OK, I know I promised to post my thoughts about the Canon PowerShot G-10 high-end point and shoot camera ($499 US MSRP; street price $469.95 at B&H Photo/Video), and I know it’s been a while since I made that promise; I’ve been busy. I’m sorry. But as they say, “better late than never.”
Unlike the Panasonic Lumix LX-3 (which I talked about in this post), I have laid hands on a G10. On the surface, it has all the minimum requirements that I wanted in a “take everywhere” compact digital camera: major manufacturer, minimum 10 megapixels, raw capture capable, raw file support in Apple Aperture, takes video. Like the LX-3, however, I had some reservations about the G10 that ultimately led me to a different choice for my everyday shooter. Details? OK.
Once again, I’ll start with the good. The G10 is the follow-on to the impressive G9, which had been very popular with pro/serious amateur photographers. It comes in at 14.7 effective megapixels, the highest resolution of the three cameras that were in the running. It also sports a zoom lens with a 28-140 35mm equivalent range, going out slightly longer than the Nikon Coolpix P6000 and significantly longer than the LX3. Its LCD monitor is a spacious 3 inches diagonally, the largest of the three. Overall, clearly a very capable camera.
The bad… Really, not much, but enough to be a deal-breaker for me. I’m not a huge fan of Canon’s control layouts. Honestly, if I had grown up shooting Canon, I’d probably be fine with their setup, but I didn’t, and that factor loomed large in my decision-making. Combine that with the fact that the G10 is kind of big for a compact (larger in every dimension than the P6000; almost a full half an inch taller), and it became obvious to me that this camera didn’t provide the level of convenience I was looking for. After all, a camera could have the best lens, sensor, and on-board processor in the world, but it does you absolutely no good if you didn’t bring it along because a) you don’t like working with its controls, or b) it won’t fit in your pocket!
By now it should be obvious that I went with the Nikon Coolpix P6000 as my everyday, everywhere camera. I’ve had it for a couple of months now, and have developed some initial impressions. Stay tuned for them; I’ll do my best to get them posted a little more expeditiously. I promise.
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