Hands-on Preview: Canon G11

Update 28/08/2009: At the request of Canon Europe, we've had to withdraw the test shots we took using the pre-production model of the PowerShot G11 from our Product Face-Off.  You'll have to wait a few more days until we receive the final model to see how it does.

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Canon have just sent a version of the highly-awaited PowerShot G11 to our labs for a quick hands-on test, and we wasted no time in trying out the rotating LCD screen or its new 10 Megapixel sensor.

The G11 we looked is not the final version, but with just a few days to go before this expert-level compact hits the shops, we can't imagine that there will be very many differences with those that will soon be on sale.

Our first impressions did nothing to spoil our opinion of its predecessors: it's solidly built with an impeccable finish, apart from one or two details.  The scroll wheel, for instance, is now smaller, and a little bit more difficult to use than before.

The rotating LCD screen is a real treat though, while its 460 000 pixel resolution means there's lots to see.  It's not quite the 2.8'' 920 000 pixel offering found on the Ricoh GRD III, but it's still not bad.

Of course, the quality of the photos it produces is key.  Fortunately, the G11 uses the same 28-140 mm lens which produces excellent results on the 14.7 Megapixel G10, and so it should be perfectly capable of doing the same on the new 10 Megapixel CCD found in the G11.  We can't give a final verdict on this pre-production model, but the electronic noise management seems remarkably well done, even above 800 ISO, as you can see on the test card below.



Lots of the detail is retained, and coloured pixels are very rare.  Beyond 1600 ISO, the blur is more severe, but in general, prints on A4 are reasonable, which is very good.

While we're waiting for a complete test of the Canon PowerShot G11, you can have a look through the different Face-Off shots from this expert compact--but do bear in mind that, for the moment, this is a pre-production version.

> Canon PowerShot G11 in our Product Face-Off