PhotoBurque

Less is more

Canon's new G11

Canon has just announced a release of a new “G” series camera, the G11. This comes only about a year after the G10 was announced. What is really interesting is the G11 will have FEWER megapixels in its sensor than the G10 (10.0 for the G11 and 14.7 for the G10). What?

Well the pixels occupy the same sensor size so in the G10 they are larger and more sensitive to light than the tightly packed pixels in the G11. This is welcome news for serious amateurs and pros, especially photojournalists. More light sensitivity means cleaner photos when flash cannot be used. In fact, the G11’s ISO goes up to 3200. I haven’t seen any samples yet but I regularly shoot ISO 3200 with the Canon 5D MarkII (21,7 MP full frame) I use for theater and movie stills, where you can’t use flash under any circumstances. It the G11 can produce low noise images in dark natural light, it will be a huge benefit.

Of course the G11 also includes RAW mode so images can be adjusted to perfection in Photoshop. It seems that the G series cameras have become a hot item with news gathering agencies around the world. Most of the millions of images collected by photojournalists are target toward internet and newsprint publication. 10 MP is plenty for a 2 page magazine spread when you consider the fact that these are small, unobtrusive cameras compared to the large and heavy EOS models and big lenses, yet they produce great results for the general coverage journalist.  If you need a huge file to produce a huge wall hanging image, the Canon 1Ds Mark III or the Nikon D3X are there for you, as long as you understand that, for the privilege of carrying this hardware, you can buy a pretty decent small car!

Years ago, the Leica M was the camera of choice for the photojournalist/documentarian. People had trouble believing that such a small camera could produce the high quality/high impact photos the Leica was famous for. Maybe the G11 will bring some of that back?

PS: I still have and love my Leica M7. I might do another post reminging all that film is still here

Canon’s 270EX a perfect companion to the small G9

Most people know that with small pocket sized cameras, built in flashes are a compromise at best. In addition to the professional level Canon EOS 1D Mark III and EOS 5D Mark II cameras I use, I also have a G9 for family, travel and for use in covering casual events.

The G9 (and now the G10) are competent cameras and are beginning to be used by photojournalists because of their unobtrusive size, excellent image quality and good resolution – especially for newsprint and web publishing.

One problem, now solved, is that he internal flash, like that on most small cameras is simply not up to the task. Not only will repeated flash use chew up the single battery that powers both the camera and its internal flash, the built-in simply doesn’t provide enough cover and power to get the job done. Adding the 270ex solves all that.

Check it out. Less than $150.00. (click on image to visit Canon USA website)

Canon's new compact Speedlite