Jake posted on Twitter about how much he loved his new Canon PowerShot G12 camera. I invited him to share his G12 love with the world by writing a user review here on PhotographyREVIEW.com. He outdid himself on the review with tons of details on the camera’s performance, features and specs. Since his review was also our first for the Canon G12, I decided it needed to be honored by making it a Featured User Review. If you’re interested in reading more from Matt or seeing his photos, follow the link to his site at the bottom of this page.
Camera and lens reviews by owners just like you are what this site is built on. If you own a Canon PowerShot G12, another Canon compact or any other camera, please write a review. We need your reviews!
Featured Review: Canon PowerShot G12
by jakehammphoto (Intermediate)
| Price Paid: $500.00 from Ace Photo Review Date: October 18, 2010 Used product for: Less than 1 month Overall Rating: |
4 of 5
Summary:
Out of the box the G12 is a very capable camera for the advanced amateur or professional photographer looking for a piggyback camera to add to their bag of tricks and take into the field. before the advent of these compact but fully functional point and shoots photographers in the line of action and adventure sports were put in the situation of bringing into the field a large,heavy SLR camera with a few select lenses as well as carrying all the essential gear for whatever trip they may be on that day, week or month. although the G12 will not replace these cameras it offers a good alternative or piggyback camera to bring in the field for todays photography professionals in situations where a big camera isn’t always necessarily better
Features
The top has 3 dials, an Exposure compensation wheel on the left and on the right a mode wheel stacked on top of a very easy to access ISO wheel which ranges from 80-3200. There also is a hots hoe on top which will work with the canon 580 flashes as well as pocketwizardry for those of you who want to add a little bit of drama to the backcountry shots with off camera flashes.
manual prefocus is also an option for shooting action, prefocus on a spot, turn off focus adjustments and you don’t have to worry about front or back focusing and missing your subject
If your in a situation where the scene is way too bright but you want a set exposure and ISO there is a nifty little built in ND filter to cut your exposure down
although only primitive controls exist at the moment for the camera (hoping for firmware updates down the road) HD Video is also an added feature this generation of G series
One big difference and huge selling point that i saw and noticed from previous G series cameras(and other comparable cameras) is the inclusion a front control wheel, which when used in shooting makes the camera feel more like a DSLR and more intuitive than previous models in manual mode as well as when selecting a focus zone.
When shooting in jpg mode there are various color options as well as custom color settings where the user can select contrast, saturation, and levels of each color individually.
Image quality
looking over the images from the camera i am so far very pleased, the optics are sharp and the noise levels are low. even at higher ISO the camera produces images with acceptable levels of noise. With the raw processing it gives professionals in the editorial industry another option of a camera to use to send images off to magazines without worry of having a file too small, too noisy and not up to submission guidelines of many publications. the 10MP sensor leaves more than enough room for use in todays publications
at this point in time adobe has not released a camera raw update so i have yet to play with a RAW file but from the looks of the Jpgs i can only expect high quality images from those.
Summary
The g12 is a little powerhouse of a camera that can easily step up to the bar when asked, RAW image recording capabilities as well as HD video recording make this a great camera to take on longer backcountry trips where weight and size are of the upmost importance. and for those trips were there is still room for a 1d body and a few small primes,,,as a piggyback camera, to capture images on the fly without having to slow down ask a subject to wait, and then shoot.
Strengths:
Size Size Size,
the size of the camera makes it fit well into a small case logic case on the hip belt of a backpack for fast access on the trail while riding or hiking.
and for more protection into a small pelican case inside a camelback or backpack without sacrificing room for essential gear needed on longer backcountry rides and hikes while adding waterproof protection
the rotating screen made it easy to shoot from awkward angles without worry of cutting off heads or missing a moment because your intended subject was, in-fact, out of your frame.
build quality,
the camera does not feel cheap in your hands like some point and shoot cameras and rubberized grip on the front and a small piece on the back make gripping the smaller camera a bit easier.
start up time
turning the camera on takes no time at all, so your always ready within an instant to capture an image
optics
sharp with very little aberrations or distortions present, looking at image quality i would have to say that the fixed lens in the camera is on par with some of the less expensive primes canon makes.
Weaknesses:
in video mode the controls were primitive at best and there was no optical zoom during recording, also the exclusion of an external microphone jack is something to make note of.
Shutter lag, yes its a point and shoot, and yes its gonna have lag but timing fast action can be tricky if your finger is new to the trigger of this little canon.
with thin mountain biking gloves or lightweight glove liners on the 4 way controller on the back and surrounding buttons were difficult to use and changing settings without taking off the glove were difficult.
exposure limitations,
the longest shutter speed on the camera is 15 seconds, and at this point i believe eve with a cable release there is an option for more. This is something that would prompt me to bring a larger SLR into the field for shooting star trails as well as night scenes when needed.
The F-stop range is only 2.8-8.0 which again limits your manual controls some, the built in ND filter can help but in low light situations i have found myself pushing my ISO when i normally wouldn’t have.
Similar Products Used:
g10, g11, Eos series cameras
Customer Service:
In my experience with canon over the years they have amazing customer service. Turnaround time is very fast and costs are generally pretty low, a new lens housing for a friends G10 that took a dive only cost 150 and he had it back within a week
Jake Hamm is a Virginia-based outdoor lifestyle and action sports photographer. You can learn more about his work and see his photography on his Web site, www.jakehamm.com.
Related Content:
All Canon User Reviews
Canon PowerShot G12 Preview Article
Canon Cameras Forum
Digital Cameras Forum
All Featured User Reviews
All Canon News & Articles
Canon Camera Web Site
Leave a Reply