Impressions from a Salesman

I should begin by saying that I have not taken this camera home, and have only used it in the store. But since I work in the store, I have had a lot of time to play with it. Since there are currently no other reviews, I figured the community would appreciate hearing at least *something* on the camera.

We've had the G15 for a few days now, and just about everyone loves it, although not without some reservations. The camera is smaller than the G12; only by a little bit, but it matters a lot. The lack of an articulating screen, and the decision to make the built-in flash a pop-up, means that the G15 is now a "large compact" camera, while I would classify the G12 as a "small full-sized" camera. About an eighth of an inch has been shaved off on all sides, and while it still won't fit in most pant pockets, it will easily fit into any coat pocket or purse, while the G12 was just slightly too large for some of those.

Without taking the camera out at night I can't comment on how the ISO settings hold up in 'real world' situations. What I can tell you is that in the store the high-ISO images were very similar to the G12s, and the larger aperture lens means that you're less likely to use those higher ISO settings. The brighter lens makes the G15 more useful in low-light, but they didn't really work any magic with the sensor - once you get to 1600 ISO, you're still going to wish that you had a DSLR. The noise isn't terrible, but the drop-off in dynamic range is not exactly ideal.

Shooting speed has increased slightly, especially the time between shots in single-shot mode. For those that choose to use this as your only camera, this will be a huge advantage. The G15 still isn't nearly as snappy as most interchangeable lens cameras, but it does very well for what it is.

The movie mode is improved as well, although it is still not good enough to replace a good HD camcorder. It's not class-leading in any way, but it is more than enough for the occasional video clip, especially outdoors.

There is a small little detail that really caught me on this camera: the exposure knob now allows users to over- or under-expose by three stops, where before it only allowed two. If you frequently shoot in very dark or very bright places (nighttime, skiing or sledding with the kids), the extra stop really helps to nail exposure in-camera, so that you don't have to edit your photos as much after you've uploaded them to the computer. To me, this is a very strong selling point, as I like to actually be done taking photos when I'm done taking photos.

The exposure knob also sits below, and offset from, the mode dial. It doesn't make the camera any more compact - putting one right over the other, as on earlier models, is smaller still. But it is more difficult to engineer; in addition to making the camera look much more elegant, it shows that the G15 was designed to be its own camera, and they didn't just rip the articulating screen off the G12, change the lens, and call it a day.

If you were on the waiting for a good quality compact camera, you've finally got some great options. Sony's R100 will make much better prints during the day, often rivaling DSLRs, because of its larger sensor and more megapixels. But the G15 is currently the best choice for a camera that will take a good picture wherever you are, and whatever you point it at. Compared to Nikon's P7700 it looses some zoom and the articulating screen (maybe they gave it away?), but it gains consistency in a wider variety of photographic situations, and a much better feeling of craftsmanship.

There are certainly better choices for some people in other brands' flagship cameras. But if your main reason for selecting a compact camera is that you want something you can use all the time, this is the best camera I've ever seen that still fits into my coat pocket. But the differences between the G15 and the G12 are not huge: those looking to use this as a second camera when they chose to leave the 'good camera' at home may not see enough of a difference in performance to upgrade from the G12 or G11.

As with most compact Canon cameras, there is nothing special about the G15, other than the fact that it is better built and more consistent than its competition. If consistency, and taking a decent photo in a wide variety of conditions, is your main concern, then Canon has made a fantastic camera. If you're more looking for more zoom, a better movie mode, or other features, then I would look at other brands.