Why Buy the Canon Powershot G10?

The Powershot G10 is very impressive. It has Digital SLR features, great picture quality and the design of the camera puts key features at your fingertips. The build quality is top drawer and the LCD screen is of the highest quality.

Image Quality

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
The Powershot G10 takes great photos. Focusing is excellent. This is true both in the centre of the photo and out at the edges. The brickwork on the building in the middle of this test shot is more or less pin sharp, while the name on the boat towards the left hand side of the photo is also easy to read. The colours pack a punch too, with strong blues and greens.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
Despite the fact that the Powershot G10 has a wide angle lens this is still a sharp photo. Digital cameras with wide angle lenses can create photos that lack sharpness when the lens is not zoomed in at all, but this camera outperforms the pack.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
This is another example showing sharp focus. I can pick out roof tiles, plus plenty of detail at the widest points of the photo. All in all my test shots have been very encouraging so far.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
This is the sharpest set of outdoor scenic shots I have taken in all the years I have been testing compact digital cameras. The definition in the photos is excellent and as I have mentioned above the levels of sharpness at the edges is outstanding.

Outdoor Portrait
With this photo I would like to have seen that bit more colour in the shot. Aside from that this is another sharp photo and you should be able to take high quality general portrait photos.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
As with other Canon digital cameras the amount of flash emitted by the flash unit is well controlled. This gives the colours a chance to shine and as you can see in this example there is plenty of colour in the photo.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
Without flash the Powershot G10 is still able to produce a photo with plenty of definition. Noise levels are kept to a minimum and although you are likely to need to resort to flash for most indoor shots you should be able to reel off the occasional natural light photograph.

Colours
The colours produced by the Powershot G10 are strong in most cases. This is especially true for my outdoor scenic tests. Blues in particular come across as being vivid.

Macro
I am hard pressed to come up with a compact camera able to take a better macro shot than the Powershot G10. It is able to focus from more or less right next to a subject. If you are serious about macro photography then you will not find much better than this without stepping up to a Digital SLR.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
At ISO 400 the Powershot G10 is still able to produce a decent picture. Yes there is noise showing, but the quality is again better than I am used to seeing. You should only use ISO 1600 if there is no other way of getting a shot.

Overall
The Powershot G10 has produced just about the best set of test shots I have taken. It is an expensive camera, but for me picture quality is excellent.

Shutter Lag and Recycling Times

For such an advanced and expensive digital camera I had hoped to see some very impressive shutter lag times. To be honest though the times are nothing special and there are faster cameras around. A single photo took 0.41 seconds and five took 10.07 seconds. With flash on times increased to 1.75 seconds for a single shot and 14.55 seconds for five.

To turn the camera on and take a photo took 2.57 seconds.

Style

I am very impressed by the build quality. It has a very solid feel. It is not easy to describe the camera as it has a different look than most standard digital cameras. It is rectangular with a small grip on the front to enable you to take a steady hold.

Dimensions

109.1 x 77.7 x 45.9mm

Weight

350g

Batteries

Lithium ion (NB-7L). Canon supplies both a battery and charger with the Powershot G10. They estimate you should be able to take up to 400 photos in between charges.

Memory Cards

No memory card is supplied with the Powershot G10 and no storage has been built into the camera. It is compatible with SD and SDHC memory cards.

Ease of Use Rating

Difficult. If you are looking for a straightforward digital camera then you are advised to look elsewhere. This camera has a multitude of features and to get the most for your money you will need to develop a good understanding of what each feature can offer you. This will take time, but you will be rewarded for your efforts.

The addition of various buttons and dials helps to put a number of key controls at your fingertips. This helps to speed up the section process of the right settings when you are out and about with your camera.

Points I Like

Picture quality – build quality – features – LCD screen – lay out of controls

Where it Could Improve

Shutter delay times could be better

Verdict

The Canon Powershot G10 is not cheap, but in my opinion it lives up to its price tag. It offers that bit extra all round when compared to other models. If you are serious about photography and would like a camera with SLR features, but without the bulk then take a very close look at this camera.

Many people are opting for colour pictures simply because they are simpler and cheaper to produce. This was not always the case, as it took sometime before the required technology for colour photographs could surpass the quality of black and white photos.

Before colour, black and whites were the standard print used for on film. Many historical materials that may contain pictures are often in black or white. During the early days of photography, black and white processing and printing was more inexpensive than colour. At the same time, black and white photographs had better quality than colour.

At the start, colour photographs were too expensive to process and print compared to black and white. Plus, the outcome of colour photographs was not as crisp or sharp as black and white. It was only until after the eighties when the quality of colour photographs surpassed black and white.

Colour In Today’s Photographs

Unfortunately the entrance of colour printing into the main photography scene meant the decline of black and whites. As a result, the supply of black and white film dwindled as well as the facilities that could process and print them. In just a short time, black and white photographs became the exemption in photography while colour became the rule.

In today’s world almost everything is in colour. Photographers, amateur and even professionals prefer using colour in order to better express the details of the pictures that they take. In addition, photographs processed and printed in colour are cheaper than black and whites. In fact these days it is easier to get photographs printed in colour than black and whites.

The technology used in photography these days is able to produce photographs that capture each and every vivid detail in colour. Furthermore, the advances in photography have also made it possible for people to convert their existing black and white photographs into colour. The results are astounding as the photograph is vibrantly reprinted in colour without leaving any detail out.

The Resurgence Of Black And White

Following the current trend in revivals, black and white photographs are experiencing a comeback as photographers are rediscovering the power of black and white imagery. Many people now view black and white photos as an innovative take on the usual coloured pictures. At the same time, black and white photos impart a sense of reality that can be lost in coloured pictures.

Print advertising was the first industry to revive the interest in black and white pictures. Gigantic billboards across the country featured ads done entirely in black and white. Since then, black and white photographs became requested all over the place.

Black and whites became popular with brides who wanted to add a historical and classic touch to their wedding pictures. Photography classes have also used black and white photographs as a great way to teach students on how light affects film. However the resurgence of black and white was inevitable because it’s simply beautiful.

What Goes With What?

In the early days, people had no choice but to use black and white since it was the only medium available to them. But today, people can choose what they want for their photographs. In most cases, the choice of using colour or black and white is a matter of personal preference.

Keep in mind that most subjects can be taken in black and white. However there are times when using colour can help bring out the true beauty of the subject. You may want to pass up a black and white motif for subjects that are known for colour like an autumn setting, flowers and colourful butterflies.

Use a black and white theme for subjects where colour may become a distraction to the viewer. Scenes of war or an accident are more compelling and less violent to look out minus the colour of blood. In this way, black and white photographs relay more emotion without being too disturbing.

Article originally published at What Digital Camera