Martin Bailey - My Digital Camera, Canon G11

I bought a Canon G11 as a companion to my Canon 400D. I love the SLR but there are times when I can't take it out with me yet still want a camera to hand. I wanted to shoot Raw with a sensible zoom, which led to my purchase. I didn't expect the image quality to match my 400D, and it doesn't, although it's better than I thought it might be, even in low light.

Towards arrow town
The Queensland Basin looked beautiful bathed in the morning light.
1/500 sec @ f/8, ISO 100

There's definitely more image noise, which appears to be compensated for by an increased saturation, even in Raw files. But the quality is good enough that I've found myself getting into the habit of carrying the 400D with a long lens and switching to the G11 for wideangle shots instead of changing lenses. The biggest weaknesses for me are that it is a bit chunky (and heavy!) for a compact camera, and that post-processing is a bit clunky to work around as the newer Raw format is outside of what my software can cope with. However, I still love it and I think I picked the right compromise between quality and portability for me.

Geysers in the steam
The two geysers at Te Huipa disappear into their own steam.
1/1250 sec @ f/4, ISO 80

Martin Bailey, Cambridge

Canon G11

The Canon PowerShot G11 is the latest in the successful G-series, and offers a host of changes from its predecessor. First of all, the sensor was downgraded from the G10's 14.7MP to a respectable 10MP, while the LCD screen was altered from a fixed 3in to a vari-angle 2.8in LCD, as seen on earlier G-series models.

• 10MP, 1/1.7in CCD sensor
• 2.8in, 461k-dot vari-angle LCD
• Full manual control and Raw capture
• DIGIC IV processor, 28mm wideangle

Read the WDC review