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.
Daimaou from Akihabara News Japan published a quick review accompanied with an image sample gallery.
“Already quite impressive the G10 was highly recommended, but now we would even push things on saying that the G11 is a “Must Have” for any serious photographer who want to carry something “light” along with them… Capable to offer great picture in a compact body the G11 is really impressive, but if the G11 is still too “bulky” for you, you should then consider another camera the S90 from Canon that happen to features the G11 sensor and many of its new and improved features.” (daimaou)
