Want to go back to a Canon Powershot, which one?

Hi there,

Any help and advice with this matter would be much appreciated.

I used to use a Canon a710 IS and it was fantastic, everything I needed and took good quality images. I'm getting sick of all this 'Phonography' and running out of space, data and just having photos on phones of pretty low quality and richness. And the current small digital cameras are amazing I'm sure but just have too many features for me, unnecessarily high image quality for what I need, high price...etc

SO my question...

I would be perfectly happy to go back and buy an a710 IS on eBay for peanuts and use that however I'm interested in maybe upgrading slightly but keeping the same nice compact yet tactile size as the a710(Roughly) and keeping the simplicity and usability of the a710.

I'm looking at these:

The Canon G10, G11 or G15? What are these like? Are they similar in functionality and size, obviously they are much much better cameras.

And the Canon A590 IS?

I'm open to any other suggestions as well.

Essentially if there is anyone out there who knows these Canon compact digital cameras (from around 2007-2011) which camera would you recommend me going back to given what I'm looking for?

Thanks!

...so I would recommend an S120, or whatever the latest of that line was. Heck or even an S90, S100 or S110. I think they all use the same battery, which will probably be around for a good while. They're pocket sized, too, so what you lose in lens speed, you gain in portability.

While it had a small sensor and not a super-fast lens, its lens was good and sharp. I got in the habit of carrying a table-top tripod, so I could set the sensitivity low and take advantage of the good lens.

I decided to upgrade to a G9X II when I wanted to up the game, reasoning that a larger sensor (1") would make that happen. But I was not really happy with the image sharpness, compared to what I could get with my Olympus XZ-1. (a bit bigger sensor and a markedly better lens)

So I sold that and bought a G7X II. Same thing. Faster lens, but not really sharper. Neither of the above two stood up to my Lumix FZ1000 either, with the same size sensor.

At this point, my only compact fixed lens camera is the Pentax MX-1. (which has the same fantastic lens and sensor from the Olympus XZ-1, but with better style and a more rugged build)

Some day, I'll add a proper pocket camera again. Might be another S-series Canon.

I still keep my G12 and use it when I simply want an easy camera to grab a photo. It takes great images for its size. I love all the controls, especially the ISO dial. One review I came across that really speaks to the greatness of the G12 is linked below. For me the G12 was the best PowerShot of that series.

https://photographic-central.blogspot.com/2011/04/canon-g12-review.html

I still have the A590 and it's a fantastic camera .

I'm reposting this link to a review where near the bottom he compared the G12 to the G10 and why he liked the G12 better, in case you did not read it earlier.

https://photographic-central.blogspot.com/2011/04/canon-g12-review.html

I like all my powershots the SD880 is nice and I still like my Pro1 

I owned a A710IS too and I liked it. The form factor was perfect. I upgraded it with a S95 in 2010 and then M series cameras and lenses in 2013.

I fully understand your quest for a compact, simple all-in-one camera.

I you like the A710IS form factor, the G serie is the obvious upgrade. The A710IS was named "Mini G7" at his time.

My Advice would be to aim for a G15 or G16. Why?

- Even if the G have a bit more options, you can use them exactly in the same way as the A710. Even full auto if you want (green mode). So they are not more complicated.

- The handling is similar (few milimeters more in height and width, depth is the same).

- A bit bigger and more recent sensor, a much brighter lense will give you better results in low light (the biggest limit of the A710 IMHO).

- Thanks to a more recent CPU, you get a camera wich is snappier for both autofocus and général opération.

- A lens that is wider : 28 vs. 35mm. Useful for indoor shots or some landscapes.

- The more directly visible upgrade? A much higher resolution screen and a bit bigger. Which is a pleasure to look at.

Canon G spec comparison

A710IS Vs G16 size comparison

- The only downside I see is the shorter lens 140mm vs 210mm.

The G12 is a good G, already better than A710, but it's a bit bigger due to it's articulated screen, and he don't have the brighter lens and faster CPU.

My 2 cents.

Have a good time with your Powershots!

Over time, I've owned and used just about all the cameras mentioned in this thread.  We (my wife and I) still have an A710 IS and an A720 IS.  They are mainly my wife's; but I did carry one around in my car 24/7 so that I always had a camera with me.  That is, until I finally got around to getting a modern phone with a good camera, a Samsung S9.

We are getting pretty old now, so we're not cruising anymore; but back in 2009 we went on a cruise in the Galapagos Islands.  At the time I had a G7, and my wife brought the A710 IS.   The shots from the two cameras look identical if shot in daylight; but the G7 is a little better indoors.

The G7 and G9 both used the same viewfinder, and both have the same design defect.  Since the viewfinder is above the lens, it sees a little different view than the lens.  The G7/G9 finder sees the same view as the lens at about 5-6 feet.  But the A710IS and just about every other Powershot with an eye level finder sees the same view at long distances (beyond 50').   Canon corrected this in the G10 and all later models.  I did eventually get used to the G7 viewfinder and learned to adjust where the viewfinder was pointed to get a properly framed image at different distances.

I missed owning a G10; but had the G11 and G12.  Image quality is virtually the same from those two - the main difference being a second control wheel on the front of the G12.  I found I preferred the feel of the G11.  Both have quite low noise sensors.

I bought a G15 in 2012 and still have one, although the one I have now was bought in late 2018 as I missed having one.  The benefit of the G15 is the fast lens.  The G16 uses a different processor (the DIGIC 6) and I swear it's not as sharp as a result.  That's also true of the S120 versus the older S90 or S95, or the S100 or S110.  Yes, I still have an S95.

I bought a G7X Mk II a while back, and it was supposed to replace both the S95 and G15.  Well, I do use the G7X II the most of all my cameras; but the fact that I still have the S95, and replaced the G15 should tell you something.

If you should decide to stick with the A 710 or A720 IS here's a tip.  Instead of using rechargeable AA cells, we use Energizer lithium.  They are good for around 600 shots in those cameras and don't self discharge in the camera, so it's ready to go when ever you pick it up.  We do carry a spare pair in it's bag.  A set of 4 batteries goes for around $10.  my wife loves that she doesn't have to worry about charge management.

The G12 and S95 were the 2 last ccd sensored high-end compact from Canon.

Lot of people prefer the CCD rendering. Cmos sensor seems less sharp, a bit mushy when viewed at 100%. That can be a problem on 12mp cameras...

I used to use a Canon a710 IS and it was fantastic, everything I needed and took good quality images. .. And the current small digital cameras are amazing I'm sure but just have too many features for me, unnecessarily high image quality for what I need, high price...etc

SO my question...

I would be perfectly happy to go back and buy an a710 IS on eBay for peanuts and use that however I'm interested in maybe upgrading slightly but keeping the same nice compact yet tactile size as the a710(Roughly) and keeping the simplicity and usability of the a710.

* * *

I'm open to any other suggestions as well.

My short answer is that the A720 IS (https://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/compacts/canon_a720is) and the second S110 (https://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/compacts/canon_s110, not the first one!) stand out to me as the best overall quality-and-value combinations among older models from somewhat different eras--the S110 obviously being much newer, more capable, and more expensive.

The long answer: I bought an A570 IS, mainly for my wife's use, right around the time our younger son was born, which is right about when it came out. It was a great camera, but eventually died. It was so liked that my parents bought another one (used), and I later bought one used to keep in my car.

And yet, from that era, the A720 IS arguably offered more capability for not much more money. More than once I regretted not getting it instead. But I do go back and forth on that. IIRC the A570 had a couple of advantages.

Also, there was the somewhat uncommon A650 IS, which had a somewhat larger sensor. That should be another step up, if you can find one in good working condition.

Since then we've had a bunch of Canon compacts, including the SX240 HS mostly for my wife, bought new about when our last child was born, an SD4000 IS bought for me as very pocketable option, plus the S95, S110, and very recently S120. We also bought a Canon compact for our older son, the model escapes me at the moment.

At this point I don't tolerate well any camera that doesn't have a raw file option. The S-series models give you that, plus a somewhat larger sensor and somewhat faster lens. The S95 has a CCD sensor and a 28-105mm-equivalent lens. The S100 moved up to a CMOS sensor and 24-120mm-equivalent lens, but by many accounts the lens had bad quality-control issues that harmed optical performance. The S110 was basically an S100 with a corrected lens. It also has a touchscreen, which I like more than I expected, and wifi--I can connect it directly to my phone and wifi over my photos. The S120 keeps all that and moves to a slightly faster 24-120mm-equivalent lens and a slightly better sensor. But my sense is that eBay prices for a good S110 from a reputable seller are a lot lower than comparable S120 prices.

What about the G series? IMO they were always big, clunky, and expensive for what you got. I realize others disagree!