Canon PowerShot G12 Suggestions and Review
Here are some suggestions about Canon PowerShot G12:
Here are some suggestions about Canon PowerShot G12:
I am a part-time fine art photographer and my favorite subjects are landscapes, flowers, classic European architecture, travel, visual arts and crafts. I work with two DSLR systems but like to have with me a compact camera at all times for any eventuality.
The camera's key features include a larger than average 1/1.7" 10Mp sensor with superior image quality in low light and higher ISO values, a sharp 28-140mm zoom lens, an optical viewfinder, a fully articulated LCD monitor, many dedicated external controls, manual exposure, Raw format, good responsiveness, reasonably fast autofocus even in low light, and a powerful flash. I can make enlargements around 16x20" from the G12 with ISO 800 pics in good light and ISO400 in low light (in Raw format and proper processing in Camera Raw).
The 5x zoom lens, even if not particularly bright, extends from a very useful 28mm wide angle to a 140mm short telephoto. Some kinds of photography can be done with inexpensive equipment but true wide angle and telephoto work requires high quality, expensive equipment and solid technique (if you are serious about your photography stay away from superzoom cameras). When I worked with slide film I strove for a final crop in-camera.
The camera has a sharp 2.8", 461Kp fully articulated LCD monitor hinged on the side (so that it is never in the way of the tripod head). There are specific shooting conditions where a monitor like this is useful. With the camera in P mode and forced flash I got many publication-quality pics.
I like the camera's external controls a lot, especially the top and front dials. Continuous shooting is up to 2fps in best possible conditions (jpeg and fixed focus and exposure) and drops to 0.8fps with continuous focus.
All the manual controls are there. The camera can shoot Raw and, my favorite, Raw + jpeg. The flash is quite powerful reaching 21' at wide angle in P mode.
The camera offers a cornucopia of operating functions. I particularly value the live histogram before and after shooting, enlarged playback for checking focus, auto exposure bracketing up to +-2 f/stops (for out-of-camera HDR applications), spot autofocus and custom white balance. I prefer to process my Raw HDR pictures in Photoshop but I am impressed with the effectiveness of the in-camera HDR function (jpeg only). Focus bracketing is limited by the fact that is does not work in macro. It would be a killer macro feature when paired with Photoshop's extended focus function. With static subjects I like to pick my focus where I want it by pressing the shutter button half way, recompose (with the exposure continuously updating) and take the picture.
In jpeg and Quick Shot mode the camera is at its fastest. The LCD monitor turns into an info screen similar to a DSLR camera, autofocus is set to continuous and you compose with the optical viewfinder.
In conclusion, I find working with this camera in all the situations that do not require high speed or low light performance to be truly enjoyable. With all the limitations inherent in a compact camera, the G12 is a truly remarkable piece of photographic equipment.
The camera's key features include a larger than average 1/1.7" 10Mp sensor with superior image quality in low light and higher ISO values, a sharp 28-140mm zoom lens, an optical viewfinder, a fully articulated LCD monitor, many dedicated external controls, manual exposure, Raw format, good responsiveness, reasonably fast autofocus even in low light, and a powerful flash. I can make enlargements around 16x20" from the G12 with ISO 800 pics in good light and ISO400 in low light (in Raw format and proper processing in Camera Raw).
The 5x zoom lens, even if not particularly bright, extends from a very useful 28mm wide angle to a 140mm short telephoto. Some kinds of photography can be done with inexpensive equipment but true wide angle and telephoto work requires high quality, expensive equipment and solid technique (if you are serious about your photography stay away from superzoom cameras). When I worked with slide film I strove for a final crop in-camera.
The camera has a sharp 2.8", 461Kp fully articulated LCD monitor hinged on the side (so that it is never in the way of the tripod head). There are specific shooting conditions where a monitor like this is useful. With the camera in P mode and forced flash I got many publication-quality pics.
I like the camera's external controls a lot, especially the top and front dials. Continuous shooting is up to 2fps in best possible conditions (jpeg and fixed focus and exposure) and drops to 0.8fps with continuous focus.
All the manual controls are there. The camera can shoot Raw and, my favorite, Raw + jpeg. The flash is quite powerful reaching 21' at wide angle in P mode.
The camera offers a cornucopia of operating functions. I particularly value the live histogram before and after shooting, enlarged playback for checking focus, auto exposure bracketing up to +-2 f/stops (for out-of-camera HDR applications), spot autofocus and custom white balance. I prefer to process my Raw HDR pictures in Photoshop but I am impressed with the effectiveness of the in-camera HDR function (jpeg only). Focus bracketing is limited by the fact that is does not work in macro. It would be a killer macro feature when paired with Photoshop's extended focus function. With static subjects I like to pick my focus where I want it by pressing the shutter button half way, recompose (with the exposure continuously updating) and take the picture.
In jpeg and Quick Shot mode the camera is at its fastest. The LCD monitor turns into an info screen similar to a DSLR camera, autofocus is set to continuous and you compose with the optical viewfinder.
In conclusion, I find working with this camera in all the situations that do not require high speed or low light performance to be truly enjoyable. With all the limitations inherent in a compact camera, the G12 is a truly remarkable piece of photographic equipment.