Canon G11 Hands-On Report & Comparison with The G10 and GF1
Is the Canon G11 a good buy? I believe so, considering that one gets a really solid camera with decent lens, articulated LCD, manual controls, and decent image quality at low ISO. But, while the higher ISO (anything above 200) are better than its predecessor the G10, on an absolute scale they are not really acceptable to my eyes for anything except record shots and snapshots. The extra resolution of the G10 seems to me to be a trade-off that many photographers might end up preferring.
And as for comparisons with the new generation of pocket-sized large-sensor cameras, these cost quite a bit more money (up there with entry level DSLRs) but they produce far superior image quality.
Having said all of that, for the money the G11 offers good value for many photographers, and its articulated LCD and optical viewfinder make it somewhat unique in this marketplace. That’s the primary reason for my “Recommended” stamp. But don’t expect the drop to 10MP from 15MP on the previous model to be a magic bullet. It isn’t. The game has changed, and for low noise, high quality images there are now new and interesting alternatives in the medium-sized pocket camera arena. There is also a new strong competitor to the G11, in the shirt-pocket sized camera segment, in the form of Canon’s own Powershot S90, which uses the same sensor and image processing chip as the G11, and which will be reviewed on these pages shortly.
Full review: Luminous Landscape
