Canon Powershot G11

[curtis265]

Hi guys, just asking around if anyone has this camera - I'm considering buying one, and wanted to know it's features and drawbacks - cnet isn't particularly helpful on this camera.

http://a.img-dpreview.com/news/0908/...11-FRT-LCD.jpg

I'm a keen photographer, i like nice photography, but i'm completely inexperienced with a DSLR - i'm confused to death by all the different distances and focal lengths and all that cahoot... thats why i think this is ideal camera for me.

I'd also like to know a bit about the attachable lenses: what's that conversion lens adapter about? I also read something about a wide angle lens too - are these just a waste of time on this kind of camera (i.e. i should get a DSLR instead)

I can pick up one of these for around AUD$650-700, whereas a DSLR would be upwards of 1k...

so basically, i just want someone to be able to help me decide what i want.. lol

[curtis265]

Bump

[superbike81]

I don't have any personal experience with the camera, but I do know that the majority (if not all) of those "add-on" wide angle conversion lenses are complete garbage.

[Xtreme Thunder]

IMO get an entry level DSLR.

[superbike81]

I'll be honest, I got an entry level DSLR, a Rebel XSi, and I hate it. It takes excellent pictures, and I even learned quite a bit about using it. However, it's so big, I never wanted to take it anywhere with me. I'm not a pro, I just want pictures of the experiences that my wife and I have as we travel around. Lugging around a big DSLR sucked, so I never brought it. Wife and I decided it would be better to get a camera that will take decent pictures without a lot of screwing around, so we bought a Canon SD980IS and I love it. Small enough to take anywhere, but has some pretty cool features, and the lens also goes pretty wide, much wider than most point and shoots.

I think that G11 he is a looking at might be a happy medium for him.

[ethlar]

Originally Posted by superbike81

I don't have any personal experience with the camera, but I do know that the majority (if not all) of those "add-on" wide angle conversion lenses are complete garbage.

normally yes those add on lenses are garbage cause they are made by some knockoff company and they usually make them to go on the filter mount on the end of the crappy kit lens for a entry level DSLR.

The G series cameras actually have a removable mounting ring around the lens and Canon makes the accessory attachment lenses for it, there is potential for image quality to suffer slightly since that always happens when you add optics. Ideally you would swap lenses on your DSLR to what you needed rather than compounding optics but aside from that the G is a great little camera.


The only other major caveat i can think of with the G is that it has such a small sensor with such a high pixel density you can get some obnoxious noise in the shadows of some images, ive seen it start to crop up at ISOs as low as 200 on a G9. Its one of the things that they have corrected somewhat on the G11 with new DIGIC chips and some sensor modifications but any small form (smaller than DSLR) camera with high MP is going to have this issue to some degree.

[VTEC_4_LIFE]

G11 is too big IMO, I tried it and liked the swivel screen and the OVF, but in the end I got an S90, its got the same great high sensitivity 1/1.7" 10MP sensor it looks through a shorter lens, both go to 28mm wide but the S90 ends at 105mm (equiv.), but its all wrapped up in a smaller cheaper package that can stay in your pocket and not weigh it down, the G11 comes with a NEAK STRAP in the box, thats all I need to say about that

Hotshoe, you wont miss, because eventhough a big bouncable flash would be nice its big, on a small body (the flash is the size of it), its just shennanigans, Ill post up a samples as to the chunkiness, I snapped them off my phone when I had the G11, its sitting next to a D90 and it looks big, I wont imagine puting it next to a small body Nikon/Canon, an Olympus E-410, and I wont even think about one of the new PEN micro 4/3 system cameras, its almost justified for me to carry the SLR

[curtis265]

Thanks for the replies guys,



@Xtreme Thunder
An entry level DSLR would require a lot of learning on my part, which i don't mind, but but sheer bulkiness and the need for an extra bag doesn't really

@superbike
I've already got a point and shoot, a canon ixus 800IS, was great when it was new, but then my sister dropped it and it's got insane overexposure now... and a narrow lens

@ethlar
I had a feeling the image quality would suffer a bit, but i don't know if i really need them anyway. I just liked the idea of being able to have something different if i really wanted

@VTEC_4_LIFE
That flash is HUGE! You'd be bringing the camera with the flash, not the flash with the camera. I dont know whether i'd be using an external flash or not - Is a behemoth flash necessary?

[superbike81]

For average photography, no an external flash is not needed at all.

I don't know much about the point and shoot camera you have now, so can't say anything there.

Have you thought about one of the larger Canons, like the S5IS? They give you a little more freedom, but a little less bulk. Still a big camera IMO, but not as big as an entry level DSLR.

[curtis265]

yah it's still a bit of a bulk, but i guess it'd be ok... but it's pretty expensive, and for that price, i may as well go entry level DSLR... (extra bag ftl!)

[ethlar]

youre concerned that the DSLR would have a steeper learning curve than the G11, however the G11 is made to have almost all of the functionalities of a entry level DSLR in a smaller package. The XSi and that series cameras are fairly small bodies, i actually dont like using a body that small. I prefer my 30d with the battery grip to fit in my hand better.

[VTEC_4_LIFE]

NO, a flash that big is not neccesary for day to day photography, its just the fact that they have a hotshoe for such applications so I thought id demonstrate just how ridiculous it was with my SLR's flash unit, granted that not the smallest flash out there, but thats not exactly big either, put it next to a Nikon SB-900 or a Canon 580EX-II and its rather small. . . a big flash helps with cutting down on harsh shadows by bouncing the light off the ceiling, or shooting through a diffuser, something a direct shooting built-in flash just cant do

like I said the G11 is a tough pill to swallow, so I took the S90, Im getting great pictures and not only is my pocket happy to have the money I saved on it, its also happy that its not strained as bad as the G11 would have done to it, some of the even smaller Canons do well in their respective classes, my second choice for compacts is Fuji, and rounding up 3rd is Sony, theyd be better if they didnt love the word proprietary so much, but still a good product for the money, both put out good products for less money than Canon, and bear in mind a good portion of cameras on the market today have Sony stamped on one piece or another of their workings, from something as simple as batteries to the imaging sensor itself

[ecosse]

Originally Posted by ethlar

youre concerned that the DSLR would have a steeper learning curve than the G11, however the G11 is made to have almost all of the functionalities of a entry level DSLR in a smaller package. The XSi and that series cameras are fairly small bodies, i actually dont like using a body that small. I prefer my 30d with the battery grip to fit in my hand better.

Bingo...

[*SI*SI*SI*SI*SI*]

Get whichever one you want. DSLRs are not for everybody. I rarely carry mine around anymore because its so big.

as for the flash, too bad that you cant use the sb-400 with it, that would be the perfect size for the g11.

[VTEC_4_LIFE]

Originally Posted by *SI*SI*SI*SI*SI*

Get whichever one you want. DSLRs are not for everybody. I rarely carry mine around anymore because its so big.

as for the flash, too bad that you cant use the sb-400 with it, that would be the perfect size for the g11.

Canon has a sized small flash with their TTL metering, but its still a pretty good sized flash on top of a small camera, even my SB-400 looked big, it didnt stick up as far, but it was nose-out over the front of it

[Fa5nhbp07]

even if you get a P&S your guna end up needing to know about ISO,f/stop, etc anyway unless you shoot in Auto all the time, which is a nono. If size is whats preventing you from getting a DSLR then by all means go for a P&S. But if you have any interest in becoming a better photographer, go for a DSLR and force yourself to learn to become one. You'll be happier in the long run

[ecosse]

Originally Posted by Fa5nhbp07

even if you get a P&S your guna end up needing to know about ISO,f/stop, etc anyway unless you shoot in Auto all the time, which is a nono. If size is whats preventing you from getting a DSLR then by all means go for a P&S. But if you have any interest in becoming a better photographer, go for a DSLR and force yourself to learn to become one. You'll be happier in the long run

Bingo.

[ethlar]

People with DSLRs who shoot in full auto make me cry

[*SI*SI*SI*SI*SI*]

Originally Posted by ethlar

People with DSLRs who shoot in full auto make me cry

I took this shot the last time I was in NYC. I dont know whats worse, my photo being out of focus, or him using a flash in broad daylight.

[VTEC_4_LIFE]

Originally Posted by *SI*SI*SI*SI*SI*

I took this shot the last time I was in NYC. I dont know whats worse, my photo being out of focus, or him using a flash in broad daylight.

image

im guilty of that, fill flash works wonders to light up an engine bay shaded by the hood and such, usually though I just use it to trigger my SB-600 sitting elsewhere for good lighting, like bouncing it off said hood, etc