Canon G12 10 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.8 Inch Vari-Angle LCD

Getting ready for a long international vacation, I took my trusty Nikon D70 to the camera store for a cleaning. The guy at the camera shop said 1: you can't really clean these, they're disposable, and 2: this camera had enough clicks on it that it wouldn't be reliable. So much for supporting local camera shops... as soon as I got it home the card stopped responding reliably, and there's no easy way to tell if the card is bad, or the camera is making the card go bad... So, long story not so long, I asked a professional photographer friend of mine what I should do - spend $900 or $1300 for a new Nikon that supports all my lenses? He said, sure, and also get a Canon G12. More reliable, equivalent photo quality, great zoom range, and about 1/8 the size, when you factor in lenses. And of course 1/2- 1/4 the cost. Knowing that the best travel photos are the impromptu quick shots, I decided to hold off on replacing the Nikon and just take the Canon - what a great decision! The photos are fabulous, the battery life is amazing, even with lots of flashes, and the ability to quickly and accurately set manual or program settings is actually easier than on the Nikon! I shot mostly with Aperature Priority, and some with shutter Priority, but I could also set it for full auto in about 1/2 second, hand the camera to somebody else, and be in a great shot. Being able to flip the screen around lets you take pictures of yourself and family easily, and the screen has lots of different options for settings and playback that makes it great to look at. I got lots of compliments on the camera and the photos. My only wish is that I could get a little bit wider angle shots - I'm an architect and take lots of wide angle interior and exterior pictures of buildings, but it wouldn't have been worth travelling with the big camera just for those times when I wanted the extra view width. I'd probably agree with other reviewers that the viewfinder isn't very useful. There isn't any information in there, so it ends up only helping with the basic shot composition, which the screen does just as well... Great camera!

I got this camera to use in addition to a Canon SD450 which I already have. The SD450 almost always takes excellent pictures outdoors, but has very little you can change to control the picture the camera takes. For example, when indoors, with the camera set to auto, sometimes it will take good pictures and sometimes it won't. In an area with fluorescent lighting the pictures have a distinctly different color tone, and there is basically no way to do anything to change that until after you import the pictures and try to touch them up with photo editing software. The SD450 is great if you just want to put it in your pocket in case you happen to see something you want to take a picture of, because it is very small. I wanted the G12 to take better quality pictures of friends and family, especially at family functions like reunions and holiday gatherings. The G12 also has a better lense and more zoom. It is listed as having 5X Optical Zoom, and the camera actually has the capacity to zoom in to 10X with (I presume) an interpolated zoom for the 6x to 10X portion. I was especially interested in this camera's ability to take pictures in RAW format and the ability to take 720 HD video. When I import the original pictures, I save them in a folder I name with the date or other identifier and the word "Originals" and at the same time make another folder with the same first name and "Reduced" to put the modified pictures into. This way, if I happen to delete or ruin a picture accidentally while trying to improve it, I can always restore a copy from the original file and start over. I then use the excellent photo program that is included to reduce the size of a copy of all the pictures I decide to keep. (I was expecting yet another copy of the latest version of Adobe Photoshop Elements, but this camera comes with a much better Photo software package.) The SD450 seems to take a lot of pictures that have red eye, but so far I have not had that problem with the G12. This camera takes excellent pictures just by leaving it on full automatic. I am still learning how to use this camera, but so far, with just the auto settings I am very happy with the picture quality. The software has an excellent batch processing ability where you can select the pictures you want to change and it processes them all at once very quickly. This is very helpful if you send pictures to friends and family by e-mail. Canon also provides online storage of the pictures if you want, so you can just send people a invitation to the web site and they can go to the site by invitation only and look at, print or save any pictures they want. So far I am very impressed with the battery life. I charged it fully upon arrival and have used the camera several times, once almost all day and have not had to recharge the battery even once. It is getting low and I will fully charge it again after discharging it fully. Finally, I would like to say that Amazon was very helpful in getting the camera to me very quickly. I wanted to use it at an family reunion, but I actually waited too long to place the order. Somehow Amazon came through and I got the camera the day before the reunion. Thanks, Amazon!

I was looking for an alternative to my Canon DSLR for an upcoming trip to Europe: I don't want to lug a hefty camera and lens.... So I had certain key criteria, in no particular order: (1) size (but not too small)and weight, (2) picture quality, (3) ergonomics, (4) folding lcd screen, (5) viewfinder, and (6)ability to use in semi-automatic modes, but fully usable as a point and click. One at a time...the weight of the g12 is fine (quite light), and the size / ergonomics are excellent. It is easy to hold, the grips and controls are all logically placed. My wife definitely likes the size and feel of this camera. So far I've taken only a limited number of pictures, but all seem clear and sharp with crisp colors. I haven't explored all the shooting options yet, so it will take awhile before I'm completely comfortable with its flexibility. The folding lcd screen is critically important to me--I take closeup photos for eBay and this camera will be often mounted on a tripod extension arm (inside a "light-box"). Positioning the lcd screen so I don't need to do contortions is key(I'm replacing a beloved G1 camera that served me for many years). The viewfinder, although not perfect is also important when taking photos in full sun (however, the lcd screen does seem quite bright). The only negative so far is the documentation. Most features are well explained, but some like DR Correction and ISO Rate of Change are not described very well at all. I don't mind the pdf format since I can read the manual on my ipad. Also the documentation could use some examples e.g., provide a few useful camera settings and combinations when using C1 or C2. I can probably find this by searching on-line, but more of a tutorial approach would be appreciated. Update (Oct 1, 2012): I've returned after 2 weeks on vacation in Europe. The camera performed extremely well. Many of the outdoor shots were spectacular -- crisp image, vivid colors, etc. I took many pictures of poorly lit interiors where flash was not allowed. Using the low light setting (the one with the candle icon), I was able to take decent pictures with good color and acceptable sharpness. Yes, some of the pictures were a little grainy, but given the ease of use, these pictures were more than acceptable. I highly recommend this camera. Seeing the number of tourists toting heavy DSLRs around their necks confirmed this choice as an excellent travel camera. My DSLR is still my choice when taking holiday / family pictures and when traveling by car, but this camera will come along....

I wanted to upgrade from my Canon SD1100. I asked my photography friends about recommendations for cameras and one of them suggested that I look at the Canon G12. I know nothing about the ISO, shutter speeds, aperture, etc. so I thought buying a DSLR may be too much money and too high of a learning curve. My needs were to be able to take close up pictures of flowers with blurry background, better action shots of my kids' sports, better nighttime photography, better low light pictures, and so on. I am able to achieve all my photography needs with the G12. It is smaller than a DSLR so you can fit it in a purse or small bag. I love the swivel screen. It does come in very handy. The SCENERY modes are very useful. In fact, my favorite is Color Accent since you can pick a color in a picture, such as red, and the rest of the picture is in black and white. You can do the same thing in Photoshop, but it's very handy to be able to do the processing while you take the picture. The pictures turn out very artsy. The depth of field with this camera is a bit limited when trying to take close ups and you want to blur the background. My photography friend gave me this tip. He told me to shoot in Aperture Priority mode (Av). At the same time, use Zoom to zoom in on your subject. Change the f stop to the smallest setting possible with zoom enabled. Step back more from the subject and zoom in more. Take the picture. Voila! The blurry background is achieved! The Portrait setting in the SCENERY mode supposedly blurs the background, but not enough for me. I'm going to take a local photography class to understand more about basic photography concepts, but I'm sure I will be able to take even more awesome pictures with the Canon G12 after that. Take a look on flickr.com and search for Canon G12. You'll see so many pictures taken with this camera. This camera can take amazing pictures with the proper understanding of how to use its functions. **Review Update 7/30/12*** Been using the G12 for several months now and have gotten to know its pros and cons better. The G12 is a great camera to bring on travel. It's smaller size than a DSLR fits nicely into my handbag. The ISO, metering, and shooting mode controls on the top of the camera gives quick access to changing your settings. I took it to Hearst Castle and was able to take pictures indoor without flash for the first time in my life. The last time I went to Hearst Castle, I had my film 35 mm camera where if I turned off the flash, the pictures were too dark because I couldn't adjust anything with my old camera. With the ability to control shutter and aperture, I was able to use the G12 to capture low, light indoor shots and night time photography. The downside of the G12 is that for portraits where you want shallow depth of field (blurry background), you cannot get much blurriness unless you have the subject way in front of the background and stand far away and zoom into the subject. I've also had professional photographers try to help me achieve the look but it just doesn't give me a satisfactory look compared to the lenses on their DSLRs. However, if I'm doing macro photography, such as photographing flowers, I am able to achieve the nice shallow depth of field look, just not with larger subjects.

So, I have a bunch of cameras and even though I'm not a professional I have used a lot of products. I have been looking for a light weight point in shoot that had versatility and still takes fabulous photos. I'm carrying my Nikon SLR around and lugging it some places is just insane. I have had my eye on this for sometime and had a $50 promotional credit so thought I would give it a spin. Fabulous, Fantastic, awesome photos in auto mode. And in all the preset options. Which I'm overwhelmingly happy with cause if I wanted to get fancy I would use my SLR. But not taking that on the Colorado River in Arizona this vacation and chancing getting it wet. Or lugging it around an amusement park. Or keeping in my purse for unexpected events. Love that I can purchase various underwater case options, lights ect. Now you are stepping up the price with average point in shoots going around $200 this is double that price. But, I personally feel you will get almost all good photos with this camera. Worth it's weight in gold. If you read the manual and use some of the presets for night shots, kids and pets, landscape, ect you'll be thrilled. It is worth the extra money with photos being seriously that much better especially in low light situations. Where this camera out shines every other point in shoot I have ever tested or seen pics from. This is with the built in flash. The few negatives are: I have found Manual mode no where near as good as my SLR, and much harder to find acceptable sweet spots for photos. But actually a really good learning camera just because it has these features. However, All the dials are super easy to use and access. The viewfinder seems blurry no matter if I have on my glasses or not. Just turn the LCD screen around it rotates. Don't use it less you absolutely need to. Also, the silly thing does not come with a standard manual. You have to upload the disc and print it yourself. Seriously CANON are you kidding me???? How cheap could you possibly be? You built a great camera and unless people are also computer savvy they won't learn how to use it. I find this very distasteful. You can buy a guide on how to use the camera on amazon, or you can print the 200 page manual. Not printer/ink friendly. That's all. The camera can't help the manufacturer is clueless.

UPDATE 2015: ... and down it goes to one star. I can't believe, after only 5 years the camera stopped working. One day out of a sudden while taking shots at a birthday party the camera froze up, the lens got stuck and wouldn't detract, and the display would show an error message: Lens Error, Will shut down Automatically, Restart Camera. Looked around online - sure enough, a bunch of people have the same problem with this camera! Really? What kind of quality is this for an expensive camera like that? Very disappointed. My 10 year old Sony Cybershot DSC still works! It just shouldn't have happened. Repair cost at the local shop: $120! Bought myself Sony WX500 instead. ____________________________________________ I am an amateur and do not know a lot about all the settings and professional specifications. But I do love photography and I have been exploring and trying out different settings on this camera. Pros: -Color usually turns out very nice -Really great low light (no flash) and night shots! -Videos turn out quite well Cons: -I think for that price the camera should have came with the cover for the hotshoe. I bought one, but once on, the internal flash wouldn't work at all. -I was very annoyed with the fact, that the max size for jpegs is about 3MB. I would like to be able to choose lower compression for jpegs. -in Auto-mode, the internal flash function overexposes and I haven't found the way to change this. -Also, you cannot turn on the internal flash in auto mode, which is annoying. On such occasions I just switch into Program or Manual setting and turn on the flash. -As with all point-and-shoot cameras, when the flash is turned off manually, most images turn out blurry. -It's not possible to zoom in/out while filming! - why??? -Zoom does kind of hang at times and it appears to be rather slow I am sure there is much more to say about this camera, but these are my impressions of it.

First off, I am not a professional photographer, but more of an advanced novice. Last year I bought a Canon SLR Xsi and thought it was the best thing ever. The pictures are awesome and I was very happy with it. The problem I ran into was its so darn big. So I left it at home most of the time and dragged along a cheap point and shoot just because I did not want to deal with the extra luggage associated with an SLR. I started researching the high end point and shoot cameras as a compromise. It came down to the G12 and the Nikon P7000. I am somewhat of a Canon purist and ended up with the G12. Man am I happy with this camera. It does exactly what I expected. The build quality of this camera is great. It feels comfortable in my hand and does not at all feel cheep. It's a bit on the large size as compared to a point and shoot, but it is much smaller than a SLR, so I am very happy about that. The overall picture quality is impressive. Its actually a bit better than I expected. I do not have the trained eye of a professional, but I would rate it close to what my Xsi was producing. Not quite as good, but close. The ability to access most of the important functions via dials on the camera has opened up a whole new world for me. No more chasing down ISO and exposure in the menus. The camera has a front dial that is customizable also. It also has a TON of built in features that I wont review, but it is more than I have ever seen on a camera. Several of the reviews of the video aspects of this camera did scare me, but it is a camera for gods sake and not a camcorder. From what I can tell so far, the video is just fine, but limited. At the end of the day, this is a slight downgrade from my Xsi, but it is something that will definitively get a ton of use due to it being smaller than a SLR. If you are looking for a high quality point and shoot and don't mind a bit of bulk, get this camera. If you need something to supplement a SLR setup, get this camera.

As I'm an old film guy who has resisted digital photography almost as much as dentist visits, I've really avoided making the jump. Of course, I've had a few small point and shoot cameras for quick snapshots. But recently, I've found it necessary to get a camera with more capabilities and quality. I'd love to have a higher-end DSLR, but flying these days really doesn't lend itself to lugging a big camera bag with a couple of lenses, flash, etc. I gripe just taking my shoes off at the security checkpoint. And I am avoiding paying checked bag fees as much as I possibly can! Last April, I finally decided to get something a bit nicer, and after weeks of searching through review after review, I finally settled on a Fuji HS10. At first, I loved that camera. Then, I discovered that particular unit was eating batteries with the voracity of John Pinette at a Vegas buffet. So, back it went. And I waited and continued to research. Then, along comes Canon with this G12. Remember, I'm an old film guy, so I like some controls. But after 5 minutes playing with this camera, I was most impressed. Startup - it's ready to go in a flash. Focus - spot on for 99% of the photos I've shot (nothing's perfect), and that 1% I can peg on me for focus issues. Low light? Simply amazing! This camera's ability to compensate for low light is borderline spooky. Combined with the lens image stabilization, I've taken shots that would have required a tripod, cable release, and good old-fashioned luck with a film camera. Sports mode is very good. While the 'rapid-fire' shots aren't blazing fast, they are sharp, clean, and quick to save. In fact, the camera is fast with saves in most every mode I've tried. And speaking of modes, I discovered one that I've fallen in love with - Nostalgia mode. With a quick click of the front-mounted scroll-wheel, one can age a photo making it appear a bit washed out and grainy. For artistic shots, this mode just made me feel like I was working darkroom magic without the darkroom! Some folks have complained that it's too big for a pocket. I didn't really have any issues with that. In fact, I think that for everything this camera can do, it's size is one of the biggest selling points. I just returned from a quick trip to Jamaica where I took all sorts of shots. The ones that got the most compliments were the low-light shots. And everyone that asked and showed this camera were amazed at what it was able to do. As I mentioned - I'm incredibly impressed with this camera.