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.
Canon PowerShot G10 has a special mode called Stitch Assist. You can reach it using the top dial (it looks like two windows next to each other).
However, this mode does not exist on the Canon PowerShot G11. Did Canon dump it?
The answer is no. It is hidden under the SCN mode. You simply need to switch the top dial to SCN. Then rotate the rear wheel till you see Stitch Assist.
The Stit
ch Assist mode allows you to take panoramic photographs by taking many pictures while placing them one next to the other.
Your camera helps you by showing the previous image to which you have to match the next image like a puzzle game.
The G11 has two Stitch Assist modes. One is for taking a panoramic photograph from right to left.
The other is for taking a panoramic photograph from left to right. It’s really a matter of convenience.
Choose the mode you like, simply rotate the wheel a little more to see the other mode.
When you complete taking all images of the panorama, load the files in your computer. These files have non-standard file names in the form of ST?_0000.JPG (for example: STA_1002.JPG, STB_1003.JPG, STC_1004.JPG, etc.). Load these files into PhotoStitch (a free software from Canon that came with the CD in the box).
PhotoStitch can easily connect or stitch all images into a wide panoramic photograph.
I will give further explanation about PhotoStitch in a future article.
I’ve been playing with the Canon PowerShot G11 and noticed that all of the sudden photographs are turning too bright or too dark for no apparent reason.
This problem had nothing to do with the mode of the camera (P, AV, TV or M), nor was it related to ISO settings, White Balance or Exposure Compensation settings.
Turns out you can seriously damage your results by accidentally switching the Light Metering Mode. Usually it is set to Evaluative. The problem starts when you switch it to Spot.
Usually when you take night shots, there is less detail in the photograph which results in a smaller JPEG. I’ve seen JPEG files upto 5MB in day shots JPEGs, but only up to 3MB in JPEGs taken during the evening or when it’s dark.
The screen capture to the left shows you the difference between RAW files vs JPEG files (taken using the highest setting L). Both images were taken together using the RAW+L option set to ON (which tells the camera to take both RAW and JPEG at the same time when you take a shot).
As you can see, the JPEG file-size average around 2 megabytes. The RAW file on the other hand average around 12 megabytes. This is six times bigger than the JPEG!
These file averages can help you calculate how much space you need when you have limited space on your memory card. These averages are usually lower for night shots but grow bigger as more detail is added to the photograph.
As you look at the files list, pay attention to the type of the file. CR2 files are RAW files almost untouched, where JPG files are images processed and down-sized by the camera.
So what is Safety Shift in the Canon G11 (and some other Canon cameras) ?
Safety Shift works in both AV and TV mode. AV stands for Aperture Value and TV stands for Time Value.
In each camera mode you can set either the Aperture value or the Shutter speed value. Since these values depend on each other, your Canon G11 can automatically choose for you the best aperture value or shutter speed value that corresponds the best with the value that you chose.
AV mode – You select the aperture value. The camera chooses the shutter speed value.
TV mode – You select the shutter speed value. The camera chooses the aperture value.
However, it is not that simple. Photographs you take are effected by the conditions outside. Whether it’s sunny, cloudy or dark. Sometimes the value you choose cannot be compensated by the corresponding value. In these situations you will see the value you selected displayed in orange color. This means, you must change the value or else your photograph turns out wrong (burned out or too dark).
This is where Safety Shift plays its role. When you enable Safety Shift, your camera automatically modifies the value you selected so the photograph turns the way it should be.
Keep on reading to see how it’s done.
Here’s a quick tip for reducing wind noises when you shoot videos in Video Mode using your Canon G11 camera.
While in Video Mode do the following:
1. Click MENU button
2. Browse to Wind Filter (under camera tab) and select ON.
This will suppress noises when the wind is strong. Remember to follow the above steps to turn the Wind Filter back OFF after you’re done filming.
Using the Wind Filter when there’s no wind around, may result with unnatural sounds. The Wind Filter is only available in Video Mode.
This tutorial will show you how to insert or embed date and time into an image file as you take a photograph with your Canon G11 camera.
Unlike older Canon cameras, the Canon PowerShot G11 gives you the option to embed a photograph’s date and time so you can always remember when you took the shot.
Generally speaking, date and time are automatically saved for every image file in two different places:
1. The file’s date property
2. EXIF data within the meta data of the file.
The first option is not reliable as it can change when you copy a file from one location on your computer to another. The second option can be viewed using an image browser that supports showing EXIF meta data.
Remember those old film cameras? Many of them had the option to insert the date of the photographs into the film negative. This was an irreversible action which would cause any printing of that photograph to show the date.
We don’t really need this option today with the EXIF data saved in a hidden place, but for some purposes it can be useful. For example, when you don’t have access to a computer but want to print photographs on the way. This is a nice method of showing others the date of the photo without any effort at all.
Continue reading to see how it’s done.
The Canon PowerShot G11 is equipped with a x5 zoom. While it is nice to have a medium zoom, you may find it does not always suit your needs.
When you need an object to appear bigger, you have two options: Crop or Digital Zoom.
Cropping
Cropping is the accepted technique to get the job done, but it requires some post-processing of the image with computer software such as Lightroom, Photoshop, etc. What you do is load the image into a program such as Photoshop, use a tool called Crop to mark the boundaries of the desired object, and crop it. What you get is an image of the object you marked. Quick and simple.
No Image Deterioration Digital Zoom (aka. Safety Zoom)
Digital zoom is generally a bad thing to use. It gives the illusion of an enlarged image, but in reality, the result image deteriorates by losing its clarity and quality. As a thumb rule – never use digital zoom unless you know what you’re doing.
Unlike other Canon cameras, the Canon PowerShot G11 has an unusual technique to keep image quality when you use digital zoom. Given certain conditions you can use the digital zoom as if it was the optical zoom, and by doing so you can keep zooming beyong the x5 limit while keeping the image from deterioration!
This trick relies on reducing the size of the output image from the maximum 10 megapixel resolution to 4 megapixel or lower. This is actually equivalent to cropping, only now you can instantly use the image you have on the camera. Keep on reading to see how it’s done.
Canon DPP is a free software provided by Canon. It stands for Digital Photo Professional. It enables you to process RAW files obtained by either DSLR cameras or advanced Point and Shoot cameras such as the G series or S series. This application lets you process RAW files that you have taken with your Canon G11 (or Canon S90).
In order to use it properly, Canon has published this free online Flash demonstration.
Learn how to process RAW files with your Canon G11 camera and Canon DPP (Click Here!)
The Canon G11 comes with special preset modes. The top dial controls the way the G11 takes photographs. Some of the modes are well known from other Canon cameras, such as the P (Program AE), TV (Shutter Priority), AV (Aperture Priority), M (Manual Mode), as well as two custom modes C1, C2.
The G11 comes with two unique special modes – Low Light Mode and Quick Shot Mode.
Low Light
Low Light Mode allows you to take photographs in low light conditions. It is indicated by a small candle (located just below the AUTO mode). This mode was introduced to the Canon S90 as well.
Using this mode, the ISO speed will be set automatically between ISO320 and ISO12800. Depending on the scene, the ISO speed will be set higher and the shutter speed faster than in AUTO Mode so that you can shoot in dark places with reduced camera shake and subject blur. Recommended for candlelight or similarly lit scenes.
Quick Shot
Quick Shot Mode is unique to the G11 model. Using this mode you can reduce the shutter lag when taking photographs. This shutter lag, typical in P&S cameras, may interfere when you take shots of sports events or fast moving objects. According to Chip Online , this mode can decrease shutter lag from the usual 0.46 seconds to 0.15 seconds. The shutter lag is referred to the time elapsed since you click the button till the camera takes the photo.
One of the things missing in the Canon G11 is setting for maximum ISO level. When you take a photograph you can either set your favorite ISO by selecting it using the bottom ISO dial, or leave it on AUTO to let the camera decide.
Canon PowerShot G11 support high ISO up to 3200. This means sometimes the camera might choose ISO too high for your taste.
Although the G11 can easily handle low light conditions, sometimes you want a slightly better result. Limiting the ISO to 1600, 800 or 400 can help do that.
Limit Auto ISO Max to ISO 400 In Canon G11
Landscape Scene Mode: using this mode, the camera will not take photograph in ISO higher than 400 (when ISO dial is set to AUTO).
How-To? Switch the upper dial to SCN. Then choose Landscape in the menu using the arrows.
