For long I’ve been dreaming about merging my passions to scuba diving and photography. Those beautiful underwater sights have got to be documented!
Before the Canon G11 I was carrying a Canon S3 which is too big to handle underwater. Seeing the quality of the G11, as well as its relatively small size, I couldn’t resist buying its affordable waterproof case companion for my occasional scuba trips. I did not buy the G11 for its underwater abilities, although it did cross my mind. That said, for some the Canon S90 might be more convenient for scuba photography because of its smaller size and similar abilities. Canon offers the WP-DC34, an affordable waterproof case, capable of going down to 130ft or 40 meters.
For quite some time now I’ve been messing with the newest version of CHDK for Canon G11. CHDK is a firmware add-on which brings advanced features to Canon cameras. It is model specific, meaning that you must get a specific CHDK version for your Canon model.
Not every Canon camera was privileged enough to get a CHDK version. The Canon G10, for example doesn’t have one! Fortunately, my initial request (back in November 2009) was accepted by some talented developers. The Canon G11 today is much more advanced and feature-rich than its predecessor, the Canon G10. CHDK makes a big difference.
Highlights
Longer exposure times than 15 seconds, shoot video with optical zoom, Super-Fine, live over-exposure view, live edge view, file manager, advanced scripting.
A few words about installation
I will not discuss the process of CHDK installation in this article. I have not mastered this process yet. I can say that it is not a straight-forward process. There are certain limitations to using CHDK such as the requirement of using memory cards sized 4GB or smaller. As far as I can tell, using memory cards bigger than 4GB requires a complex procedure which I have not looked into as of yet.
Even when using a 4GB card, you need to mess with the memory card lock switch. These limitation are due to the fact that “The G11 CHDK DOES NOT support the manual loading method through the firmware update mechanism!” (stated on the CHDK G11 web page). It means that you cannot use the firmware update option to load CHDK into memory. I hope it will be changed in the future.
The Canon PowerShot G11 allows you to attach filters and lenses using a special method which involves an adapter. I’ve already discussed this adapter in a previous article (Canon G11 58mm Aluminum Adapter Tube Review).
There are two problems with that two-parts adapter:
1. Blocked Zoom – using only one part of the adapter you can get perfect pictures but you cannot use the zoom feature as the camera’s lens gets stuck in the filter or extra lens, thus making the camera to shut down.
2. Vignetted Images – using both parts of the adapter you can use the zoom, but when the zoom is not used, the camera gets vignetted images. That means you see a black circle over the edges of the photographs.
The Canon G11, just like its predecessor the Canon G10 has the ability to add lenses or filters. The process is not that simple as you have to acquire a lens adapter for this task.
The main problem is that Canon sells a cheap plastic adapter which is not considered having as high quality as the camera itself.
However, it is possible to get an even better replacement for this adapter, made out of aluminum instead of plastic.
Keep reading to get more information.
This is a great video compilation of scuba dive underwater clips taken mostly with the Canon G11 and Canon G10. They are mixed together so you can’t tell which is which.
Click HQ to watch in High Quality
“Some great deep dive video and photos taken on seperate dives on the Zen. Camera used was mostly a Canon G11 or G10. This video is compiled over many dives so please bear this in mind if you are planning a dive trip to the Zen.” (MrDiveman1971)
Canon G11 goes to Saudi Arabia to take a video shot of a sand car.
Click HQ to watch in High Quality
Dougste posted two lovely panoramic images taken with the Canon G11.
“I have almost always used Canon P&S and the G11 is the very best I have used. Only had it two days, but love the shots and how it handles.” (dougste)
A few image samples showing the abilities of the Canon G11 at night. These are taken with ISO 80, 200 & 800.
“These are a few night shots taken on a recent trip to Ghent. All are handheld straight out of camera JPEGS. The only PP is straightening & cropping.” (Stephenbw)
Nice video results with the Canon G11. See this camera works for the fashion industry.
The Canon G11 is an advanced P&S camera that allows using an external remote switch shutter release, unlike many other P&S cameras.
If you open the small door on the right side of the G11, you see four sockets. One of which is a 2.5″ round socket where the remote switch’s connector goes.
This 2.5″ socket is made for the original Canon RS-60E3 remote, but since it’s a rather simple mechanism you can get a compatible remote switch on eBay from China or Hong Kong which would do the job just as well.
Canon PowerShot G11 on a special sale for new year 2010 in both Amazon.com and B&H Photo Video !
Original price of $500 has just dropped to $439
[AD]
If you’ve been considering this camera, then now is the time to get it with free shipping and $61 discount.
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Links
Canon PowerShot G11 (Buy on Amazon.com)
Canon PowerShot G11 (Buy on B&H Photo Video) $439.95 USD including free shipping
Video mode of the Canon G11 is demonstrated in complete darkness. There’s only a headlamp involved.
Check it out. Click HQ to watch in High Quality.
“Climbing by Headlamp. Video Experiment with Canon G11″ (iangreant)
Photo America TV does a video review on the Canon PowerShot G11
I have previously reported about the RC (release candidate version) of Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom with support for Canon PowerShot G11 and Canon PowerShot S90.
Now the final release is out for you to download. Adobe has just released RAW support for newest cameras in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop CS4 (as a plug-in). Two of these cameras are Canon PowerShot G11 and Canon PowerShot S90.
Download it here:
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.6 – multiple languages
Adobe Photoshop Camera RAW 5.6 Update
Adobe Photoshop Elements Camera RAW 5.6 Update
See latest releases from Adobe for Windows and Macintosh here
Taking photographs with your Canon G11, the camera alerts you in the form of orange colored values when the settings you selected do not match the shooting conditions.
But what if you still want to take the shot using wrong settings? You may find that the G11 takes over and automatically changes your values to what it thinks is best for you.
This feature is called Safety Shift. While it may be useful at times, sometimes you want to leave this decision for your own judgement. This is definitely not a bug but a camera “feature” that you can easily fix.
Keep reading to see how it can be done.
