Canon Powershot G10 Review

The screen display for Auto mode. This is a Fully automatic exposure mode with very few exposure options available, making it perfect for those with very little photography experience. Using this mode, the G10 turns into a simple point-n-shoot.

Program AE mode is like Auto in that the camera selects both the shutter speed and aperture values for correct exposure, but you now have access to a multitude of camera settings like ISO speed, White balance, metering, etc.

When you half-press the shutter release, you will see which of the nine AF points (green rectangles) has achieved a focus lock. The green "glow" is from the Focus assist lamp, that doubles as the red-eye reduction lamp (when enabled via the record menu). The Lightning bolt indicates that the flash is charged and will fire, and you can also see the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture values.

In Tv (Shutter-speed priority) mode you select the shutter speed (from 1/4000 to 15 seconds) and the camera automatically selects the proper aperture value. Faster shutter speeds will "freeze" fast-moving subjects, slower speeds will let you pan with a fast-moving object and blur the background, or hold the camera steady and give moving objects that "motion blur" look.

In Av (Aperture priority AE) mode you select the aperture value (from F2.8 to F8.0) and the camera will automatically select the proper shutter speed. Selecting the aperture allows you to control depth of field (focus range), smaller numbers yield less depth of field, larger numbers yield more.

Program AE, Tv, Av and Manual mode Function options:

White Balance - Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Underwater (when used with the optional housing) and Custom (1/2) one-push WB set
My Colors - Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color
Bracketing - Off, AE bracketing, Focus bracketing
Flash intensity - Adjusts flash power ±2 EV in 1/3 EV steps
ND Filter - On/Off
Image Compression Superfine, Fine, Normal
Image Resolution 4416x3312 (Large), 3456x2592 (Medium 1), 2592x1944 (Medium 2), 1600x1200 (Medium 3), 640x480 (Small), 4416x2480 (Widescreen), RAW (4416x3312)

In Manual mode you have complete control, selecting both the shutter speed and the aperture values. To help you "dial in" the exposure, these is an exposure scale on the right. When changing either the shutter speed or aperture, another small scale is shown directly above the values; like the shutter speed scale shown above. All Menu options and camera settings are the same as Program AE, Tv, Av, etc.

Program AE, Tv, Av and Manual mode MENU options:

AF Frame - FlexiZone, Face Detect or AiAF
AF-Point Zoom - On or Off
Servo AF - On or Off
AF Mode - Continuous or Single
Digital Zoom - Off, 1.7x, 2.2x, Standard
Flash Control - Adjust Flash Exposure comp., Shutter Sync., Slow Synchro, Red-Eye Corr./Lamp and Safety FE
i-Contrast - Off or Auto
Drive settings - Set Face Self-Timer # of shots, Self-Timer time, etc.
Spot AE Point - Center or AF point
Auto ISO Shift - Off or On
MF-Point Zoom - On = Enlarge focus point during manual focus
Safety MF - On or Off
AF Assist Beam - On or Off
Review - Off, Hold or 2 - 10 secs
Review Info - Off, Detailed or Focus Check
Record RAW+JPEG - Record RAW and Large Fine images simultaneously
Auto Category - On or Off
IS Mode - Continuous, Shoot only, Panning, Off
Converter - None or TC-DC58D
Custom Display - Customize the camera's display (Shooting info, Grid lines, 3:2 Guide, Histogram
Set Shortcut Button - Choose the function of the Shortcut button
Save Settings - Saves current settings to Custom 1 or 2 on the mode dial

The SCN (Scene) position on the Mode Dial gains access to Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Sports, Night Snapshot, Kids&Pets, Indoor, Sunset, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, ISO 3200, Color Accent and Color Swap. These modes are pre-programmed to give you the best possible pictures for particular shooting situations.

You can record movie clips with audio at a standard resolutions of 640x480 or 320x240 with a frame rate of 30fps. You can also choose Color Swap or Color Accent to add a little creativity to your video clips. The optical zoom may be preset before recording starts, but cannot be used during. The length of a movie is limited by the amount of available memory, up to a maximum clip size of 4GB or 60 minutes. These clips are captured in Motion JPEG format and saved as .AVI files. Unlike the G9, the G10 does not features the XGA (1024x768) 15fps movie mode.

Both the video and audio portion of movies can be replayed on the camera thanks to the built-in speaker. Full audio-video playback is also possible when connected to a TV monitor or a compatible PC after downloading.

Movie mode recording options in standard:

White Balance - Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater (when used with the optional housing) Custom (1/2) one-push WB set
My Colors - Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color
ND Filter - On or Off
Movie Size: 640x480 or 320x240 (30fps)

The My Menu sub-menu allows you to create your own customized Shooting or "Record" menu with the settings you choose.