Canon’s G series cameras have been around for a while and are much used by semi pros and pros needing an easy to use backup camera that still offers quality image capture.

The G11 continues the breed, with some improvements tucked away under the bonnet but with one or two surprising omissions.

Image capture maxes out at 10 million pixels; the lens is an optically stabilised and reasonably fast f2.8 Canon optic that has a 35 SLR equivalent of 28-140mm … or 5x.

The ten million pixel CCD delivers a maximum image size of 3648×2746 pixels or, in print-speak, a 31×23cm output at 300 dpi. RAW and JPEG capture are available. In the current climate, the movie specs are disappointing with only 640×480 pixel capture.

While many compact digicams shout about their higher res capture — 12 megapixels and more — it’s useful to compare apples with apples: the G11’s CCD measures 14.9mm across the diagonal while the compacts mostly reach 11mm — a significant difference. This is what Canon is all about.

At first look, the G11 seemed to be smaller than the previous G10 model and it sort of was — and wasn’t! Overall, the G11 is about five percent larger … a little wider and higher. However it’s still a very compact camera and could fit most outer coat pockets.

Canon Powershot G11 Features

Looking more and more lonely these days is the G11’s optical viewfinder, uncorrected for parallax and with little more going for it than it gives a bright view of the scene, even in bright sunlight. You will have to be careful of vertical parallax when shooting subjects a metre or so from the camera.

Supporting this optical finder is the rear 7.1 cm LCD screen, tiltable vertically and swingable horizontally. Compared to its compact digicams peers the LCD has relatively low resolution but worked well in my shooting adventures with the G11.

What sets the G11 apart is its direct control of the some of the camera’s settings via two concentric mode dials. The inner one leads you to auto, Program, aperture and shutter priority exposure modes, give access to scene modes, two custom settings and movie shooting. A Quick Shot Mode offers display LCD of the camera’s current settings like white balance, image size etc with idea that you view with the optical finder and just fire away.

The other mode dial is an ISO speed dial, which gives direct access to all settings — ISO 80 to 3200: a far better approach than a dig and delve in the finder menu.

(insert Canon G11 ISO 80 f4.5 1/25 sec.JPG)

A direct access to an interesting Low Light Mode is here also: the ISO speed will be varied between 320 and 12,800, with a faster shutter speed, according to ambient conditions.

To the left of these controls is another direct access button to raise or lower exposure compensation: two f stops up or down in third stop increments.

In the area of face detection Canon has chosen a smart approach: aim the camera at a face, press the frame detector button and the AF system will lock on this face, no matter how much you reframe and alter its position in the picture.

The G11’s continuous shooting abilities are less than superb: a rate of 1.1 pictures/second is available, with focus and exposure locked; step back to 07 pics/sec and the camera continues to focus.

I managed to capture this shot by using an exposure of f8 at 1/13 second. Had I needed more water blurr I also could have switched in a neutral density filter that shrinks the incoming light levels to 1/8 or three f stops.

Startup Time

The camera was ready to shoot about one to two seconds after startup; follow on shots at about a second each.

Distortion

There was noticeable barrel distortion at the wide end of the zoom, with little visible at the tele end.

Comments

The G11 is a fine camera and should win friends who want an easy to use, high quality picture maker.

Quality: about as good as it gets with a compact digicam. If you need better colour capture and higher resolution you may have to pick up a DSLR.

Why you’d buy the G11: optical finder; direct access to important settings.

Why you wouldn’t: poor movie specs; poor burst rate.

They say never work with animals or children but who can resist those cherub like faces? Here are a handful of hopefully helpful pointers that one can try when it comes to framing tots and toddlers:

1. Most children will have the patience of a fly so start by netting the ‘safe shots’ first, such as a few well composed, nicely lit portraits with a 50mm prime, before diving into the most adventurous ideas. Suggestions for such could be to: opt for some tight crops of the tot’s face, vary depth of field to avoid distraction, or get creative with shutter speed to some exciting ‘movement’ effects. When their attention levels start to dissipate, try following them around. Not only do you get a glimpse into their world but this can make for some beautifully natural shots. When kids are happy playing on their own opt for a zoom such as an 18 – 200mm to cater for up close and at a distance shots.
2. When kids are cute it can effortless to forget technique and become shutter happy; click, click and click some more – before you know it you’ve expired a 4GB memory cards and have a heap of blandly identical images. Limiting yourself to 20-40 shots forces you to focus on strengthening your composition, as it helps you to decide what it is important and challenges you to be more creative.
3. A towering adult is obviously a daunting prospect for a tot and the bird’s eye view perspective is only going to yield so much value. A better idea is to drop down to their level is ideal and emphasis the smallness of their stature, reinforce the connotation of innocence and if you catch them looking up you’ll be amazed at how big their eyes can appear, subtly increasing the ‘aw’ factor.



4. Some kids just don’t want to sit for photos. Give them a prop, toy or a task to focus their attention and you’ll be amazed by the results. There are lots of things you can try; baking cakes, gardening, building sandcastles, following a treasure trail – anything to get them to relax and this is where an on-hand parent can be of great use; helping the child to relax and bring them out of their shell. If they still don’t want to play ball catching infants at their most naughty, angry, sulky or upset can still make for powerful portraits. Be aware that cheesy grins may cause the eyes to crinkle and the impact may be lost, so catching a shot whilst the child is off guard but in good spirits is a solid antidote for this.
5. As with any portrait consider your scene. Be sure the light falls evenly and flatteringly, backdrops featuring bright colours and interesting textures add interest and declutter your scene of distracting items. On a really bright day it can be hard to get even light, so place your subject in a shaded area such as a doorway, porch, entrance to a tent, or even under a garden table. Take an exposure reading from their face and the result will be a portrait with flattering light without the need for flash or reflectors. Alternatively if there is no shade, try taking a shot of the child walking away with the light behind you – often these shots can reveal more about their personality than the front.
6. The beach is a wonderful location for photographing children at play. Their actions are natural and the backdrop provides a sense of place whatever the weather. Avoid shadows and squinting in super sunny conditions by bringing along a parasol or improvise with a beach towel, shooting them under the shaded area.



7. The clothes the child wears will have an effect on their mood and ultimately – your shots. Everyday casuals are ideal for relaxed natural shots, whereas formal wear can go either way; exude maturity or sulk because they dislike stuffy dresses and suits. Costumes are perfect for bringing out the imagination gene in your models, resulting in energetic and tangibly fun frames.
8. Black and white images can do wonders for pictures of newborns, whereas tot shots are often better left in vivacious colour. However if you are keen to emote a calmer, softer connotation open up Photoshop travel into the Adjustments menu and either reduce saturation, hit desaturate or travel into Gradient Map and select the B&W option. Employing a high-key effect in Photoshop can also add an angelic feel to portraits of your little cherubs. Take a beautifully lit image and open it in Photoshop. Head for Adjustments and select Curves. Gently lift the line twice near the bottom and once near the top to generate a shallow ‘S’ shape. This will alter the contrast and brighten hues, but do this process in small increments as too much and you’ll lose details.
9. Creating a shallow depth of field is wonderful for focusing attention on the child sitter. If you’re uncomfortable with using manual, flick your shooter into Aperture Priority and opt for a lovely wide aperture such as f4 or f5.6. Focus on your subject and incorporate the backdrop into the frame – use something interesting or colourful here. Alternately throw the child out of focus by aiming at an object in their hands instead.



10. Get creative with shutter speed! Chuck a pair of wellies on the pint size model and have them jump around in puddles. You could freeze water splashes and stop the action using a shutter speed of 1/250 or above or blur the child mid air with a slow shutter of around 1/60 (but you may need to ramp up the ISO in low light). Alternatively mix the two effects with a rear curtain sync to make the most of a long exposure whilst firing a flash – the result is a frozen subject with the motion trailing behind.
11. Newborns grow rapidly and their features can alter as a result. Photograph at regular intervals to chart this change. Whilst they are very young you’ll find it is easy to capture stills whilst they are asleep. For the best results position the baby in a well lit room or near a large window diffused with a thin white sheet. Cropping in close for segmented body shots of newborns is quite clichéd but the results can be breathtaking: toes, feet, hands, legs, face, etc. Why not use these as a series or pick the best three to form a triptych?
12. Shooting children in groups multiplies the stress levels but increases the opportunities to be experimental. Ask them to interact by holding hands, rubbing noses, playing a game s, running towards the camera, jumping off a bench – anything that unleashes their personality! The encyclopaedia of expressions and characteristics that will no doubt explode out of the frame will definitely be worth the hassle. Expose for the faces and lock focus on to one of the cheeky grins for sharpness.

I’m still working on putting together my article on using curves and histograms to edit photos, so in the meantime here are some good video tutorials on the subject. These tutorials are easier to understand because they show how the curve adjustments affect the image in a more dynamic fashion.

This first tutorial is fairly comprehensive for the grayscale and combined RGB channels, covering the basics of contrast and brightness adjustments while also hitting on a lot of little tips and tricks. The creator of this video also jumps into some of the things you should not be doing with curves so that you can avoid these situations.

This second video is a little more basic than the first, but it presents some of the material in a slightly different manner. If you watched the first and you don’t have a good grasp on the curves dialog, watch this one and see if it helps.

And if you have already watched the first two videos and you still don’t have a handle on things, this last one from our friend Donnie might help. He also gets into color channel curve adjustments, so this is helpful for the more advanced users.