Going to the Dark Side: I bought a Canon G11 (Norway pics)

J

javimm

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Hi.

After much debating what to bring to my vacation trip to Sweden and Norway this summer, and having bought HP5+ and Fuji Superia, with the intention of carrying a Bessa R2M body and a Leica M6 body, I had the chance to buy a Canon G11 at a very good price, so I did it.

The previus year I brought that gear to my trip to Russia, and although the B&W came out very good tonally (as usual, I may say), the Superia rolls didn't really tell me anything, so I bought the G11 and brought just the Leica M6 with HP5+ and the G11.

I should say that the little G11 has impressed me in terms of IQ. It's an awesome camera, although it has the limitations of compact cameras (very large DOF, that can be a good thing too, a bit slow in operation compared to DSLR or the M6, shooting with the LCD as the OVF is very tiny...).

Well, as I was saying, the G11 delivers GREAT IQ. I wish I could shoot with a digital M, but I can't justify the price of the M9 even if I can afford it, and I HATE the weight and form factor of the DSLR plus big lenses. I like to travel light and have good IQ in my images.

Here are some samples, processed in Aperture (contrast, saturation, Vibrancy, Shadow Recovery), B&W conversion done with Silver Effects. Processed from the JPEGs from the camera. I have the RAWs, but didint use them for this serie.

Hope you like them.


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Same pic as the previous one, B&W conversion.

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This is Bergen. The seagull is NOT overlayed. It was there originally 🙂

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Congrats on your purchase! I picked one up last year. Really like the ergos/handling on the camera, the IQ, the custom settings (C1,C2), the preset shooting modes, and the swing/tilt screen. Not too keen on the lens distortion, and while the OVF is tiny, it zooms and it's usable when you can't/don't want to use the screen. Great camera.

/
 
About the LX5 and LX3. When the LX3 came out I really considered buying it. I compared it to the G10, and I liked the fast lens, short zoom, and IQ seemed fine, but didn't want to spend the money on a compact camera. The deal I got was for the G11, and the LX5 isn't on the market yet. I bought it because I had the Norway trip coming, so the timing was good.
I don't regret buying the G11 instead of waiting for the LX5, because I could carry the G11 to my vacation trip, and the pirce was good too. The camere feels like a compact, but a bit better due to its size.

The pics I posted looks great in fullscreen mode on a 24" screen. Very crisp and sharp.

My main complaint avout the OVF is its 70% coverage, so I didn't use it at all as the LCD quality is very good.

Cheers.
 
For what it is, the G11 is in fact pretty good. I was giving a client of mine a tutorial on hers yesterday before she took it on a four-day trip (she'd just bought it as a smaller counterpart to her Nikon D90, which I also tutored her on). I'm sort of looking at the G11 the same way I'm looking at the LX5 and Samsung TL500 (assuming Samsung fully gets it together on the software front, that is), as my possible sole digital camera, as the long-term loan of the Olympus C-8080 I've been using is coming to an end, and my little Casio EX-850 is getting a little long in the tooth.

And: great photos, Javier!


- Barrett
 
Glad you like the pictures, Barrett.

Weather in Norway is very bad indeed. We were lucky as the "good weather" season is July and half August. We had rain only a couple of days, and didn't affect the trip at all as the rain took place while traveling by bus.

Bergen, being one of the cities with more rain in the world, with 3 rainy days out of 4, and a record of 86 consecutive rainy days was sunny bright except for the first two hours we expent there, so no complains!!.

The ascension to Preikestolen was sunny too, and not too hot (first three pics).
 
Really nice shots. I've played around with a G10 before and it's a pretty impressive compact (kinda...) digital camera. Has just enough manual controls to keep me satisfied. By all reports the G11 is even better as well.
 
Nice shots! I too use a G11 and love it.

I rely heavily on an optical viewfinder for composition. When I take a tight shot, I want it to be as tight as the image I see in the viewfinder. I do not want the image to contain unwanted stuff on the periphery. Therefore, I need a viewfinder with 100% coverage.

Since the G11 viewfinder has much less than 100% coverage, I use an auxiliary optical viewfinder instead of the G11 built-in finder. In one of the two custom settings on my G11, I save the focal length that matches the angle-of-view of the auxiliary viewfinder.
 

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I've been shooting with an LX3 as my sole digital camera for about 2 years - I don't have a pro photo career that demands a DSLR. Though I have learned to love that little camera, it is hard for me to make the case for it (or LX5 or G11) as a sole camera. Particularly over the EP2 or Sony Nex5. I think those two are where it's at if you had to pick only one. And I'm hoping we get something interesting out of Photokina. Interestingly I like the size/feel of the G10/G11 over the LX series, as I'd rather have it fit snuggly (as the Canon's do) in my hand once the size is too big for pockets.
 
Nice shots Javier. I too was in Norway in July and though I took my RD1 with me it was actually the Canon G11 that saw most use. See pix below including a three shot panorama.

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Nice shots there, kuvvy. I'm sure you enjoyed the trip too 🙂 .

About the external viewfinder... I don't think that in this of camera I would benefit of having one. I really miss a good viewfinder though. Being used to the M6 for three years now has given me habits of playing with the controls without noticing it to set a near correct exposure, and then take it to my face to shoot. I did took the G11 to my face a few times and was like... D'OH, big nose mark on the LCD 🙂

As the M9 is not an option maybe my digital future is in the micro 4/3 or Nex cameras. I haven't read anything about the Sony. Going to research them a little.
 
I like the shots very much, but you might consider having your name on them in a smaller type: I find it distracting: my eye keeps being drawn to it, and that's a pity with such nice pictures.

Stefan.
 
Sometimes I bring just my Canon G10 with me, just in case. Other times I bring one of my film cameras, but take the G10 as a digital alternative or back-up. It's nothing of which one should be ashamed.

Below are two shots I took a couple months ago when in Massachusetts for business with my G10. I took these on a quick outing to the coast in Salem (at Salem Willows park) on an overcast but glare riddled day.

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Hahaha, the type I used... It's the first time I put my name on a picture. Aperture has the auto option, and I was in the mood for some "viking" kind of font, so I agree is a bit too big.
 
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