Canon PowerShot G10 Digital Camera Review - Evolution Or Revolution?

The Canon PowerShot G10 is an evolutionary notscenarios.
revolutionary upgrade from the well-regarded G9.Sometimes you have to make rapid shots. The
But, that's like saying humans evolved from apes.times are a littler longer for the Canon G10 than
The difference is still remarkable. Check out thisthe top of the class. But not by much. Two shots
digital range finder-style camera and you'll find oneback to back have only a 2.2 second delay. Using
serious photographic gorilla.flash bumps that up to 2.9 sec - slower than a
Resolution has been upped to a whopping 14.7high-end SLR such as, say the EOS XSi, but still
megapixels. True, for some purposes anythingvery good for a "prosumer" camera.
over 6-8 MP is a waste. But that's a technicalThose shots will be sharp and clear, too. Several
point and there are two points to make about it.outstanding features of the PowerShot G10
One is that consumers actually want the largerguarantee that. Canon lenses are among the best
res. Second, aside from the "bigger is better"and the one on this model is no exception. The
mentality, it's still true that the more information inF2.8, 27-140 mm (equivalent) lens lets you
the chip, the more information you get out of it.operate at low shutter speeds in low light. Yet
When it comes to enlarging, selecting smallyou still get a zoom from wide-angle to medium
sections, or just creating larger than usual printstelephoto. The Lens-Shift image stabilization
(like, say, 20 x 24), that extra pixel count doesmakes sure you get crisp shots all the while.
help. The chip has to be "low noise", of course.The Canon PowerShot G10 even provides an
Rest assured that Canon really delivers here withexposure compensation dial, so you can make
its new Digic IV processor.fine adjustments. Your images are consistently as
The PowerShot G10 also houses an impressiveclose to perfect as technology can deliver. With
high-speed Servo AF (autofocus). Frame a staticCanon's technology, that's pretty close.
shot and it won't matter much. An extra splitChange the AF area. Narrow it to "spot" (a
second to focus on a flower won't bother anyone.feature usually found only on high-end digital SLR
But for sports shots it's a must. Canon does acameras). When you compose off-center that will
stellar job here, too. Lags between shots arecome in very handy. The focus is superb from
minimal. A 1.3 second startup is barely noticeable.center to edge, as you would expect with a
Bright light time between shots is under half aCanon lens. It stays that way, even focused at
second increasing only to 0.8 sec for low-lightlong distances.