Reading mode: Light Dark

G 10 goes back to Canon

Go to last post
P

Paul JM

Leading Member
Messages
637
Reaction score
146
Location
AU
I have had this camera for about 2 months now, and I am moderately pleased, but had to return it due to a fault

About 5 % of my shots are underexposed by about 3 to 4 stops. Not a subtle problem, the shots are almost black. Interestingly, if I shoot in continuous mode, I can take a series of 10 JPGS, the first, say, 4 will be OK then I will have 6 almost black images without any change in the shutter/aperture combination. The histo is pushed to the right suddenly by about 4 stops.

For the life of me, I cant see why this is happening, and neither could our local service agent.

Has anyone else experienced this ?
 
Paul, I for one appreciate your honesty. Don't expect too many answers. The unwritten rule is to build the G10 up as much as possible. You get extra points if you can do so and take the LX3 down a peg.

I hope a G10 user answers you. Another G10 user had an odd image appear...still hoping for some type of reply there.

Good luck in whatever camera you choose.
 
to be honest, I dont care what the consensus is on the forum regarding the G10. I generally use a 5D, but wanted something smaller for a trip to Fraser Island in Australia, large remote sand island, didnt want sand all through my SLR gear. I shoot underwater with the 5D, have paid a small fortune for aquatica housing and gear, and cant afford to trash the 5D body.

Quite liked the G10, nothing like shooting with an SLR, but it was very adequate for the job I gave it. The autofocus was slow compared to the SLR (of course), but the major problem for me was the number of shots referred to with a clear cut exposure error.

I hope canon sort it out. If they dont, I will get rid of it in a heartbeat.
 
It sounds like you have a faulty camera. My guess is that Canon will fix it or replace it.
mcshan said:
Paul, I for one appreciate your honesty. Don't expect too many
answers. The unwritten rule is to build the G10 up as much as
possible. You get extra points if you can do so and take the LX3 down
a peg.
Click to expand...
What cynicism.
mcshan said:
I hope a G10 user answers you.
Click to expand...
What kind of reply do you expect? If other G10 owners have had the same experience, I'm sure they will chime in. If their cameras have not had the same exposure problem, are they to write in and say "not mine"? How many should do so?
mcshan said:
Another G10 user had an odd image appear...
Click to expand...
An apparition? Possibly unique. Perhaps a ghost of a G5 past?
 
Paul JM said:
I have had this camera for about 2 months now, and I am moderately
pleased, but had to return it due to a fault

About 5 % of my shots are underexposed by about 3 to 4 stops. Not a
subtle problem, the shots are almost black. Interestingly, if I shoot
in continuous mode, I can take a series of 10 JPGS, the first, say, 4
will be OK then I will have 6 almost black images without any change
in the shutter/aperture combination. The histo is pushed to the right
suddenly by about 4 stops.
Click to expand...
If the histogram is pushed to the right, that normally means that the image is overexposed, not underexposed. If the histogram is really pushed to the right but the image comes out severely underexposed, then there's something really wrong.
Paul JM said:
For the life of me, I cant see why this is happening, and neither
could our local service agent.
Click to expand...
I suggest you leave the camera with them to fix the problem. This is obviously a sample defect or malfunction. I haven't had even a single instance of this sort of thing happening with the G10--or any other digicam that I own or have owned.

Just get it repaired or replaced.

Bob
Paul JM said:
Has anyone else experienced this ?
--
Click to expand...
 
yes, right from left is the other way round in the southern hemisphere...

to the left as you say

The issue here will be how canon deal with this, as it is an intermittent problem.
 
I hope Canon fixes his camera and does not replace it. A replacement from Canon would likely be a refurbished camera, not a brand new one. I agree with the previous poster who mentioned that the unwritten rule is to build the G10 up. It seems like people get slammed for saying anything negative about the G10.
 
Have done so, left the SD card in with the sequence intact. Demonstrated it to the service guy, so hopefully should do the trick, but I have never seen a fault like this with any canon camera
 
--Paul, Did you get the G10 fixed? What did Canon say was the fault and how did they fix that? I am asking as my G10 has the same fault as yours but not to the same extent. The histogram seems to move to the left when the shutter button is half pressed, but in my case about 5% of the time but only by about 1 stop so the underexposure is not so bad. Seems to happen in bright contrasty conditions. I would send the camera straight back but I bought the camera when travelling abroad so don't think the warranty will stand up. Steve.
 
I have wondered how the G10's firmware is designed relative to the histogram. Here is an interesting test. Place the exposure compensation wheel on zero, put the camera in A (aperture priority), and point the camera at a subject and do not press the shutter release.

Look at the histogram. What shutter speed is this histogram for? No shutter speed is displayed and the camera is not supposed to calculate the shutter speed until the shutter release is half pressed. So, again I ask, what shutter speed is this initial histogram based on? Each different shutter speed will result in a different histogram, of course.

Now press the shutter release half way. This should cause the camera to calculate the shutter speed and display it. The histogram does not change (it does not shift left or right). So apparently the histogram displayed initially prior to pressing the shutter release was based on the camera calculating the correct shutter speed even though it does not display it and the shutter release has not yet been pressed half way.

Now rotate the exposure compensation dial either way (plus or minus) and repeat this test. When the shutter release is pressed half way the histogram will shift left or right depending on the compensation setting. So it appears the initial display of the histogram (prior to pressing the shutter release) is based on the camera's calculated shutter speed without the exposure compensation set by the wheel.

The firmware writers could, it seems, have designed the firmware to base the initial histogram (prior to a shutter release half press) on either:
1: No exposure compensation, or
2: The position of the exposure compensation dial.

They apparently selected the first option. Why? No way to know. I would prefer the second option.

I wonder how folks would react if it was designed to show NO histogram vertical lines (an empty histogram) until after the shutter release was pressed half and the camera displays its calculated shutter speed. That would seem more logical tome.

I also wonder if other brands of cameras that display a histogram display it based on the calculated shutter speed BEFORE PRESSING THE SHUTTER RELEASE HALF WAY. Or do they display a meaningless garbage histogram until the release is pressed half way? It has always been my understanding that pressing the shutter release half way causes the camera to calculate the shutter speed and then display the resulting histogram based on that speed. Apparently not so with Canon.

If anyone can better explain this and compare it to other brands I would appreciate it.
 
I got the G10 to set up as an underwater camera with an Ikelite housing and single DS-125 strobe. I just didn't want to go to the expense and size of housing my 40D. I haven't gotten it wet yet, but I expect it will do very well at lower ISO settings. Ikelite suggests ISO 80, and Av only with an aperture of around f/4.0.

So far my G10 has been flawless. I haven't heard of too many issues with this camera, so I think you just hit a bad one. I'm sure Canon will make it right.

I'll be very curious to see what this turns out to be. Good luck.
--
Stan
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire

Canon 40D, Canon G10, Olympus OM-1 (I've owned it so long I can't bear to get rid of it, even though I never use it anymore).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top