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Cameras

Hands On Revew: Canon G12

Chris Gampat
No Comments
09/14/2010
3 Mins read
canon-g12

Last Updated on 07/29/2011 by Chris Gampat

About two months ago, I got to have personal hands-on fondling time with the Canon G12. Last year, the G11 seemed to be a big winner for them and so Canon has only minimally changed their winning philosophy but has added features that people were asking for before. That said, it is still mostly the same camera. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to put a card into the camera as it was mostly still a very rough prototype. While you’re at it, you may want to see my comparison of the LX-5 vs the S95.

The camera is available at Amazonand B&H.

Tech Specs

– 10 MP CCD sensor

– DIGIC 4 processor

– RAW image recording

– 720p HD video 24p

– A front dial now right by the shutter button

– 28 -140mm zoom range (f/2.8 – f/4.5)

– 2.8″ articulating LCD screen with 461,000 dots

– Front Dial – controls camera settings

– AF Frame – Tracking AF

– ISO speed added 125/160/250/320/500/640/1000/1250/2000/2500/3200

– Continuous shooting in Approx 2.0 shots vs Approx. 1.1 shots

– Compatibility with SDXC

Ergonomics

The camera, like its predecessor, is ergonomically speaking, very functional. The camera may be a bit bulky but once you actually use it for a prolonged period of time, you’ll learn to love it.

New to the camera that really stood out for me is the front dial by the shutter button. This made it feel a lot more like my 5D Mark IIand 7Dand therefore it was all very familiar. This was one of the features that I didn’t particularly expect to get but that is welcome nonetheless. This makes manipulation of shutter speed and aperture much easier as users now will not need to press a button to change one or the other.

The G12 still has essentially the same ergonomics with the dials on top and the rear. The camera will once again be best held with the strap wrapped around your wrist. I actually wish that the screen were higher resolution. Additionally, I wish that the viewfinder were useful for something else besides just framing. If anything, a nice EVF would be an awesome implementation at this point in the lineup.

Image Quality

Unfortunately, we couldn’t put a card in. However, we can perhaps assume that it is on par with the G11 or a bit better. Take a look at our full review (linked above) for results.

Autofocus

The autofocus seems to have improved tremendously. That’s a big statement as the G11’s focusing was already quite impressive. However, the new camera has focusing abilities essentially on par with the Panasonic GF-1. When holding it, I remember thinking to myself how much Canon has improved their AF system and that since the technology here has essentially peaked, I can only think to myself that a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera of some sort must be coming from Canon next year.

And if said camera does come out, I’d hope that they don’t screw up the AF.

Vs the P7000

I’ve actually held and played with the P7000 a bit. The P7000looks a lot like the G12 actually, and I thought this when in my meeting with Nikon. The mean reason why I’d purchase the P7000 over the G12 is wireless flash control. However, this would require me to purchase Nikon’s speedlights.

Vs the LX-5

The LX-5has a hot shoe can use an electronic viewfinder, which is really the only main advantage I see over the G12 besides the faster lens and slightly larger sensor. Additionally, it is smaller than the G11.

All that, and a Leica lens on the LX-5. The lens is actually the fastest in the class of cameras.

Vs the S95

I’ve had hands-on time with this camera already. As it was last year, the S95is a sexier, sleeker and smaller version of the G12 that gets rid of more professional features like the hot shoe. Because of this, the S95 could very well be a much better street photography camera.

To see more comparisons, check out BHInsights.com.

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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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