Posted to Digital Cameras 2009-11-28
The Canon PowerShot G11 digital camera is Canon's latest model in the highly successful G-series of compact enthusiast's digital cameras. The G11 belongs to a class of digital cameras popular with enthusiasts that features styling reminiscent of the 35mm rangefinder cameras once so popular in the film world. These rangefinders were the default "carry-anywhere" cameras that pros and enthusiasts would carry when they were on vacation or family outings. The G11 lives up to its heritage, with rangefinder like styling, an optical viewfinder, and a compact design. Featuring 10 megapixel resolution and a 5X (28-140mm 35mm equivalent) zoom lens, the G11 is a very versatile compact camera. Other features include a 2.8 inch fully articulating LCD display, intelligent contrast correction, red-eye correction and HDMI output for viewing images on an HDTV. The camera has a hot-shoe and is compatible with Speedlite flashes from Canon as well as optional tele-converter lenses.
FeaturesThe PowerShot G11 has average features when compared to the competition in this class. Its main attraction is the amount of creative control it allows in a compact camera. Most of the camera's settings can be manually controlled, and the excellent user interface makes them easy to access. There's a face detect self timer mode that's very convenient, allowing the photographer time to get into the picture. The compatibility with Canon accessories is a big plus, too. PerformanceThe performance of the PowerShot G11 is a bit better than average in its class. It has a truly wide angle 28mm minimum zoom, and continuous shooting speeds are quite acceptable. The fully-articulating LCD is very convenient to use, and has a higher resolution than some of the competition. Image quality is excellent for a small sensor camera, but suffers (like all small sensor cameras) considerably at higher ISOs. The improved Smart Auto mode works very well, allowing you to concentrate on composing the picture rather than worrying about exposure and focus. SummaryIf you're in the market for an enthusiast's compact digital camera, the PowerShot G11 makes a good choice. It produces good photos in Smart Auto mode, yet allows all the creative control you could want. It's a bit pricey - you can get an entry level SLR for about the same money, but it's not out of line with the competition in this class. All in all a good offering from Canon. Pros
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