Canon G10 Tips

First published on: Monday, 3 November 2008

Last update (Apr 28, 2009): Service Notice: PowerShot G10: Lines Appear in Captured Images.

This post is a compilation of annotated links to useful Canon Powershot G10 camera settings, tips, tricks and techniques that I’ve 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.

Service Notice: PowerShot G10: Lines Appear in Captured Images

Canon has issued a notice, which says:

We have discovered that in rare instances, lines may appear in images captured by some units of the PowerShot G10 digital camera. Accordingly, we would like to convey the details and our service policy concerning this phenomenon.

Units whose fourth and fifth digits from the left indicate the following numbers may be affected:
50, 51, 52,
53, 80, 81,
82, 83

Canon will repair affected products for free.

Please visit the Service Notice page for more details.

Tips for Night Photography

Refer to this DPReview thread on tips, techniques and camera settings for night photography with the Canon G10. What follows is a summary of the points that were discussed:


  1. Start off with ISO 80.

  2. Put the camera on Manual mode.

  3. Disable the flash.

  4. Andy Rush shared a sample photo taken with the following settings: ISO80, aperture of f/3.2 and shutter speed of 10 seconds. Here’s another brilliant night shot by Andy.

  5. Use the self-timer function or a cable release (for instance, the Canon RS60-E3 Remote Switch) so that you don’t move the camera just prior to taking the shot.

  6. Use a tripod.

  7. Since the G10 features a newer-generation IS (image stabilization) in the lens, so you don’t have to turn it off when mounting the camera on a tripod.

  8. If you had the camera on cotinuous AF (autofocus), you needn’t switch out of it as the camera stops focusing once focus is acquired and the shutter button is fully-pressed or self-timer is activated.

  9. The G10 lens tends to perform best when wide-open, or at most, f/4-4.5, so use the ND filter to force a longer exposure time without stopping the aperture down.

  10. If you desire star effects from light point sources, put the camera in Av (aperture-priority) mode, and stop the lens down to the smallest opening (largest f number).

  11. Set the exposure compensation to -2/3 or -1EV because cameras tend to overexpose night images, leading to washed-out lights. 4u2c shares some samples to demonstrate the use of these settings.

  12. Shoot in RAW mode so that you get the best quality and post-processing latitude later on.

Download the latest Canon G10 Firmware Update (Version 1.0.2.0)

Released on Feb 10, 2009, this firmware corrects the following phenomenon:

If RAW images are captured by continuous shooting under the ISO 1600 setting, abnormal data is recorded and a magenta cast appears in the second and subsequent RAW images. This phenomenon also occurs in the second and subsequent recorded RAW images captured by single shooting, but only if the LCD monitor display mode is set to the OFF position.

This phenomenon cannot be confirmed when images are played back on the camera’s LCD monitor. It can only be confirmed if image processing software (such as the Digital Photo Professional software bundled with the product) is used to develop RAW images on a PC.

Go to Canon Japan for details on serial numbers of affected cameras, the bug fix and download instructions.

Going to Antartica? Get the Canon WP-DC28 Waterproof Case.

From Michael Reichmann’s Antartica 2009 report:

I noted as well that quite a few people had the Canon underwater housing for the G10 and were happily dunking their cameras in the ocean whenever we went on Zodiac cruises, as well as were using them on deck the ship during high seas and in salt spray. Needless to say I now have one of these housing on order and will test it while snorkeling on a trip to Costa Rica in mid-February.

jack Hoggard recommends two photography books for Canon G10 owners

The following two books are suitable for the learning amateur to pick up on how (and why) to use the controls on the G10:

Making the most of the dynamic range in Canon G10

David Tedesco makes full use of the G10’s dynamic range by shooting in RAW, converting the RAW file in DPP (Digital Photo Professional, the software that’s included in your Canon G10 box for free) to TIFF, processing the file in Adobe Photoshop and converting the image into B&W (black and white). Read David’s post and see his sample image here.

Resolve more detail from G10 JPEGs in the post-processing stage

Vidar has this tip to offer: use the DOP EasyD DetailResolver Photoshop plugin from OutBackPhoto.com for better detail.

Remove CA in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Removing the CA (chromatic aberration) in Canon G10 photos is a cinch if you have Lightroom installed on your computer — read this short post on how.

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