Canon drops the Gauntlet, New G11 and S90

[k100d]

new G11 with Swivel Screen
Canon unveils PowerShot G11 : Digital Photography Review

S90 with f2 lens
Canon reintroduces S-series with PowerShot S90: Digital Photography Review

both cameras claim to have a new hi sensitivity 10MP sensor with RAW output
i'm really excited to see some samples

[legacyb4]

At least they've resisted the urge to keep packing in those pixels!

[RBellavance]

Originally Posted by legacyb4

At least they've resisted the urge to keep packing in those pixels!

In the case of the G11, they've even gone backwards, as the G10 had 14.7MP on the same size sensor.

[séamuis]

the G11 is quite nice.

[pingflood]

Well, that's a pleasant surprise. People have been asking for a camera with fewer MP and better sensitivity and DR and I'll be damned if Canon didn't actually listen.

It'll be interesting to see how this thinking carries over to the 60D. A lot of people are saying they don't need the 15MP of the 50D (though I love it!) and would rather have a 10-12 MP camera with much better high ISO performance.

Too early to say, but maybe the MP war is slowing down?

[RBellavance]

Originally Posted by pingflood

It'll be interesting to see how this thinking carries over to the 60D. A lot of people are saying they don't need the 15MP of the 50D (though I love it!) and would rather have a 10-12 MP camera with much better high ISO performance.

I hadn't thought of that. There were so many complaints about the perceived lower IQ of the 50D vs. the 40D, that Canon may get a lot of 40D "hold outs" to upgrade by going with a lower MP count.

[pingflood]

Originally Posted by RBellavance

I hadn't thought of that. There were so many complaints about the perceived lower IQ of the 50D vs. the 40D, that Canon may get a lot of 40D "hold outs" to upgrade by going with a lower MP count.

Well, I have my own thoughts on that (don't I always?).

First off, the perceived "noise issue" was based on an initially flawed DPreview test (they used a less than ideal lens and a beta RAW converter), and people not understanding that 100% crops from a 15MP image should not be directly compared to 100% crops from a 10MP one. The resolution numbers they got weren't impressive, but other places (e.g. cameralabs) found a 20+% increase in resolution over the 40D, in line with what you'd expect from the additional pixel density. As tends to be the case often however, the dpreview results became a big issue on the Internet and immediately everyone "knew" how noisy the 50D was and how small of an increase in resolution it offered. Those who actually decided to buy and use one know that the real story is quite different!

Also, Canon forum posters have a bit of a history when it comes to bashing the current model. When the 40D was released it was considered a poor/inadequate upgrade, and a lot of people voiced that opinion all the way until the day the 50D was released, when the 40D suddenly became a wonderful DSLR and now the 50D was the crappy upgrade..

So if the 60D comes out with say 12MP, I bet you that six months down the road we'll have people waxing nostalgic over the superior resolution of the 50D... just the nature of things.

[wlachan]

AFAIC, the G series was dead when it reached G6. Since then they have turned into meaningless annual routine like most other Canon models.

[er1kksen]

I'm interested in seeing how the sensor in that S90 does. I'll probably be investing in M4/3 so the compactness isn't a huge deal to me, but all the cool stuff you can do with that CDHK hack... you just can't reproduce some of that with anything else on the market. Ironically, Canon makes the only compacts I would buy, and through no virtue of their own. I really hope those hackers get paid some day.

[RBellavance]

Originally Posted by pingflood

So if the 60D comes out with say 12MP, I bet you that six months down the road we'll have people waxing nostalgic over the superior resolution of the 50D... just the nature of things.

Quite possible

FWIW, I too understand the pointlessness of comparing 100% crops of different resolutions.

[k100d]

Originally Posted by wlachan

AFAIC, the G series was dead when it reached G6. Since then they have turned into meaningless annual routine like most other Canon models.

have you even looked at the specs? this is the most interesting revision since the G6
i must say that i'm fairly tempted ...

[wlachan]

Originally Posted by k100d

have you even looked at the specs? this is the most interesting revision since the G6
i must say that i'm fairly tempted ...

I did. What so special about the G11?

[Blue]

The G11 has the retro rangefinder look going for it.

[séamuis]

Originally Posted by Blue

The G11 has the retro rangefinder look going for it.

that's what I like about it.

[Blue]

Originally Posted by séamuis

that's what I like about it.

I think it is a nice looking camera because of that as well.