PowerShot Comparison: Canon G12 vs G15 vs s110

Canon PowerShot s110, G15 and G12

For years I’ve been a fan of the Canon G-series camera and have had reviews on my blog for every version since the G9, but when the s90 came on the scene many Canon faith jumped ship to the smaller and more compact cousin to the G series. I wasn’t impressed with the S series cameras despite their great form factor, so I’ve shunned them in the past. Read on to see why I’ve started to have a change of heart and why my G12 is going up for sale!

Oh, and in case you are wondering there was no G13 or G14 for superstition reasons.

What’s New and What’s Different

Canon PowerShot s110, G15 and G12 Rear View

The s110 and G15 get upgraded to feature the latest LCD’s and image processors from Canon to give you the best image quality that Canon has offered to date on this series camera. You can learn more about the s110 here and the G15 here on Canon’s website. This article will instead focus on some of my observations as a long-term G series owner and a previous s95 and s100 user. I’ll drill into these details in the following sections.

To help illustrate the high-level differences I’ve take some shots that show these cameras side by side. Sadly, I didn’t have a s100 to include in the mix, but you can visualize how much more compact the G15’s become and how smaller still the s110 remains over its sibling.

Canon PowerShot s110, G15 and G12 Overhead View

G15 vs G12 & G1x

During my testing I actually found the G15 to be much closer to the closer to G1X than it was to the G12 in terms of ergonomics. Fortunately the G15 is much thinner thanks in part to its lack of an articulating LCD that I enjoyed on both the G12 and G1X. Of course the advantage to removing this feature is that it not only makes the camera thinner, it also allowed for a much larger display (3.0 vs 2.8 on the G12). To that end, the rear LCD goes up to 922,000 pixels vs only 461,000 on the G12 so it’s a substantial improvement in image quality. The G1X is on paper the same size and pixel density but for some reason the G15 just feels bigger to me. All said though, I really enjoyed the ability to protect the LCD and move the LCD around with the G12/G1X design, so I’m disappointed to see that feature go away. 

You can see from the pictures what the major differences are so I won’t rehash hall of them here, except to say that I miss the rotating ISO knob up top. However, the addition of a record button is a nice improvement but I’m bummed about losing quick access to the timer as well. For those of you who have a pocket tripod and do macro work with the G series, this is definitely a much less user-friendly macro camera due to the LCD and button changes.

The only other change worth mentioning is the move from a fixed to a popup flash. It’s good that its farther from the lens, but bad because its now a mechanical part that makes it easier to break. This design consistent with other cameras in this class, so I’m not losing much sleep over this one – it’s still painful using the built-in flash, so the hot shoe with a 270EX II or 320EX is your best bet if you use a flash frequently. Fortunately the higher ISO range and performance of the G15 reduces the need to use the flash as often as was required on the G12.

Functionality-wise I found the G12 and G15 to be mostly the same with the biggest feature difference being the Full HD (1920x1080) support added to the G15 and the max ISO jumping from 3200 to 12,800.

s110 vs G15

As I mentioned, I didn’t have a s100 to compare against, so I can only draw from what I have on hand. The biggest differences between the two begin with the obvious – there’s a lot more physical buttons on the G15 which makes it faster to adjust the controls. However, the s110 does add a jog wheel to its lens which gives you quick access to some additional features (which one depends on the role you set for that control). It still features the tiny battery that dies too quickly, and all of its electronic do-dads like Wi-Fi support only serve to drain it even faster than ever. This unit does feel better in my hands than prior s series, and it’s the first defect free s series camera I’ve used for the entire review period (all previous models had some serious issue by the end of the review).

The big WOW feature of the s110 has to be its touch screen which really helps it to overcome its lack of buttons. The ability to touch and focus like an iPhone is awesome and really makes it easier and faster to use than a G15 which oddly enough does not have this super helpful feature.

In the past the s series has always been able to boast the advantage of having a faster lens, but for this generation Canon stepped up and gave the G15 a f/1.8 lens that maxes out at 2.8 when zoomed to 30.5mm as opposed to the f/2.0 lens that maxes out to 5.9 at 26mm on the s110. This is a significant shift from the past and definitely gives a big advantage to the G series – especially in low-light zoom conditions.

I’ve always loved the form factor the s series cameras, but I’ve been disappointed by its usability. However, the G series has lost enough features and the s series has gained enough “exclusive to the s” features (like Wi-Fi) that the gap between them isn’t as tremendous as it once used to be.

Wi-Fi vs Eye-Fi

The addition of integrated Wi-Fi support on s110 was pretty exciting when I first started to review it. Once setup (which is still a bit of a geek experience – even with WPS), it became even more obvious how this is so much more than Eye-Fi. What you end up with is a device on your network that you can pair with your phone, printer, computer and more for an integrated wireless experience. Here’s an example of how my iPhone 5 would see my photos despite the fact that there were no cables between them and the files were still in my camera:

Thanks to this feature you can leverage your phone’s GPS for doing GeoTagging:

I could integrate with Canon’s software on my computer to wirelessly transfer the files to the computer:

Or I could see my device on the network in Lightroom and import files directly with no wires or drive letter assigned (at least on Windows 7):

Overall I was impressed, but then in practice I ended up being disappointed with the performance and ultimately rolling back to Eye-Fi. Eye-Fi seemed to be less of a drain on the batteries and do everything I need without the headache of the camera being locked for certain operations or having to re-pair the camera to the target device. While I liked this feature more than I expected, I’d say it’s only meaningful for those who don’t have an Eye-Fi yet. If you do, I think you’ll still prefer your Eye-Fi (Pro or greater so you can transfer RAW).

Real World Sample Images

100% Crop of a G15 Flower Shot
ISO 80, straight out of camera with zero modifications

I should note that these images were taken with the camera default settings which include noise reduction which find to be horribly over aggressive. Setting in-camera noise reduction off or reducing it to Low and then using a product like Noiseware or DFine will give you much better results. Naturally processing from the RAW is even better, but to avoid human error and additional software variables, I use the in-camera JPEG’s for all of my reviews. In practice, I use the RAW’s.

Here’s a link to the G15 gallery, and here’s a few images you’ll find there (originals in the gallery):

ISO 80, straight out of camera with zero modifications

f/4 ISO 100 – I’m impressed – feels like G1X caliber images

f/2 at 1/80 sec ISO 400 – gotta love the P&S depth of field for macros!

ISO 1600 is much improved!

ISO 4000 is destroyed by horrible in-camera noise reduction
For kicks and giggles, go compare this to a similar image at ISO 5000 in my D600 review <g>

Here’s a link to the s110 gallery, and here’s a couple images you’ll find there (originals in the gallery):

f/2 ISO 200 – wow – insane depth of field due to the tiny sensor

ISO 10,000 is usable

NOTE: Some images were at ISO 10,000 due to an accidental ISO change in-camera that I’m still not sure how it happened – especially given how ISO is buried on this camera.

I still have to do my infamous (or dreaded – ha, ha) bookshelf test with all three cameras, and I hope to get more exciting images with these cameras this weekend.

Conclusion

For the Canon faithful I’ll draw some lines in the sand here. For starters, the s110 is much improved over the s95 that I reviewed back when the G12 came out. The touch screen helps it to overcome some of my past gripes, and the Wi-Fi support plus big rear display really up its value beyond just being compact. As a result, I feel a lot more comfortable recommending the s110 as a nice pocketable point and shoot.

The G15 on the other hand has made good progress getting smaller, but I honestly think it’s lost some of the things that made the G12 so great in the process. While it is smaller and lighter, I still don’t think people will consider it any more pocketable (and truth be told if you can fit a G15 in your pocket, you most likely can a G12 too – both fit in my back jeans pocket). It’s also disappointing to not see some of the s110’s features on the G15 which make it feel a bit dated by comparison.

At the end of the day, I still prefer my Fujifilm X10 as my every day point and shoot camera, and I see little value in upgrading it over G12. However, if you are in the market for a camera of this class I think a great deal on a used G12 is a better investment than the G15. Sure, there’s some image quality improvements in the G15, but not enough to warrant the price difference and not really enough to compete with superior cameras like the Sony NEX-7, Fujifilm X10, and the host of micro four thirds in the compact class. As a result, I’d say if you had to pick then go with the s110 or go outside the Canon brand for a camera that offers more bang for the buck. The G15 is just too overpriced for what you can get elsewhere these days.

Where to Buy

B&H loaned me the gear for this article, so I suggest you show them your appreciation by placing your order for a s110 or G15 with them. Click here to order the s110 or click here to order the G15.

Adorama has a kit version of the G15 and a kit version of the black s110 as well as a kit of the white s110.

Other Articles You Might Enjoy

• PowerShot Comparison: Canon G12 vs G15 vs s110–Part II
• Canon 1D X (Real World Usage)
• BlackRapid SnapR Camera Bag + Sling Strap
• Canon 5D Mark III First Look (For Parents Version)
• Canon G12 vs S95
• Canon G1X vs G12 vs Fujifilm X10
• Canon PowerShot s100
• Canon Rebel T4i
• Canon PRO-1 Printer
• Epson Stylus Photo R3000 Printer Review
• EyeFi with the Nikon D800 and Canon 5D Mark III
• Fujifilm X10 (2011 P&S of the Year)
• Gary Fong Flip Cage (great for iPhone and P&S support)
• Sony NEX-7
• Olympus OM-D E-M5 (with 2 lenses)
• Which camera should I buy?
• Which lens should I buy?

Disclosure

B&H loaned me the new gear for this article but the G12 was my personal camera that I paid full price for myself. If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission.

Using the Canon G1X in the Real World vs the Fujifilm X10

Canon G1X has gorgeous auto white balance color

Recently I took the new Canon G1X out for some real-world shooting the way I would use this camera – with my family. I shot with it and my wife (who is your typical “mom” user) shot with it the way normal people would use this camera. I prefer to test this way because it always annoys me when I see a review of shots from a point and shoot camera that look like they belong in a magazine. When I hand a camera of to my wife it needs to “just work” and get great shots, and let’s face it – most cameras disappoint when you shoot this way. Shooting around the house without any aids beyond what the camera comes with is rarely impressive, so honestly I think it’s the best “real test” of what a camera can do.

Shutter Priority at 1/1000 (f/5.8 @ ISO 250) made this possible,
but it’s a tough shot for any camera

These aren’t choreographed or staged shots that are designed to make the camera look it’s best. They are literally real-world shots where you live your life and say “hey honey, hand me the camera so I can get a shot of that”. They are in-camera JPEG’s that are shown as they came out of the camera with no edits, and in most cases are shot using the in-camera default settings. In short, these are shots anyone can get and if you put any effort into it you can probably do a lot better than this!

Click the images to view their originals or on my smugmug gallery. All images are copyright Ron Martinsen and may be viewed for personal use, but many not be used otherwise without expressed written permission.

Not sure what my wife was thinking with his shot, but I loved the detail in the branches.
The G1X certainly has a nice sensor – no doubt!

Using the in-camera ND filter mode , ISO 100, and f/16 (max f-stop) I was able to get to 1/6 sec
Not perfect, but pretty good for P&S on a bright day with no real ND filter

The dynamic range of the G1X is well beyond any previous Powershot

This was a manual exposure where I wanted to go closer,
but the minimum focus distance stopped me

f/2.8 on bigger sensor makes shots like this possible

Minimum focus distance issues makes shots like this tough to get,
but when you do you are rewarded with decent bokeh for a point and shoot

You have to be arms length away from your subject to get focus,
but shallow DOF is quite possible

HDR Mode – Support 100% Required

Newer cameras coming out with built-in HDR are hot, but you wonder if it really works. Well Canon Powershot shooters know that with support this feature works okay, but without it you’ll be frustrated by blurry shots. While the G1X has more dynamic range to give you a much better final result, the algorithm for blending the images remains unchanged from the s100 so you’ll need to check out my tripod recommendations or pick up a Flip Cage Pro if you want a usable end result. Without support the shots are unusable and sadly you can’t choose a shutter speed range that is fast enough to help compensate with this issue. Here’s an example:

You can click the image above to see the original, and it turned out quite nice. The shadows are a bit dark which the in-camera HDR addresses (hover over to view), but the resultant shot is blurry as you can see here.

Mouse over to see the normal exposure
Mouse out to see the HDR exposure

Once again the HDR version gets the best exposure as you might expect, but it’s a totally useless image due to poor merging issues (click for the original HDR version).

Fujifilm X10 vs G1X Head to Head

These aren’t the only head-to-head shots I will do, but they are the only ones from this past weekend that are apples to apples enough to compare. If you compare my G1X gallery to my X10 gallery you’ll see other shots that seem similar, but they were done by two different shooters from points of view so they aren’t similar enough to draw a fair comparison.

Portrait Example

I snapped a shot of my wife with my iPhone that I really liked, so I decided I’d try again using the point and shoots. While I got a horrible expression on my wife’s face here, this was the best technical result I could muster with the G1X. This camera hates being up close, so out of 6 attempts this was the only shot that was in focus:

G1X f/2.8 1/640 sec @ ISO 800 (Program Mode, AWB)

The X10 allows me to get in as close as I want without any focusing issues (unlike the X100), so I got a more pleasing composition using the EXR Auto mode (which detected the portrait scenario and compensated for that). What you see by her head is good old fashion (and intentional) lens flare from the sun shooting directly into the camera. For those paranoid about white disks with the X10, look above or click here to see how the G1X handles a direct shot into the sun.If that’s the infamous “white disk”, then I think it’s sexy and I know it! <g>

X10 f/2.5 @ ISO 100 (EXR Auto)

The X10 just nailed this one. Now some may find the color wonderful and others may hate it, so the downside to the X10’s EXR mode is that you don’t get a RAW image so you’ve gotta live with the color it gives you. Sure you can adjust it some or go to B&W, but RAW is more flexible that way. However, I can totally live with X10 result without doing anything else to it. I’d delete the G1X shot even if the composition was better because I hate the up close distortion I got in that shot.

Extreme Exposure Example

Now this is an impossible exposure, so the results you see below from the G1X are about what you’d expect. The image itself is super crisp and it might be saved in RAW, but it’s going to be a lot of work. I also don’t think there’s going to be enough detail in the raw to bring back the blown areas, so odds are this is a lost cause.

G1X f/16 1/30 sec @ ISO 800 (Aperture Priority & AWB)

The X10’s EXR mode loves tough exposures, but this is a rare case where even EXR can’t fix this in one shot. Sure the grass in the back is way better but the rocks are still pretty blown. Since there is no RAW (in this mode – available in other modes) you’d be stuck with this:

The X10 EXR mode does a better job, but is still overblown in the back
F/11 1/10 sec @ ISO 100

The G1X’s HDR mode nails the exposure, but despite getting the identical support as the previous two shots the image is totally useless due to motion blur.

G1X HDR mode – Camera held identical to the others
Much better exposure, but motion blur make the photo unusable

More “Real World” Photos

Go to my Canon G1X gallery to see more shots and check out my X10 gallery to see some shots taken the same day. Keep in mind that while some shots are similar they may have been shot from different lighting angles (i.e., glass sculptures) so a fair side by side comparison isn’t possible.

The G1X gallery contains some compositionally horrible personal shots (like the flash test shots), but hopefully you’ll get a feel what this camera is really like.

I updated the gallery of real world photos on 3/19/2012 - click here to see the latest shots (and be sure to read the captions).

Where things stand right now

So far my first impressions haven’t changed much. The G1X has great glass and a nice sensor, but it’s really an overweight regression from the G12’s size and feature wise is basically an s100 inside. I think point and shoot users and pros alike will find it too bulky & heavy. The minimal focus distance is horrible – simply unusable for close up scenarios like cross-table photos of dinner guests, so that’s a big regression from the s100 and G12 which had good minimum focus distances.  The AI focus seems to be lacking and overall, I think the focus system is just messed up.

Despite the GX1 having a battery that is twice as thick as the s100 or X10, it suffers from the same problem as the s100 where it can’t survive the day without a recharge. If you get a G1X you must own a second (and charged) battery to get in a full day of shooting.

The bar for this class of camera has gone up quite a bit, and so far I personally think the Fujifilm X10 is a much more livable camera on a daily basis. Stay tuned though to see if I change my mind after more hours behind the G1X.

I’ve tinkered with video a bit and the G1X is awesome, but I have only taken personal videos of my son. Again, the AF system sucks but the IQ rivals a HDSLR.

Order your G1X now from B&H where I got mine or if they are out of stock then consider Adorama too.

More Like This

If you liked this article, you might enjoy these:

• Comparison: Canon G1X vs Fujifilm X10 vs Canon G12
• Using the Canon G1X in the Real World vs the Fujifilm X10 (Video)
• Nikon 1 V1, Fuji x10, & Canon s100 (plus Fuji x100 and Canon G12 & s95) Comparison
• Canon 5D Mark III and 600-EX-RT Announcement and Pre-Order info
• BlackRapid SnapR Camera Bag + Sling Strap
• Fujifilm X10 (2011 P&S of the Year)

Disclosure

If you may a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. Thank you for supporting my blog by using my links when you order!

Canon announces the G11 – my next point & shoot camera

Canon has FINALLY released a point and shoot worth owning – the new G11. Why is this one any different than the other G series? Well because Canon finally gets “it” that it’s now about image quality (and low noise) and not about megapixel count anymore. This camera actually has LESS megapixels (10 instead of 14 in the G10), but the advantage is that the image quality is superior (due to improved pixel density) which is the most important thing. Even better, if you find yourself in a situation where you have to crank up the ISO, this camera will go up to 12,800 – BUT they are brilliant by reducing the megapixel count to 2.5mp in this scenario to use as much sensor data as possible to create a higher quality image than would ever be possible at 10 or 14mp with such a small sensor. They’ve also added the latest version of the Digic IV processor with improved noise reduction.

Personally, I can care less about the flip out display, but I’ll finally be purchasing my first point and shoot since 2004 and this will be it! The G9 was great for my trip to Disneyland and the G10 was almost as good, but this one seems to be “the one” that has the quality needed to be a suitable “pocket DSLR” substitute for family situations that don’t lend themselves to using the big beast.

Check out more at DPReview or on Canon’s website.

You can order one now at Adorama like me, or at Amazon or B&H.

I’ve received mine and love it, and will be posting a detailed review soon. In the meantime, you can look at some of my G11 images here.

Noise Reduction Roundup (1 of 5) (UPDATED: 4/1/09)

In a perfect world, we’d always be able to shoot at ISO 100 f/8 at 1/250 and we’d never have to deal with the noise associated with using higher ISO’s. However, the reality is that photographers always find themselves in situations where the light is less than ideal, and we are forced to crank up the ISO to higher levels to get the aperture or shutter speed setting necessary to get the shot. It’s worse indoors, where we are forced to use the dreaded flash that never seems to give us the results we want, or crank the ISO way up to levels we know are going to give us lots of noise.

While cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II, Nikon D700 and D3 offer sensational high ISO performance compared to cameras of the past, not many of us are able to afford these great bodies. What’s worse is that even those high end bodies start to see some level of unacceptable noise in 100% online images at ISO 1600 and greater. This means that we face a dilemma as old as photography – crank up the ISO to get the shot (fortunately we don’t have film issues to consider anymore) or use a flash. In the spur of the moment sometimes a higher ISO is the best bet. This means we have to turn to software to help us with reducing the noise in these images, and hope that they don’t reduce it to the point of softening our images to an unacceptable level. In this (and linked) article(s) I will demonstrate some of the most popular products used for noise reduction and offer my suggestion on what product(s) will give you the best results. After all, I’m a photographer too and I face this problem all the time, and I wanted to know myself what’s the best solution so I can get the best results possible.

The Players

There are a decent number of products that offer noise reduction no the market today, and the odds are you own at least one of them. During this roundup I’ll compare 5 products, but my main focus will be on the last three third party solutions for reasons you’ll understand later.

Here’s the products chosen for this round-up: (links to demo versions provided for 3 – 5)

1. Adobe Lightroom 2.3 / Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) 5.2 – Lightroom is rapidly growing as the most popular photo management and editing software around, and the funny thing its develop tab is just a fancy wrapper around Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) which has been around longer than Lightroom. ACR offers some basic noise reduction which some people is sufficient, and in the right hands you’ll discover it isn’t horribly bad.
2. Adobe Photoshop CS4 / Photoshop Elements – For this review I will be using Photoshop CS4, but nothing has changed from CS3 in noise reduction, so what you see here applies to earlier versions as well as Photoshop Elements.
3. Nik Software Dfine 2.0 (15% discount coupon code: rmartinsen)– If you’ve read books or articles by Vincent Versace, Matt Kloskowski, Rick Sammon or other big names in the Photoshop world then you’ve probably heard them mention Dfine as their tool of choice for noise reduction. I’m a big fan of Color Efex and Viveza, so I was anxious to see if this was as good as some of their other products. DEMO
4. PictureCode Noise Ninja 2.x – This is the king of noise reduction and the standard by which all others are measured. When I talked to pro photojournalists about what they used, they unanimously recommend Noise Ninja. As a result, this is the product I purchased and use frequently so it is going to be fun to see how it compares. DEMO
5. Imagenomic Noiseware 4.1.1 (15% discount coupon code: RONMART) – Huh? Prior to Scott Kelby mentioning this product in some of his recent books, I hadn’t even heard of it. With the power of Nik and PictureCode, there isn’t much hope of it holding its own with the big boys, or is there? DEMO

What about Neat Image?

An early FAQ has been inquires about why Neat Image wasn’t in this round up. The answer is simple, they didn’t respond to my inquires however they were invited (actually by the request of Imagenomic).

The Cameras

To put these products to the test, I decided to take images from my library taken from four different cameras. My apologies to Nikon fans (I’m a Canon shooter), but here’s what I used:

1. Canon G9 point and shoot – This popular point and shoot (#4 on Flickr) is said by some to be a mini-DSLR, but the reality is that after ISO 100 its small sensor makes it a bit of a noise monster. I used it on a trip to Disney and enjoyed the results, but I spent a lot of time cleaning up photos in Noise Ninja to get results I could live with.
2. Canon Rebel XTi – This highly popular, yet entry level DSLR, is one of the most popular cameras for images uploaded by Flickr members. It was my first DSLR and a constant companion on many trips to Asia, so I had a night shot taken with it that I thought would be perfect for this roundup. It never really performed well over ISO 400 when it came to noise, so I was hoping that this test might allow me to go back to some of my RAW images and bring them back to life.
3. Canon 5D Mark II – The latest buzz in the camera industry is all about new sensors capable of high ISO’s that photographers never dreamed possible, and the side effect of this higher ISO expansion is that they are pretty darn good with noise reduction at the lower levels. Despite that, noise can still creep into pictures once the ISO goes north of ISO 1600 (a ISO that normally yields unusable results in lesser cameras). I’ll include a image taken during a snowy day using a high ISO most would dare not to even select.
4. Canon 1D-Mark III – The fastest DSLR on the planet used by pro sports photographers to catch the action, which also translates into kicking up the ISO to get those shutter speeds up. This was my first pro body so I have a wide variety of shots taken with it, so I’ll be including a travel photo in this roundup.

The Sample Photos

Disneyland - Canon G9 ISO 400

This shot represents a typical indoor shot you’d get on a family vacation (as I had done here). Lots of noise caused by pushing this sensor to its limit. It was a fun shot of my son that I’d want to save if I could, so I thought it would be a fun candidate for this test.

Tokyo - Canon Rebel XTi ISO 800

This shot represents a typical tourist snapshot. The memory of the trip was great, but the noise left behind in the photo isn’t.

Sledding - Canon 5D Mark II ISO 2500

When I got my state of the art 5D Mark II I took pictures of anything I could, and as luck would have it there were kids sledding behind my house. This shot required me to crank up the ISO to 2500 to get the 1/320 sec shutter speed I needed at f/5.6 to properly expose this panning shot. It is a cute shot of some kids by my house and the highest ISO shot I’ve had to take with the 5D Mark II since I bought it.

Chicago - Canon 1D Mark III ISO 3200

When people think of shots taken with a 1D Mark III, they think sports. I have tons of those to choose from, but the funny thing is that the best high ISO shot I have in my entire collection is this one which was taken in Chicago at an astonishingly low 1/15 at f/5.6 hand held!!!! It’s a great shot where the noise isn’t distracting, but it would really benefit if I could make some of it go away without losing detail in the buildings.

All images were processed using their RAW format version with NO noise reduction done in Adobe Camera Raw 5.2 to avoid any anomalies associated with JPEG compression. The final versions posted here and in future posts are JPEG compressed using a setting of 12 (except Tokyo which uses 10 because I’m an idiot). All photos are copyright Ronald R. Martinsen and may not be redistributed or reused for any other purpose.

The Evaluation Process

Photographers should be able to spend their time taking great pictures, not trying to reduce noise that higher ISO’s introduce. With that in mind, I wanted to run a test to see what results I would get using the minimal amount of user interaction I could with these products to see just how well they would work. I processed a series of 4 photos myself without reading any manuals or doing any special calibration so that I could get what I call the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) for each product (i.e., the results you’d probably get if you used them).

I’ve also sent the sample photos to Nik Software, PictureCode, and Imagenomic to see what they could do with these photos. I had them send me the EXACT steps (which I’ve included in the individual product reviews) as to how they would have processed the photos, and I perform those steps to get what should be the best results possible with each product. This ensures they aren’t doing anything with any unreleased product behind the scenes, and it makes sure they are things that you and I could do if we actually read the damn manual!

The “Ronmart.blogspot.com Greatest Save” Contest (UPDATED 4/1/09)

This content has moved here to make it more discoverable.

Final Note

Stay tuned in upcoming days as I review these products and make my final decision as to the winner of this ultimate Noise Reduction Roundup!

If the support for this article is positive, then look for more cool round-ups like this in the future! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article, so comments are greatly appreciated!

Is the Canon G9 a DSLR replacement, or just another point and shoot?

During the last week of August I finally decided that my kids were old enough to make the pilgrimage down to Disneyland in California. Like most photographers, my immediate thought was of all of the great pictures I could get with those wonderful colors found in a place like Disneyland. Of course, my girlfriend could read my mind and informed me that she would not be a happy camper if I went to Disneyland to take pictures instead of having fun with my kids. She was 100% right so I began to think if there was a way I could still have a great trip, yet get some high quality pictures too.

Initially, I thought I would bring my Canon Rebel XTi with the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens so it would be nice and compact, yet I'd still get super sharp images. I gave up on this idea rather quickly as I didn't like the idea of not having a zoom, and my other L-lens choices weren't a good match (and I couldn't imagine going with an inferior lens on a SLR).

Now I was back to square one and trying to figure out how I could get DSLR quality RAW images when it hit me - the Canon G9 could be the answer to my problem! This image stabilizing camera has 12.1 megapixels, saves in RAW format, is durable, and supposedly has a good lens that supports f/2.8 so this was the solution to my problem.

Now all I need is a Canon G9

Now I needed a G9 and in a hurry, so my friend Luc loaned me his G9 and I was off to Disneyland!

In Disneyland I took many pictures, and immediately I fell in love with the powerful features of this camera. It supports up to ISO 1600 so I could get the picture in just about any condition, and its RAW support meant that I could adjust the white balance and exposure +/- 4 stops after shooting if I didn't get the right results in-camera. I was in business and getting great pictures in no-time.

Ease of Use

As Peter Parker's Uncle Ben said, "with great power comes great responsibility" and immediately I found myself falling into the DSLR trap with this camera by spending time fiddling with all of the controls while my family waited in frustration for me to get the shot.

With this in mind, I quickly switched my mind set from DSLR photographer to touron so I stopped shooting in Av (aperture priority) and went to P (program mode - let the camera decide) with my only control being the focus mode and the ISO settings. In this mode I found myself generally happy with the results early on when it snagged great shots like this:

However, I also became very annoyed with this camera's rotating knob that allows you to switch the ISO settings on the top of the camera because every time I'd take it out of my camera case it would get switched to a different ISO setting and sometimes I wouldn't notice. This of course lead me to do boneheaded things like setting the camera to ISO 80 when I should have been at ISO 800. This of course resulted in long exposures and blurry results as was the case in this photo, which otherwise would have been a cool shot:

That issue aside, I still managed to get plenty of shots that I was quite pleased with (from looking on the G9's display) so I thought I was in good shape.

Gee Ron, these pictures look pretty good, so what's your verdict?

At Disneyland my verdict was that the Canon G9 was an awesome camera, and a legitimate DSLR replacement. Many of the pictures I had taken looked fantastic on its display - like this one:

 

so I began to wonder if I really even needed a DSLR which has massive bulk, greater cost, and fewer megapixels (12.1 on the G9 versus 10+ on my DSLR's). The G9 was a complete success and my borrowed version was first on my wishlist of purchases when I returned back to Seattle.

Oh but wait, there's more - the devil is in the details

When I got home I quickly downloaded my pictures on to my drive and into Lightroom 2.0 so I could see the fruits of my labor. I was good and only took about 190 pictures (where if I had my DSLR I probably would have taken about  1000 per day), and I was pretty sure my keeper ratio was pretty high with shots like this:

However, I was very disappointed when I saw that in digital camera technology - size does matter - pixel size that is. The bottom line is that while the G9 is a great point and shoot camera for sure - way better than any I've seen or used, it simply packs too many pixels into a sensor that is too small with the result being a noisy and soft images. More megapixels aren't always better if your camera can't resolve those pixels properly on an adequately sized sensor so the result of too many pixels for its tiny sensor which means massive noise in shots like this at ISO 800:

Even shots in the daytime like this one seem to be perfect when viewed at a smaller size, but when when you click on the link below to view the original image you'll notice that there's tons of noise even at ISO 200:

But wait Ron, except for those two images above your pictures look pretty darn good

Welcome to the magic of photography post-processing, and in this case in particular - Noise Ninja. With the aid of Lightroom, Photoshop CS3 using some Scott Kelby's 7 Point System techniques, and Noise Ninja I was able to rescue most of my photos so that they would like like this:

In fact, if you hover over most of the photos previously mentioned in this article you'll see a small version of the unprocessed RAW shots the way they came out of the G9. The net result is that you can get some good shots like this:

 

but you'll have to do some hard work in Photoshop (sorry Lightroom 2.0 alone is insufficient) to make them look like they were taken from a Digital SLR camera. If you do, you'll be rewarded with some decent shots and happy memories of a trip enjoyed with your family instead of a trip with your camera. You'll family will love you for it too, so everyone will leave the trip as happy campers.

Conclusion

If you are reading this article to try to decide if you should pick up a camera like a Canon G9 as a complementary camera for when your DSLR just won't do, then I can tell you that this is a fine DSLR companion to own when family comes before photography.

If you are reading this article trying to decide if you should buy a high-end compact camera instead of a DSLR, then I say heck no - they suck in comparison so go read this article and get a proper camera.

If you are reading this article because you are going to Disneyland or some other family-oriented vacation then I can say without question that this is the camera for the DSLR junkie who has to leave their beloved camera behind. Use it and just plan to spend the extra time you would have spent taking photos in your post-processing in Adobe Photoshop CS3 when you return home.

NOTE: The above picture was actually taken from the flight out to Disneyland from the plane by my girlfriend Moonhee Kim. It proves three things:

1. You can get good pics from the plane no matter how crappy the windows look
2. Any G9 photo can be made to look good in Photoshop
3. Anybody can take a good picture (Moonhee is not a photographer)