Last update (Feb 13, 2009): Canon G10 is the “Best Advanced System” in Backscatter’s 2009 review
This post is a compilation of annotated links to Canon Powershot G10 professional reviews, user opinions and experiences, tests, ratings, feedback and conclusions that I’ve come across in forums, online communities, blogs and related websites.
Full attribution is given by linking to the source and where available, the author’s homepage or photo gallery.
Canon G10 is the “Best Advanced System” in Backscatter’s 2009 review
In Backscatter’s Best Underwater Point & Shoot Cameras for 2009 review, the G10 was selected as the best camera for divers looking for a camera in the $1400 — $2800 price bracket. The article goes into great detail on what to look out for when selecting an underwater photography system that is based on compact digital cameras.
Fuji F11 vs G10 at a concert
Kim Letkeman writes about his experience using both cameras at a James Blunt concert in Ottawa.
Overall, he preferred the G10 for the following reasons:
- Video clips are recorded in H.264 format.
- At higher ISO values, image noise has a cleaner pattern and less artifacts. Color, white balance and saturation are also much better.
- The full-featured camera controls on the G10 allows for a much better shooting experience.
View the full gallery and read the related forum post.
User review by Bill Lockhart
I spent more time enjoying Mr. Lockhart’s breathtaking G10 photos (just look at this 1252 x 698 image) than reading the words of his review, but I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better-written piece on how well the camera performed on the trip to Slovenia and Scotland.
He concludes:
The Canon Powershot G10 is an outstanding compact camera that offers beginning and advanced photographers an excellent tool for capturing light in limited circumstances. It is not a professional DSLR and is not represented by Canon to be so. It is a significant improvement over the Canon Powershot G9 with it’s better ergonomics, it’s much improved LCD panel, instant shutter release, the wider 28mm lens, and its outstanding exposure metering system.
I highly recommend that you take a look at his full G10 gallery too.
In his review, he mentions that you will not be able to shoot in RAW format if the camera is on “Wide” setting. Robert Deutsch explains what it means in this forum post:
The Wide setting on the G10 just crops the top and bottom of the image, so instead of 4416x3312 (at full resolution, in RAW or Large jpeg) you get 4416x2480. This is done in jpeg processing, just like the resolutions lower than maximum. The advantages of Wide is that it helps you see what the image will look like in this aspect ratio, and the file size is a bit smaller than the corresponding jpeg (and, of course, much smaller than the RAW file). If you like the 16:9 aspect ratio of the Wide setting but like to shoot RAW, you can get the same effect by cropping afterwards. BTW, the 3:2 setting records the full 4:3 image; it just shows you what the 3:2 crop will look like. In none of these cases is the image wider than the standard 4:3—it might better be described as “shorter.”
User opinion by Vidar NM
Vidar highly recommends the G10 for those want the highest possible image quality from a digital prosumer camera, provided they are willing to shoot RAW and stay at low ISO values. As expected, it’s not reasonable to expect the G10 to be able to shoot action as well as a digital SLR.
Vidar has also dedicated a section of his Flickr gallery to some excellent G10 photos.
User review by Vince Basile
In this forum thread, Vince writes up an extensive hands-on report on his initial impressions comparing the new Canon G10 vs his older Canon G9.
He has also posted up a ton of image samples, most of which were shot in sunny Sydney, Australia. You can view the full-sized version of the photos by clicking through the thumbnails to the actual photos and selecting the Original option for Size under the photo. My first impression of his photos are that the colors and tonality are better than what I can get with my own Ricoh GX200 (samples are here).
Professional G10 review at Luminous Landscape
Luminous Landscape’s article gives one of the most convincing reasons for buying the G10:
I had become very impressed with the Canon G10 after just a few days of earlier light-duty testing. Each evening that week I would sit with my 15” Macbook Pro reviewing the day’s files. At one point I found myself looking at raw files on-screen and not being sure if I was looking at Hasselblad P45+ files or Canon G10 files. That includes at 100% onscreen enlargements.
Additionally, Michael Reichmann added that seven individuals consisting of experienced photographers, folks from the commercial print industry and other trade professionals couldn’t tell apart the 13 x 19” prints made from similar photos from both cameras.
Quick G10 impressions by Adam-T
Adam is astounded by the G10’s image resolution and low noise, based on quick, test RAW photo, concluding that the image quality beats that from the Powershot G6, S70 and even the Canon A650IS.
He shares a couple more points on the G10 here and here:
- Sharp images at 28mm focal length from corner to corner with no vignetting.
- No flash lag when using an external flash on the hotshoe, unlike on the Powershot G7 and G9.
- Dedicated exposure compensation dial is a huge plus.
- Live Histogram and Focus Check feature (magnifies the photo after AF lock is achieved) helps ensure you get the shot.
Adam has also shared a zip file containing the RAW test photo, which you can download from here.
On the topic of G10 vs Sigma DP1 (which has a sensor that comes from the Sigma SD14 digital SLR camera), Adam says that the SD14 has much better dynamic range and tonality, but the G10 is the more complete camera, with higher resolution. They complement each other, if you can afford to purchase both of them.
G10 user opinion by MartyG9
MartyG9, a former G9 owner, likes two things about the G10. First, the 28mm coverage at the wide end. Second, G10 images at ISO 800 are far superior to the G9’s in terms of image quality.
The G10 does exposure bracketing
According to this post, the G10 is able to do 3-shot exposure-bracketed bursts in 1/3-stop increments.
Conclusion
Based on what I’ve read and seen so far (especially the content that’s been contributed by Vince Basile), I’m thoroughly convinced that the Canon G10 is currently the best prosumer digital camera on the market in terms of the image quality you can get out of it.
I’ve honestly yet to see this level of image quality being offered by any of the other digicams currently on the market, and this includes the Ricoh GX200, which I own, and Olympus SP-570UZ which I’ve owned and sold.