Canon's G10: A Pro-Level Digital Point-and-Shoot?

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Canon's G10: A Pro-Level Digital Point-and-Shoot?

It's autumn... the time when camera makers introduce their holiday line-ups. And Canon may now have an affordable digital point-and-shoot to make even serios pros sit up and take notice. It's the new PowerShot G10, and it's simly packed with great features.

The G10 features a 14.7 effective Megapixel CCD and a relatively fast (f/2.8 - 4.5) 5x zoom (28mm - 140mm 35 mm equivalent). Add a huge 3" LCD screen and Canon's legendary reliability, and you already have a nice package. But Canon added some nice touches that make the $499.99 (MSRP) G10 an excellent choice for serious shooters.

For example, the G10 offers full auto, shutter-priority, aperture-priority and full manual exposure modes... ISO sensitivity to ISO 1600 for extreme low-light situations... optical image stabilization... 10 white balance settings - including underwater (!)... an accessory hot shoe... and (drum roll, please) an optical zoom viewfinder.

That's right. Unlike most point-and-shoots today, you don't have to rely on the G10's LCD screen to compose your shots. One major advantage is reduced drain on your battery. Canon's own tests show a charge lasts for about 400 shots with the LCD on. Turn it off, though, and you're good for 1,000 frames. Even for an avid shooter, that should easily last all day.

At 12.3 oz., the G10 is no lightweight. But when you toss in motion detection, face detection and RAW file capability - along with a bucketful of other useful features - the G10 looks to be well worth the few extra ounces. For serious amateurs and digital photography pros, this may just be the point-and-shoot of your dreams.

   

Comments

10/30/2009 10:36:39 AM
J. Mitchell said:

OMG, I can't believe I blew this camera off when it first came out. I understand some have had problems with it, not I. Now, with the release of the g11, the price has gone down. I bit and am glad I did. As a semi-pro photog, I have all the digital (heavy-weight) SLR equipment necessary to do my shoots. When shooting "off-duty" I've always wanted something lighter to carry up the mountain trail, but still provide me a bundle of creative control. After 2 months of heavy use I love it. In fact, I keep it around as a back-up to my back-up. Love it!




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