The G12 was the shining poster child of Canon's 2010 compact range. So it's no surprise that this year Canon is releasing a follow-up, the G15. It's been refreshed with a new (but equally small) sensor, a brighter lens and, um... a missing flip-out screen.
It's decided, 2012 is the year of the expert compact, and the usual suspects are competing for the Most Ambitious Announcement award with ultra-compact sizes (Fuji XF1, Canon S110), bigger sensors (Sony RX100, Sigma Merrill, Canon G1 X), lenses with record-breaking brightness and extra-wide-angles (Samsung EX2F, Panasonic LX7). With the exception of the Nikon P7700, which has a 7x zoom lens to set it apart, all the bigger, "traditional" compacts with medium-sized sensors and reasonably bright lenses are out like yesterday's news.
And yet, that's the path that Canon has chosen. The new PowerShot G15 (thirteen being a bad luck number in the West, as is four in Japan) has taken the middle road with a 5x zoom lens equivalent to 28-140 mm and commendable brightness. The f/2 wide-angle and f/2.8 telephoto lens are similar to the late G6 and its forebears, but far from the f/1.4-2.3 and f/1.4-2.7 found on Panasonic and Samsung's latest releases.
The electronics have naturally been revamped; the G15 employs the same technique as the S100 and S110, with a 1/1.7" 12-Mpx CMOS sensor that boosts the burst mode up to 10 FPS and the video mode up to Full HD (though still at only 24 FPS...).
But what's worse, the swivel screen is gone! The swivel screen was a signature of the G1 through G6 models and, like many other great features, it simply vanished on the G7. We beat our chests and yelled for years until finally, on the G11, it returned.
And now it's gone again!
Canon says it's to make the camera more compact, reducing the thickness by a few millimetres. But between us, if users really want something compact, are they really going to make a stink about three extra millimetres on a four-centimetre-thick device? Wouldn't they just switch to cameras that are actually compact, like the Canon S100 or Sony RX100?
Thankfully, the RAW mode and settings wheel (which had also disappeared on the G7) are back. But seriously, it's hard to justify all these things absconding when Nikon, for example, has just added a swivel hinge to its P7700.
Most importantly, the loss of the flip-out screen doesn't seem to have had any effect on the price: the G15 will cost €600 (around £480). For the same amount of cash you can get an RX100 with its outstanding sensor, as long as you forego the viewfinder. For £50 less you can get the EX2F, which has a flip-out swivel display, higher brightness and Wi-Fi. For £90 less you can get the LX7's unrivalled aperture. Zoom hounds can get a P770 for £490 with an f/2-4 aperture on its 28-200 mm lens (which, at 140 mm, should be almost as bright as the G15) and an articulated screen. And optical viewfinder fans will get a much better one on the X10 for £340... Need we say more?
> Reviews: Compact Digital Cameras
> Photokina 2012: See all news
It's decided, 2012 is the year of the expert compact, and the usual suspects are competing for the Most Ambitious Announcement award with ultra-compact sizes (Fuji XF1, Canon S110), bigger sensors (Sony RX100, Sigma Merrill, Canon G1 X), lenses with record-breaking brightness and extra-wide-angles (Samsung EX2F, Panasonic LX7). With the exception of the Nikon P7700, which has a 7x zoom lens to set it apart, all the bigger, "traditional" compacts with medium-sized sensors and reasonably bright lenses are out like yesterday's news.
And yet, that's the path that Canon has chosen. The new PowerShot G15 (thirteen being a bad luck number in the West, as is four in Japan) has taken the middle road with a 5x zoom lens equivalent to 28-140 mm and commendable brightness. The f/2 wide-angle and f/2.8 telephoto lens are similar to the late G6 and its forebears, but far from the f/1.4-2.3 and f/1.4-2.7 found on Panasonic and Samsung's latest releases.
The electronics have naturally been revamped; the G15 employs the same technique as the S100 and S110, with a 1/1.7" 12-Mpx CMOS sensor that boosts the burst mode up to 10 FPS and the video mode up to Full HD (though still at only 24 FPS...).
Later, swivel screen. It's been fun.
The G12 had practically the same body as the G11, except with an added thumbwheel. Now the G15 breaks the mould with a pop-up flash, a newly-placed exposure compensation dial and (finally!) a video record button. The ISO sensitivity dial and self-timer button, however, have mysteriously gone missing.But what's worse, the swivel screen is gone! The swivel screen was a signature of the G1 through G6 models and, like many other great features, it simply vanished on the G7. We beat our chests and yelled for years until finally, on the G11, it returned.
And now it's gone again!
Canon says it's to make the camera more compact, reducing the thickness by a few millimetres. But between us, if users really want something compact, are they really going to make a stink about three extra millimetres on a four-centimetre-thick device? Wouldn't they just switch to cameras that are actually compact, like the Canon S100 or Sony RX100?
Thankfully, the RAW mode and settings wheel (which had also disappeared on the G7) are back. But seriously, it's hard to justify all these things absconding when Nikon, for example, has just added a swivel hinge to its P7700.
Most importantly, the loss of the flip-out screen doesn't seem to have had any effect on the price: the G15 will cost €600 (around £480). For the same amount of cash you can get an RX100 with its outstanding sensor, as long as you forego the viewfinder. For £50 less you can get the EX2F, which has a flip-out swivel display, higher brightness and Wi-Fi. For £90 less you can get the LX7's unrivalled aperture. Zoom hounds can get a P770 for £490 with an f/2-4 aperture on its 28-200 mm lens (which, at 140 mm, should be almost as bright as the G15) and an articulated screen. And optical viewfinder fans will get a much better one on the X10 for £340... Need we say more?
> Reviews: Compact Digital Cameras
> Photokina 2012: See all news
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