Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon PowerShot G11 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Stabilized Zoom and 2.8-inch articulating LCD

This is one cool camera. It feels great in the hand, looks cool, almost retro but has the inner workings of a killer satellite. More options than I will probably ever need. Takes delicious photos on auto but lets me take over manual control and do tons of cool stuff by pressing buttons and spin-clicking the metal dials. The LCD screen is fun-sized and fun-versatile: it moves every which way and looks crystal clear. As this camera is seriously sophisticated but simple to use, it calls you into a relationship with it: take time, turn on the camera and go through the manual page by page so that your friendship with it (and proficiency with this instrument of pleasure) be allowed to mature.

Me like.

I bought and returned about 5 different cameras before finding this one. I own a Canon Powershot Pro1 which is over 5 years old and which takes outstanding pictures. I am very committed to having crisp, clear photos. The Pro1 was becoming slow to focus and bulky to carry around. I did not want to have to change lenses. That does not fit my lifestyle.

The G11 is a perfect point and shoot camera. It has a great zoom range, great wide shot, excellent macro pics. And it pretty much does all the work for you. No need to even switch to close up. The camera knows what you need before you do!

It is lightweight and compact. The other point and shoot cameras that are popular may be tinier, but the quality of the pics does not compare. I LOVE THIS CAMERA.

As a working professional photographer for nearly 30 years and one who made the switch to digital over a decade ago, I have owned and used many small digital cameras for personal use, vacations, etc. to supplement my DSLRs. The Canon G11 is the first such camera I have seen that can actually come very close to matching the quality of some DSLRs, but in a much smaller package.

I purchased my G11 in November 2009 as my daughter was about to be married and I wanted to be able to snap images of the day with a small camera even though I had hired another professional photographer (actually one of my assistants) to "officially" photograph the event. I also picked up a Canon 270 EX flash and let me tell you this combination is really quite impressive. I shot most of the photos at ISO 400- ISO 800 and am quite pleased with the image quality. I shoot exclusively RAW files and process them in the Canon DPP software to eek out the absolute best image quality that the small sensor has to offer.

As a general rule, shooting at the lowest ISO possible is a good idea if you want the cleanest file possible. However, the G11's noise pattern is somewhat more like some high speed film emulsions and so it can actually be used for creative effect if desired. Nice. However, at speeds of up to ISO 400 and 800 the noise is very well controlled for such a small sensor camera and allows the creation of very clean prints to at least 11"x14" size and possibly larger. At lower ISO settings, significantly larger prints are possible. I have created 16"x20" prints from this camera shot at ISO 200 that I will be exhibiting in an upcoming gallery show. Really quite impressive from a compact camera.

The articulating LCD screen is a wonderful addition to the G11 after being absent for a few years from this line of cameras. Besides that, it is very crisp and the colors are fantastic. I find myself shooting at waist level quite a bit using the LCD to frame shots in much the same way as I used to with old 2 1/4 film cameras.

Another pleasant surprise is the quality of the video that this camera creates. While it is not Hi-def, it is very smooth and even the sound quality is quite good. Couple that with the low noise this camera is capable of and you end up with very nice video clips if you so desire.

Of course, like any compact camera, there are some things that could be better. The G11 is pretty fast, but is not going to be as responsive as a DSLR. The zoom range of the lens is very useful, however, getting precise focal lengths is not easy with the motorized zoom. I do not find this to be a problem just something to be aware of. The optical viewfinder is somewhat useful, but more framing accuracy would be better. You do not lose anything when framing with the optical finder, you simply end up with a bit more in your shots than what you saw in the finder which can later be cropped out if desired. I find I am actually not using the optical viewfinder as much as I thought I would so this has definitely not been a problem. The LCD screen is 100% accurate...WSWYG.

Like any piece of photographic equipment, the more you use it, the more familiar you become with it and the more it becomes an extension of you. For now, I think this camera is probably the best all around compact digital camera on the market from many standpoints. If you want a really capable, customizable small camera that can deliver very good image quality up to moderately high ISO settings the G11 is worth considering. Nice job, Canon!

Like:

- Handling (almost Canon EOS DSLR like).
- Exposure compensation dial (my favourite).
- Two-tier mode/ISO dials (my second favourite).
- Canon says about 45% less noise than the Canon PowerShot G10 (the G10 has more detail, though).
- Continuous optical image stabilization (up to a 4-stop advantage).
- Spot metering (great for concerts).
- The ability to shoot photos at ISO 12800 at reduced megapixels (the G10 could not do this).
- Flip out swivel LCD (especially great for shooting videos).
- Better than average lens optics (same lens as the G10's 5x 28-140mm F2.8-4.5 image stabilized lens).
- Lower chroma noise than the G10 (easier to remove with appropriate software).
- RAW format.
- Long battery life (out guns the EOS 5D's BP-511A battery).
- User friendly optional on-screen guide.
- Grippy exterior.
- Optical viewfinder.
- Hotshoe.
- HDMI output (finally).
- Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) 3.7 software.
- Canon ZoomBrowser EX 6.4 (includes basic image editing, printing, e-mail and basic video editing).
- Canon PhotoStitch 3.1 panorama stitching utility.
- Customizable Shortcut button on the upper left rear panel.
- Unlimited continuous drive mode while shooting in RAW + JPEG.
- Incandescent preset white balance (less yellow).
- iContrast (really works).
- Macro focuses less than 1 cm away at the 28mm equivalent setting (expect barrel distortion).
- Neutral Density filter.


Dislike:

- At least a 1.5 second delay in showing the review image after shot is taken with an SD card (quicker with an SDHC Class 6 card).
- No braille thumbrest on the back of camera.
- Can easily and unintentionally change the settings with my thumb on the four-way controller and control dial.
- No control over the amount of noise reduction being applied (can use DPP to remedy).
- Detail not as good as the G10's at ISO 200 and up (partly due to noise reduction).
- Chrome band around the lens is not for me. Reminds me of the flashy design touches on their EF-S lenses.
- Battery/card door hinged next to the tripod mount (cannot access once the camera is on a tripod).
- Tripod mount is not in line with the lens axis (cannot take accurate panoramics).
- Incandescent auto white balance still too yellow.
- Visible barrel distortion at the 28mm equivalent setting (can be corrected with software).
- Dated 30 fps VGA (640x480) mode at 4:3 aspect ratio only.
- Price.

Please refer to my uploaded photo.

This review of the Canon G 11 reflects my own tests and opinions.

I used a Canon Eos 40-D for years. Two years ago I bought the G-9 and last week the G-11.

My hobby covers all kinds of pictures. As a member of the Middle Georgia Camera Club I enjoy having my pictures selected as winners in local competitions.

For my kind of work a side by side test of the 40-D and the G-9 revealed no essential difference in picture quality for the work I do so I have used the G-9 almost exclusively for the last two years.

I find that in a photograph taken outside of a house (brick & white siding) with the G-11, I could make a competition 11 X 14 print from ¼ of the image. The comparison on inside pictures in lower light leave the G-9 in the dust. Results are fantastic.

The 40-D high speed shooting is, on occasion, very useful. I only wish Canon had NOT made the lens on the G-11 wider but LONGER! Stitching is so easy we don't need the wide angle.