Kattintson ide a magyar változatért
The PowerShot G line from Canon
The question is: does the increase of the resolution do any good to us, if so when? To get an answer we dig up cameras with different resolution between 1 and 15 megapixels. Looking through the compact cameras manufactured in the last 10 years, it isn't an easy task. Why? It is important to get the best possible quality at the given resolution, and it comes handy if the camera can save the images in RAW format. These requirements puts all the entry level cameras off of our list.
Although several manufacturers have produced very good bridge cameras, Canon's PowerShot G series seems to be the only suitable line. It has been updated nearly every year in the last decade, while it can represent almost all of the major megapixel milestones.
| G1 | G2 | G3 | G5 | G6 | G7 | G9 | G10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announcement | 2000-09-18 | 2001-08-17 | 2002-09-19 | 2003-06-02 | 2004-08-19 | 2006-09-14 | 2007-08-20 | 2008-09-17 |
| Image size | 2048 × 1536 | 2272 × 1704 | 2272 × 1704 | 2592 × 1944 | 3072 × 2304 | 3648 × 2736 | 4000 × 3000 | 4416 × 3312 |
| Resolution (Mpx) | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 7.1 | 10.0 | 12.4 | 14.7 |
| Sensor size | 1/1,8" | 1/1,8" | 1/1,8" | 1/1,8" | 1/1,8" | 1/1,8" | 1/1,7" | 1/1,7" |
| ISO range | 50 / 100 / 200 / 400 | 50 / 100 / 200 / 400 | 50 / 100 / 200 / 400 | 50 / 100 / 200 / 400 | 50 / 100 / 200 / 400 | 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 | 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200* | 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200* |
| Focus distance | 34 × 102 mm (3×) | 34 × 102 mm (3×) | 35 × 140 mm (4×) | 35 × 140 mm (4×) | 35 × 140 mm (4×) | 35 × 210 mm (6×) | 35 × 210 mm (6×) | 28 × 140 mm (5×) |
| Lens speed | f/2.0 × f/2.5 | f/2.0 × f/2.5 | f/2.0 × f/3.0 | f/2.0 × f/3.0 | f/2.0 × f/3.0 | f/2.8 × f/4.8 | f/2.8 × f/4.8 | f/2.8 × f/4.5 |
We set the following tasks for ourselves:
- We take one shot (RAW+JPEG) of our standard target with all cameras in all ISO sensitivity stops.
- Display and examine the image quality through 4 cropped parts of each image in native, 18 megapixel (to simulate A3 sized prints) and 3 megapixel (for 10×15 cm or 4×6" prints) size
- Print A3 sized photos of each image (we actually did crops, so we only needed to have 10×15 cm size prints, what made life easier and cheaper)
- Print 10×15 cm photos of each image
- Ask professional, amateur and beginner photographers to evaluate the prints based on color tone, resolution and noise (10 best and 10 worst)
Let's see the PowerShot G1 as an example. After turning it on, it does nothing for 2 seconds, than it takes another 3 seconds to fully push the lens barrels out of the camera body and become available for shooting.
We have to say, that it was very inconvenient to use all those small LCD monitors, compared to the 2.5" or larger displays on the newer models. I remember how we commented during the years, when the enlarged LCD was the major update on a new camera. Now we can appreciate that very well (along the raise of the LCD resolution).
We didn't see so significant improvement in ergonomics, though. The most comfortable camera to me was the G6, due to its decent grip and ideally positioned mode dial. But none of the cameras can beat the G10 when it comes to user interface. We get dedicated exposure compensation dial, ISO sensitivity dial, rear dial, pre-programmed navigation and function buttons, that make photography lot easier and a lot more fun. The 3" LCD with the 461K subpixel resolution is another feature that we have to mention.
All in all, we have to admit that the cameras on have improved a lot during these 9 years.
Let's now see the results of our tests, starting with the images in native resolution.
