At low sensitivities the Canon G10's image quality is impressive, with great detail capture, accurate metering, and consistency with its Auto White Balance system. Furthermore, it is perhaps the only compact in its class whose design gives the impression that it wants to be used manually, not simply because at this price we expect some degree of manual control. My only main criticism is with the slight blandness of its JPEGs, regarding sharpening and white balance at default settings. I appreciate that Raw capture is a key concern for a compact of the G10's stature, but we should still expect a certain standard of JPEG images for more 'everyday' images. In any case this can be optimised to taste. Potential buyers may also be interested in the Panasonic LX3, which also produces high-quality images at around the same price.
Image Quality
Canon G10: Image Quality
Canon G10 review – Exposure And Tone
The Canon G10’s metering system delivers pleasing results, with balanced exposures. Images have good, natural colour, and aren’t quite as heavily saturated as those from the Nikon P6000. This neutrality means that it may not be as good for ‘print-ready’ JPEGs as that camera, but more suitable for post-processing.
Canon G10 review – White Balance
The white balance system of the Canon G10 performs consistently, with neutral results. Outdoors in daylight, the system often turned in slightly cold results but not to any degree of concern.
Canon G10 review – Detail And Sharpness
On lower sensitivities the Canon G10 can record a high level of detail, though they benefit from a little sharpening if they are to be used immediately. One area where the Canon G10 falls short is with its control over chromatic aberrations, with many of its images displaying this in both low- and high-contrast areas.
Canon G10 review – Image Noise
The levels of noise in images is better controlled than on ‘standard’ compacts, but less so than on an average DSLR. Noise begins to be noticeable at around ISO 400, and continues to worsen after this point. Overall, though, images are clean and detailed and suitable for post-processing.
Score
Score in detail
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Features 90
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Image Quality 90
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Design 90
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Performance 95
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Value 90