Canon G10 Revisited

Let me say that I just love almost all of the G series cameras, and of late I probably sound like a broken record on this forum :). Regardless, my top three G's are the G10, G12, and G16. All three have a sort of unique and admirable set of strengths and weaknesses, but none of them have any deal breakers. They are all fine photographic instruments and have enough differences to make each one a unique shooting experience.

That said, the G10 has been getting my attention again lately (along with the S90 ). What I miss on the G16 that isn't in the G10 (and also that I failed to reflect in my G16 review ) are a short list of things that make the G10 a bit unique among the G series lineup. Those are:

Most resolution of the G series line (equates in real life, not just on paper)

Best overall build quality

Most comfortable to hold and shoot with

Heaviest/beefiest of the "new" G series (since G7)

3 (stacked) dials on top vs. 2  (compared to G16 only)

2 additional orange LED lights (helps indicate dial position, and, looks cool) (compared to G16 only)

Insanely good battery life

Going over the raw files of the G10, I'm constantly amazed at its output from its 14.7mp sensor (especially on prints). Not only do the files exhibit more DR than I'd expect from a 2008 tech CCD, especially when using the neutral profile in ACR, the AA filter is weaker than many I've seen on compacts which gives the G10 ultra fine detailed images viewed at 100%. No G series camera can beat its edge to edge sharpness (G7x may get more overall resolution but it doesn't have better optics).

I know its an older camera but its screen, ccd, and processor are far from obsolete, and the entire ISO range is completely useable in raw. Base ISO is just fantastic. And at higher ISO's I love the look of the grain in raw, very nice texture with zero banding (especially at 800 ISO).

What I also like about the G10 is that it takes abit of care to ensure your getting the most from the sensor. There's a satisfaction you'll get from having to pay attention to it without having much room for error. Highlight headroom isn't much, they will fall off a cliff quickly if you aren't paying attention. Lots of room in the shadows though so, there's no reason to worry. Just pay attention to highlights and use the Neutral profile in ACR.

Anyways, I've seen a post or two here and there about the G10 and some people still swear by it. I'm one that also does. It may lack the speed of focus, high ISO capability, and brighter lens of the G16, but that doesn't mean you can't make it work for you- its performance is still very much respectable overall. And if that's not enough, it's resolution makes up for quite a bit of shortcomings when compared to newer cameras- its simply outstanding.

Just thought it was time to reflect on this wonderful camera, for what its worth to anyone.

Carl

http://www.photographic-central.blogspot.com (Gear Reviews)
http://www.carlgarrard.blogspot.com/ (Best Photographs Compilation)

Agreed 100% - it took the Original G1X to tear the G10 from my hands as the feeble replacements (G11, G12 etc) failed to do so . yes they`re "cleaner" but both a lot lower in resolution (even the 12Mp ones) as well as softer at pixel level in RAW . also the G10's JPG engine is far more "honest" (smears less) at all ISOs so produces a more photographic image ..

OK, After getting the G1X (Mk1 with the full 14Mp, proper dials, OVF and the slow but pretty perfect lens) the G10 was totally redundant but it was supremely underrated, made the G11,12,15,16 look too much of a compromise to get high ISOs better and it took a near APS-C sensor to beat it .

+1
The G10 should work with DPP incl. lens corrections but Canon forgot that last promise so I sold it.
(for a good price !)
Since I’m learning to use Lightroom I’m sorry that I did that
Very nice and sharp results.
Some noise, but I don’t care about noise that much.
It was a little too big for my pockets so the S100 and now the G7X serve me well.
But when I can get one for less….who knows

Carl, very nice photos from your G10. They don't look like they're from a compact camera but from a larger sensor! I have seriously considered getting one to play with because the amount of detail that it captures is very compelling.

@ digitalcuriosity: Don't be concerned with who likes the pictures you post and who doesn't. I have found your G7 posts to be most interesting and fun, particularly since I've been doing the same with my G7. It's a lot of fun to go back to older cameras and see what you can do with them. I hope you continue to share your G7 pics with us.

Andy

The G10 still does have one more dial on the exterior,

Unfortunately its a useless one - no one would crank the ISO on a G10 unless totally desperate

and better macro performance too.

That`s not saying much - the lack of Macro ability in the G1x is tiresome at best - I guess that`s the price for squeezing a near-APS-C sensor plus a lens which is tack sharp edge to edge end to end wideopen into a casing not a lot bigger ..

as for bulk, the G10 is big enough for the size diff not to make a meaningful difference - once a cam gets bigger than an S90/P330/G7X/RX100 then anything up to large mirrorless may as well be the same size , they all need a large coat pocket..

but I`d not take anything away from the G10 - what amazed me was that few actually seem to get the fact that the resolution diff between it and the G11/12 was massive in RAW or JPG and the later cams only gained at ISOs which you`d not willingly use any of them at anyway ... it`s OK saying "Look how much better the G15 is at ISO1600" but who`d actually want to use one at that ISO when there are far better alternatives around in similar sized packages .

(And the lens may be sharper than the g15/16's... not sure unless the same G10 sensor and AA filter was behind that lens).

I think its the same lens unit - right down to the stupid leaf cover system which trashes the front element on some samples - they didn`t even bother to redesign it to make the leaves are further away from the front elly -  it affects new G16s just like it did the G10

cgarrard wrote:

Thanks Andy. Compact sensors need a bit more care when exposing them to light and when developing in raw- part of the draw to me actually- I like the challenge, and of course getting more out of something than one may expect.

Have you tried the "Optimum Digital Exposure" technique? I liked my initial results with my G9, but haven't done much since winter arrived in full force.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/the_optimum_digital_exposure.shtml

Dennis

Just wanted to say HI to Adam and that I have more pics from a G10 than any of my many other cameras.Loved that jewel and wish I had another.

Hi Russ !! . I have a fair few G10 pics too, used them for Product photography for work also  ..

Mint boxed G10s are still easy to find but finding one without radial scratches on the front elly caused by the leaf lens cover could be an issue . I never had the problem but sooo many did and G16s still do now

A lot of good to say about this camera.

Lost it on stone once, no dent, no problems.

The three dials at the top very useful.

The charger sent to repair, the store charged it for me, enough for two weeks with moderate use.

Froze once, but very cold, and awakened after a short while in pocket.

When I look back at unprocessed images, colors fine, not much to fix. Better than most compacts.

- Not so good:

Dust in the lens and when zooming something at the edge of the sensor, but can fix that.

The so-called viewfinder, could have been better.

The ring/wheel, still not very happy about it.

A bit heavy in the belt.

- When it's not too dark or bright, a very good tool. A good second camera for getting certain kinds of light when more advanced cameras fail. If the battery is full it can hold for months, years without use? Will use it now and then and see how long it can live. Could be a contest on this list?

LOL..  I had the 9, 10, 12 and G1X and sold them all.  Presently have the G7X as an evening cam for when I'm tired carrying the mirror less SLR.  IMHO the issues with the 9, 10 and 12 were that they were slow and clunky, and had an extremely limited ability to capture highlights/dynamic range or low light situations.

Sorry for the reality check.!