Digital cameras

(28 of 28 customers found this review helpful)

Comment:

Got this for a once in a lifetime trip. I was not disappointed in any way. We have beautiful pictures of landscapes, historical buildings and architecture, insides of castles, nighttime pictures, etc. There was nothing I tried that I couldn't do. The built-in HDR mode was a big reason I went with the G12. It is everything I hoped for - very cool!<br /><br />It's not the highest megapixel camera out there, but the image quality is amazing. Canon decided to focus on total camera features and quality rather than cram in the highest Mp. It paid off. The lowly 10 Mp images are extremely sharp and crisp and clear.<br /><br />However this is an advanced camera with many features. If you want the most from this camera, take the time to learn them. When I bought the camera I also bought a digital photography book specific to the G12 and spent a couple of weeks before the trip taking hundreds of pictures as I worked through the book. I think this was key to getting the maximum out of this camera.<br /><br />It is a point & shoot with full auto mode, but I rarely used it. With the practice I had if I needed to change settings, it only took a second or two to select settings that gave me amazing pictures.

How long have you owned it:

One-to-three months

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

(16 of 16 customers found this review helpful)

Comment:

Have had this camera for about a month and absolutely love it. Its small enough to carry easily, not heavy like a large SLR, yet performs LIKE an SLR, made easy enough for casual photographer. Compared it to our small pocket camera and with the larger lens size it lets much more light in, much clearer pictures, yet not overly huge file sizes. Brings out better 'truer' colours and details. Its like the quality of an SLR but compact like a pocket camera. Still learning more about it, but so far, I am impressed!

How long have you owned it:

A month or less

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

(19 of 19 customers found this review helpful)

Comment:

I bought this camera to replace a Canon A630 which I had for 3 or 4 years but had been dropped and was no longer fully usable. This is my third Canon camera; I also have an A540 which I keep as a backup.<br /><br />Many of the Pro items listed above are musts for me:<br />- Most important are the optical viewfinder and the adjustable CD screen; they were both on my A630 and were regularly used. <br />- SD cards are available almost anywhere so I'm never out of storage space. <br />- Frequently I find the CD screens on borrowed cameras are totally washed out in bright sunlight. <br />- The adjustable CD screen allows around-the-corner shooting with the camera at arms length, as in looking out a window, straight down the side of a building. It also protects the screen when it is turned toward the camera.<br /><br />The only thing I would have liked but the G12 doesn't have is AA battery power. I can always buy AA's but I can't always find a place to charge my battery. As a work-around I bought several spare batteries to keep charged.<br /><br />Very few cameras have all of these features. Image stabilization and the 5X optical zoom are gravy; I find I can get reasonably sharp handheld pictures at the full 20X (optical and digital) zoom in reasonably bright outdoor areas; for this purpose the camera becomes a telescope.<br /><br />I agree with another reviewer that a printed manual would be nice but it's not a deal breaker. I intended to buy a third-party how-to book and I can always print parts of the CD manual if I need them.<br /><br />There may be some features that don't work as advertised but so far I haven't found any. I am fully satisfied with my purchase.

How long have you owned it:

A month or less

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.