G12 Announced

.

No, that's my G9. The G12 was announced yesterday but I don't have one – yet. In fact, I'm agonizing over whether to get a G12.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like to have a G12. I passed on the G10 and G11 so the G12 has some (although not that many) advantages over my G9. Unfortunately, it turns out that you are required to trade money for a G12. I'm not fully convinced that the improvements in the G12 are worth $500 in comparison to my G9. On the other hand, if, for example, the G9 were dropped from a height of, say, six feet or so, then I'd certainly get a G12 instead of repairing the G9. Of course, this is just a hypothetical situation and not to be discussed with my wife.

Thinking out loud here …

Even though it is getting a lukewarm reception, the G12 does have some advantages over my G9. One of the features that surprised me in the G10 was the wide angle lens; I'd like to have that wider lens. Likewise, I was surprised when Canon returned to the articulated display screen in the G11 but I didn't buy the G11 even though the articulated screen was very useful in my G3. I'd predicted (and was wrong) that the G11 would have full HD video and then predicted – again wrongly – that the G12 would have full HD video; however, the G12 does have HD video as 720p. So, the G12 has the wide angle, the articulated display and HD video (albeit 720p) that I've been wanting.  Plus, the G12 sensor with its 10MP and a three year or so evolutionary advantage is likely to be better than the G9 12MP sensor – especially in low light (high ISO). Also, the G12 image stabilization is likely to be an improvement over the IS of the G9.

I'm curious about the High Dynamic Range feature of the G12 as well as Quick Shot mode and multi-aspect ratios but doubt that I'd use them very much. I do think that I'd use the G12 remote control quite a bit because the Franiec cable is very useful on my G9.

At this point, my conclusion is that the G12 is even less of an evolutionary step from the G11 than I'd anticipated – much less hoped for. On the other hand, the G12 is a nice step up from my G9. I'm seriously considering the G12 but anxiously awaiting the review and commenting process before opening my wallet.

By the way, I've given up on the PowerShot G series getting CMOS. I've also given up on the G series getting more sophisticated flash controls. In fact, I still think that the G series is near the end of its product life.

.

G11 Review at DPReview

.
The long awaited review of the Canon G11 is now available at DPReview. I took this as a very positive review; however, judging by some comments in the discussion forum, others were disappointed. Meanwhile, I still have my G9 and am learning the 7D.
.

G11 Review at Luminous Landscape

.
At the Luminous Landscape site (one of my favorites), Michael Reichmann gives his hands-on report on the G11. He makes comparisons to the G10, especially with respect to noise, and also to the Panasonic GF1.
.

G11 and S90 at Best Buy

.
Our local Best Buy store has the G11 and S90 cameras on display and in stock. For that matter, they also have the 7D (but not the 15-85mm lens that I was hoping for). It’s interesting how frenetic demand is quickly turning into routine shopping and purchasing.

Side by side, the S90 is impressively smaller than the G11. I couldn’t help but think “If the G11 sensor can fit into this smaller camera, then a larger sensor could fit into the G11.” This extensively debated topic and wish will continue and those “laws of nature” explaining why a larger sensor cannot be squeezed into a G series camera will probably be revoked.

In my hand, the G11 felt strangely familiar and, at the same time, different. I still think, as I did for the G10, that the stacked control dials are awkward and the exposure compensation dial is misplaced. In my brief hands-on, the G11 did not feel quite as comfortable as my customized G9. Realistically though, this feeling was based more on familiarity than ergonomics.

The articulated LCD was very nice and I did not find the slightly smaller display to be significant. The G11 menus are somewhat different from my G9. Most noticeably, the bottom row of text (displayed on the LCD) is an elaboration of the menu item. For example, if “Mute ON” is selected as the menu item, then the bottom row of text reads “Turns off camera sounds”. Nice touch. To accomplish this, the menu uses five rows of text per screen for the menu items while the sixth row is dedicated to the explanation. (My G9 also has six rows but all contain menu items.)

When extended, the lens seemed a little larger in diameter than on my G9 but that could have been my imagination. Looking through the viewfinder, a bit of the lens intrudes but disappears on zooming in a small amount.

I’m sure that the G11 will be a good seller for Canon but suspect that the S90 will turn out to be even more profitable.
.

7D

.
After much agonizing and deliberation, I decided to upgrade my Canon 20D (DSLR) instead of my Canon G9. In other words, I decided to purchase a Canon 7D instead of a G11. The 7D has arrived and is looking good!

As just a bit of my thinking and rationalization, my wife and I share the photography hobby and therefore the equipment. When we began, I had some old film cameras (most notably the Konica T2), but we became more serious with a pair of Canon EOS SLR film cameras and gradually accumulated lenses, flashes, etc. From film, I eased into the Dark Side with the Canon G3 and liked it so much that we bought a 20D shortly after it became available. The 20D is a fine camera but we had only one and it quickly became my wife’s camera! Whenever we were photographing together, my wife used the 20D and I used various combinations of the G3 and film (usually transparency). The G9 was definitely an upgrade from the G3 but we obviously needed another DSLR.

Why a DSLR and why the 7D? In a word, my granddaughter -- although in truth there’s more to the decision than that Apple-of-My-Eye. In addition to being cute, she is quick – much quicker than the G9 (and yes, I know about the half pressed shutter button, etc.). Video might catch her and HD video (not available on the G11!) seems appropriate. Also, I’m studying off-camera flash and frankly have been envious of Nikon’s ability to control external flash directly from the camera. When not using flash, the 7D’s promise of reduced noise at high ISO sensitivity is very alluring. Finally, the 7D just really seems to be a very good camera. We’ll see.

What about the G9? I still have it, plan to keep it and will certainly be using it; in fact, I used the G9 to get this picture of the 7D. I also still have the G3, 20D and, uh, all my cameras.

What about Light Description? This blog has never been just about the G9 although for much of the past two years it probably appeared to be. As I explore and learn to use the 7D, I’ll be documenting those experiences just as I did for the G9. From time to time I still expect to have a few posts about the G9 or referencing the G9.

What about the 7D? It really feels good in my hand! More later.

.

G11 Negative Thoughts

.
When I first saw the specifications and features for the G11, I was disappointed. I’d already predicted the specs and features for the G11 and my prediction was substantially wrong. After a few days, I became more interested in the G11 and, in the previous post, took a positive attitude about the G11. In this post, I get to vent my frustrations and unfulfilled wishes for the G11.

No CMOS! I had predicted a CMOS sensor for the G11 not because of my expertise in sensor design but because of my faith in Canon and because Canon has built a manufacturing plant specifically for compact camera CMOS sensors. Canon uses CMOS sensors in all its DSLR cameras and I wanted their demonstrated expertise to be applied to the G11. Now I cynically take the opposite view: Canon fully expected to make a high quality, low noise CMOS sensor for the G11 but, in fact, could not do so. As a result, Canon had to hurriedly choose a CCD sensor from an outside source (widely believed to be Sony) and to accept the compromised performance of that sensor in their new G11 camera. (Cowardly Disclaimer: This is my own, personal conclusion and viewpoint. I have no data or information whatsoever to support my belief.)

No large sensor! Along with the CMOS sensor, I also predicted a slightly larger sensor for the G11. Now I think that Canon probably planned to use the same size sensor, albeit with fewer pixels than the G10, all along. I can understand their (assumed by me) reasoning but the G10/11 is increasingly being compared to its Micro Four Thirds (MFT) competitors and MFT cameras have larger sensors than do the Canon G series cameras. I did not expect an MFT size sensor for the G11 but fully expected one that could be advertised as “larger” -- meaning in comparison to the G10.

No HD video! This is the obvious indicator of the compromised sensor. Everyone expected HD video in the G11. Granted, not all users want video but there is an obvious convergence of still and motion photography underway in the digital cameras. The G11 is even being promoted by Canon as a photojournalist’s camera. Come on! The lack of HD video will probably be the first item on anyone’s list of surprises about the G11.

No voice recorder! Apparently this feature, available on my G9, has been omitted from the G11. No voice recorder in a photojournalist’s camera?

No superwide! The 28mme focal length is a reasonable choice for the wide end of the zoom but where is the optional conversion lens? The G11 lens is (apparently) the same as the G10 lens and Canon has not offered a wide angle conversion lens for the G10.

There, now I feel better – and my list of complaints is not as long or as serious as I thought it would be.
.

G11 Positive Thoughts

.
As it became apparent that August 19 was really THE DAY for the G11 announcement, the rumors could be taken a bit more seriously; however, the most accurate rumor was certainly a disappointment. I was disappointed not only because I’d made my own prediction and now had to account for it but because the G11 did not appear to be the exciting upgrade to my G9 that I’d wanted. I decided there would be no G11 in my future.

Now that the smoke has cleared (well, actually the discussion forums, such as the Powershot forum at DPReview are really heating up), the G11 really does have some features and potentials that interest me. Here’s my personal list – in some kind of meaningful order – as gleaned from the published specs and the G11 manual.

1. Wide angle lens (28mme). Not as wide as I wanted (24mme) but an improvement over the 35mme of my G9.

2. Articulated display – a “real” G series to many people. I liked that feature on my old G3.

3. Wired remote. Although I use the Franiec cable release on my G9, I like the idea of the wired remote – and I already have one!

4. Improved dynamic range and higher usable ISO. Although data and comparisons are not available at this time, I have no doubt that the G11 will have less noise and increased dynamic range than the G9 and, for that matter, the G10.

5. Intelligent contrast correction. This in-camera processing option might help to save some post processing for those occasions when I don’t post process from RAW mode.

6. Decreased shutter lag. Actually this is just implied and is probably only for Quick Shot Mode.

I’m curious about these features but wouldn’t buy the G11 just to get them:
- Quick shot mode
- Registering commonly used menus

Whereas my first impression of the G11 was “Not for me” now I’m on the fence and trying to make up my mind. I’ve gone so far as to put my name on a waiting list but frankly am happy that the G11 is not available for ordering at this time.
.

G11 Announced

.
Canon’s G11 was announced today. The announcement was expected but I was very surprised by the feature set of the G11. I’d made my own G11 prediction a few months ago but didn’t exactly hit the mark. Well, taking a more positive attitude, I did get a few things right: the name G11; same form, appearance, controls but a little larger; same focal lengths and apertures; fewer pixels but higher ISO; highlight recovery option. Perhaps not so terrible after all.

On the down side, I completely missed the mark with my prediction of a 12MP CMOS sensor manufactured by Canon that would be slightly larger than the G10 sensor. The G11 uses a 10MP CCD sensor and, at this point, the manufacturer is not known. The G11 sensor is the same size as the G10 sensor.

Even more surprising to me is that the G11 does not include HD video. Actually, I’m shocked at this omission. It never even occurred to me that HD video would not be in the G11 feature set. The omission of HD video in the G11 is probably a serious marketing error by Canon. (Having said this, I must admit to using movie mode very infrequently on my G3 and G9 but was looking forward to trying HD video with my next camera. Also, I’m well aware that the need for HD video in a compact camera is a much debated topic among photographers.)

The G11 even has the articulated display screen in spite of my prediction that it would not. However, I’m happy to have been wrong!

Other features that I mis-predicted include: launch date (I thought September); price (a good thing!); new lens (apparently is the same as the G10); pixel binning at ISO 12800 (instead of 6400) – sounds interesting; new conversion adapter (will use the G10 adapter); RAW files from AUTO mode.

The G11 may also have some minor tweaks to shutter lag and flash performance. There’s a new mode, “Quick Shot”, that sounds interesting but is not described in detail.

Canon’s launch information leads me to believe that ISO 400 and possibly 800 might be routinely usable with respect to noise. Of course, noise and noise reduction are greatly debated topics and others may very well disagree. With my G9, I was beginning to feel OK about ISO 400 after suitable processing. The G11 would appear to have the potential to go to even higher ISO speeds.

As always, DPReview has additional information and summaries. I’m looking forward – and impatiently so -- to their review of the G11.
.

Predicting the G11

.
Last year about this time, I made predictions about the upcoming G10 – not a wish list but predictions. Why? “Because I wanted to” is the only reasonable answer. I thought I had a bit of insight from Canon’s notes to software developers and newspaper articles about CMOS but this information turned out to be misleading (mis-interpreted is probably a better word). Even so, my G10 prediction wasn’t all that bad. Time now for the G11 prediction.

First of all, whereas last year I thought that the G Series might go away – if not in spirit then as a product name -- now I think that the G Series remains for the G11 and perhaps beyond. In spite of early criticism about the high pixel count and noise at high ISO, the G10 is a very capable and popular camera – even among professionals. Since its introduction, I’ve linked to several articles and reviews to the G10 including Luminous Landscape, The Online Photographer and others. Surely Canon will take advantage of the good G10 name and its successor will be named the G11.

If the G11 is to be successful as Canon’s flagship compact non-DSLR camera then it must be competitive with the Four Thirds System being developed by Panasonic and Olympus. Panasonic even had the audacity to name one of their cameras the “G1” ! In fact, it is this very G1 and its successor, GH1, which threaten to replace the G10 as the compact camera of choice in the hands of serious photographers.

With all the above in mind, here are my predictions for the G11. Please note that I have absolutely no insider or proprietary information on which to base these predictions.

The G11 will resemble the G10 in form, general appearance, controls, etc. but be a little larger. Right - larger not smaller. The G11 will have to be a bit larger than the G10 because it will have a larger sensor. The sensor will be a 12 MP CMOS design that is manufactured by Canon. It will be somewhat larger than the current 15 MP CCD (said to be manufactured by Sony) of the G10 but not as large as the 4/3 system sensors.

The G11 will not have an articulated LCD display screen much to the chagrin of those who love one. (I sure liked this feature on my G3 and would welcome it on the G11.)

The G11 will have HD video much like the SX1-IS: 1080p at 30 fps. In addition to the larger sensor and high ISO, HD video will be a major selling point for the G11.

Speaking of ISO, the G11 will have ISO up to 3200 (which will really be a software push of 1600) and pixel binning for 6400. In practice, the usable ISO will be 800 but pixel peepers will complain that even 400 is too noisy.

The G11 lens will be similar to the G10 lens except that it will be a new design to account for the larger sensor: focal length of 28 – 140 mme; f2.8 to f4.5. Image stabilized, of course. A new, larger, adapter will be necessary for filters.

Shutter lag and acquiring focus will be only marginally faster than the G10.

Sadly, external flash in manual mode will be the same as the G9/10; that is, camera manual mode will still also mean external flash manual mode.

The G11 will have RAW file format available when in full Auto exposure mode. Another feature will be variable highlight recovery for in-camera JPEGs.

So the G11 will be yet another step in the evolutionary development of the Canon Powershot G Series. All in all, the G11 will be “better” than the G10 just as the G10 is “better” than the G9, etc., etc. The G11 will be announced in mid-September 2009 and available in late October. The G11 will be more expensive than the G10 but less expensive than the Panasonic G1.
.

April G11 Day

.
Last fall, I really thought that a “G11” would be launched about now. I’d already made my predictions (not too bad either!) about the G10 but just had a feeling about the G11 coming more quickly than would be expected based on the normal product cycle.

To my way of thinking, the G11 would be a CMOS evolution of the G9/10 with, perhaps, a slightly larger, less dense, sensor. Instead, Canon choose to make the SX1 IS their first CMOS Powershot camera. Unfortunately – actually, to my surprise – the SX1 IS has received a very lukewarm review from DPreview. I can only assume that there are more problems in manufacturing a high quality small CMOS sensor that I (and perhaps Canon as well) anticipated.

But today, April Fool’s Day, is a good day for “reporting” that the G11 has been launched. I bit on the first report (won’t tell you where) and then swore off the rumor and blog sites for a while.

Meanwhile, the (real) “G” camera getting all the publicity is the Panasonic GH1. No doubt the reception to the GH1 will be a contributing factor in the continued evolution of the Canon G series but it looks like we’ll have to wait a while longer for that "G11" -- or whatever it will be called.
.

Last Powershot SDK

.
In April, I received an email from Canon noting that the next Software Development Kit (SDK) for the Powershot series would be the last one. I checked and Canon said that this information could be released so I posted it in my blog.

Since the Canon email said that a new G series camera would be available in the fall, I posted that information as well. It was interesting to observe that this disclosure was largely ignored in the various online discussion forums. Sometimes it is just more fun to speculate.

In late July, I made my own predictions about the upcoming “G10” and, luckily, did not miss the mark very much. OK, so I thought the G10 would come out a bit sooner than it did, thought it would have HD video and completely missed the wide angle, shorter zoom. Oh, well…

Yesterday I received another SDK announcement from Canon. Basically, this new announcement was the same as the previous ones except that the G10 and SX110 IS were mentioned by name. The last Powershot SDK will be issued near the end of 2008. It will support the G10 and SX110IS but will not be Vista compatible. Also noted, Canon expects the G10 and SX110IS to be sold at least through mid-2009 but this could change without notice. Not really anything new but nothing different either.

I still wonder: Is this the end of the “Powershot” series or simply the end of the SDK program? The Canon email would be true if a “Powershot G11” came out in the fall of 2009 but without an SDK. The email would also be true if Canon released a “StrongCam C-1” (with CMOS?) with its own, new SDK in the spring of 2009 and then ended the Powershot series. Now, there’s a rumor for you!
.