent for shooting in near darkness – with the caveat that resolution drops to a lowly 2.5MP. Canon further claims that by welding a high sensitivity sensor to its regular Digic 4 processor, it is delivering a ‘dual anti noise system’.

Frustratingly though for a creatively rich camera, the full manual is provided on CD only, with just a very slim quick start guide to flick through. Pick the camera up however and you can feel where (else) your money has been spent. At a weight of 355g – fractionally heavier than the G10 – without chunky lithium ion rechargeable battery or optional SD/SDHC memory card inserted, the G11 feels expectedly substantial and tank-like when gripped in the palm.

With a gently sloping padded ridge to the front where fingers can get a purchase, curiously there’s nowhere identifiable at the back to place your thumb when gripping, save directly over the operational controls, one of which is, in what is unfortunate placing, the delete button.

The front plate looks rather unassuming, dominated by lens with automatic cover that slides open as its barrel extends on activation to maximum wide angle. A filter thread is provided for the attachment of supplementary devices.

Above this, slightly to the left is larger than average window for the optical viewfinder, which has its own dioptric adjustment dial at the back, and above right a rectangular window housing the built in flash bulb. To the left is a window housing the bulb for the AF illuminator – providing retina searing brightness – plus self-timer lamp, the feature itself ‘counting down’ the user to the firing of the shutter with loud, attention-drawing beeps. The best that can be said about the viewfinder is that it’s large enough to make its inclusion worthwhile, but no match for that provided on a DSLR.

The top plate of the G11 is, however, where things start to get exciting. Those who enjoy getting hands-on will relish being able to turn its rangefinder-like dials to select ISO speed and adjust exposure, as well as choose capture options from a more familiar shooting mode dial that sits atop the ISO adjustment wheel like the second tier of a wedding cake. In between these controls, all of which are slightly stiff to the touch, we find sandwiched a hotshoe for accessory flash.

It’s a disappointment though to find maximum video resolution has been frozen at the G10’s standard definition 640x480 pixels, when even £199 point and shoot pocket models are presently supplying 1280x720 High Definition video. It seems particularly odd when there are family-orientated Canon models lower down the PowerShot range offering HD. An opportunity to explore on future incarnations perhaps, as the G11 does offer an HDMI port at one side for hooking the camera up to a widescreen TV.

Such niggles aside, hitting the on/off button located just behind the shutter release button, the G11 is fast to power up in a second or so, the image stabilised 5x optical zoom lens extending from within the body to that maximum wide angle setting – here, as with the G10 the equivalent of 28mm, making it ideal for landscapes (a neutral density filter option can be activated via the ‘function’ button), group portraits or shooting in tight spaces.

Although it shares a Digic 4 processor with the G10, on the G11, says Canon, it has been further refined, delivering enhancements to features including iContrast and white balance, the latter of which can be manually fine tuned in camera. As expected, this translates into the ability to press any of the G11’s controls and get an immediate response. With a caress of the zoom lever, the camera’s lens travels smoothly through its broader than average focal range, a process taking just over two seconds from maximum wideangle to extreme telephoto.

Arrive at the desired framing, take the shot, and with no noticeable shutter delay a maximum resolution JPEG is committed to memory within 2-3 seconds. The camera also offers Raw capture, selectable via a L-shaped toolbar left of screen. Take a further shot in this mode and the difference in writing speed is barely noticeable, so you don’t always have to sacrifice quality for speed.

Canon has suggested that with the G11 it has greatly improved noise reduction, delivering a two-stop advantage. Although ISO12800 in theory allows for shooting in near darkness, the camera has to find a subject bright enough to focus on. Even when it does, degradation is such at top setting that detail is smeared and the image takes on that all too familiar smudged watercolour effect. So, while Canon’s not quite up to Nikon D3S levels yet, at ISO3200 you get a result comparable to lesser compacts at ISO80; no mean feat. For more general use the quality of image impresses too; focus sharp and crisp even if colours are a little washed out on occasion when faced with grey autumnal skies. Still, there is a vivid option to provide more pep and the neutral density filter setting appears to work well, preserving detail that would otherwise be lost when shooting landscapes.

Ultimately, in weighing the G11 up against the G10, this is the camera for those who would rather be able to shoot in lower lighting conditions than print their images really large – and who, like most of us, readily see the advantage of an adjustable LCD screen in achieving a wider variety of compositions than can be realised via the fixed variety.  Not a massive leap forward then but a solid showing nonetheless.

Final Verdict It may be priced higher than a 10 megapixel entry level DSLR, but this offers a reliable back up for existing owners wanting to supplement their ‘proper’ camera with something more manageable, without compromising quality too much in the process. OVERALL

Having trained as a journalist and written about photography since the ‘dawn of digital’ (1998), Gavin’s career has encompassed being deputy editor and editor of more photo titles than he’d care to remember before packing his bags and going freelance in 2004.