Outfitting Your Canon G Series for Landscape Photography

I love the resolution and detail the Canon 5D Mark II is capable of producing and for most of my commercial and landscape work it’s my camera of choice. However, like all other DSLRs the 5D2 can seem like quite a load to lug around during a serious day-hike or weekend backpack trip to the mountains of west Texas but I hesitate to leave it behind on the off chance that I’ll stumble upon a once in a lifetime photographic opportunity and won’t have by best gear along to capture it.

With the Canon Powershot “G” series cameras and a few simple accessories, this fear can finally be put to bed. The resolution, sharpness and lack of barrel or pin-cushion distortion offered by the G10/G11/G12 cameras make them ideal for landscape work.

The first accessory on my list was adding a circular polarizer to the G10 to help reduce glare and add some saturation to his images. Luckily, the folks at Lensmate in Seattle make a line of precision machined aluminum lens adapters for the Canon G10/G11/G12 that allow you to add a polarizing filter to the camera without creating a vignetting problem. Lensmate also sells the 72mm low profile Kenko Pro1 Digital CP filter that their adapters are designed to work with.

$ 24.95 — Lensmate G10 / G11 Adapter (Part A)
$ 22.95 — Lensmate G10 / G11 Adapter (Part B)
$ 74.95 — Kenko Pro1 Circular Polarizer (low profile 72mm)

Canon Powershot G10 with Lensmate Adapters & CP Filter

The next accessory I recommended was a light-weight tripod and ball-head like the Gitzo GT-1541T Traveller and the Really Right Stuff BH-30LR. I explained that there’s nothing more important to landscape photographer than the camera support system. Once he got over the sticker shock I also recommended picking up the RRS BG-10L L-Plate designed specifically to mount the G10 in a RRS quick-release clamp as shown below.

$88.00 — Really Right Stuff BG10-L: L-Plate for Canon G10

Canon Powershot G10 with Really Right Stuff L-Plate

Finally, I recommended he buy a hand-strap like the Camdapter Camstrap from Jim Garavuso. Jim is an engineer and avid photographer with keen eye for good design. I’ve used his high quality leather hand-straps on all my cameras.

The custom hand-strap seen in the image above I created by modifying the neck strap that comes with the G10 and mounting it under the RRS L-Plate. Not the best solution but it works in a pinch.

$30.00  —  Camdapter Camstrap

As you can see, with a few basic accessories the Canon Powershot G10, G11 or G12 can be outfitted for serious landscape photography at about 1/3rd the weight of a DSLR and lens. Not too bad for a “Point & Shoot” camera!

Canon Powershot G12: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Jeff Carlson’s latest book Canon PowerShot G12: From Snapshots to Great Shots has just been released and is available from Amazon or Peachpit Press right now.Jeff’s books contains five of my favorite landscape shots taken with Canon’s Powershot G Series cameras.

I was honored to be included in this wonderful book which contains a ton of great information for anyone wanting to take better photographs with their G10, G11 or G12 camera.

 

There are also over one hundred spectacular photographs included in this book from amateur and professional photographers across the globe and this alone makes it a “must read” for anyone owning one of these cameras.

As you would expect, most of my images are featured in Chapter 7 – Landscape Photography and the shot below (taken at Palo Duro Canyon) was used as a two-page spread to open the chapter.

Now that I’m done bragging, I’d really like the thank Jeff Carlson and the folks at Peachpit Press for once again including me in their projects. You folks rock!

Sunset at Lighthouse Peak

I wrote a post last November about how to outfit your Canon PowerShot “G” series cameras for landscape and nature photography and I thought it might be time to update it a bit before the holiday season.

I love the resolution and detail the Canon 5D Mark II is capable of producing and for most of my commercial and landscape work it’s my camera of choice. However, like all other DSLRs the 5D2 can seem like quite a load to lug around during a serious day-hike or weekend backpack trip to the mountains of west Texas. I generally hesitate to leave my 5D2 and lens kit behind on the off chance that I’ll stumble upon a once in a lifetime photographic opportunity and won’t have by best gear along to capture it.

With the Canon Powershot “G” series cameras this fear can finally be put to bed. The resolution, sharpness and lack of barrel or pin-cushion distortion offered by the G10/G11/G12 cameras make them ideal for landscape work when used with the Lensmate filter adapter shown above. Add a custom designed aluminum L-Plate from Really Right Stuff to the “G” series outstanding materials of construction and you’ve got a sturdy but lightweight rig that any landscape photographer would be proud to carry.

With results like this, taken from the Lighthouse Peak mesa in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, it’s hard to justify carrying around the extra weight of a full-size DSLR when hiking.

Sunset at Lighthouse Peak – Palo Duro Canyon, Texas
Copyright © 2010 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon Powershot G10 set on aperture priority (Av) using a circular polarizer. The exposure was taken at 28mm, f/6.3 for 1/50th of a second at ISO 80. All post capture processing was done in Adobe’s Lightroom 3. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Click on the image above for a larger version.

View Location on Panoramio & Google Earth: Sunset at Lighthouse Peak – Palo Duro Canyon, Texas

Comparing the Canon G10, G11 and G12

All product photographs courtesy & copyright Canon.

As most of you know by now, Canon has introduced a new “G” series model, the PowerShot G12 to replace their flagship model the G11 as well as the highly successful G10. In the coming weeks there will be reviews galore posted on the various industry watching blogs with in depth discussions of this new model’s features and benefits. Folks that recently purchased the G11 will start to feel “buyers remorse” and “upgraders envy” over the perceived differences between their G11 and the new G12. The amount of forum traffic on DPReview.com will climb as folks begin to post their rants and raves about this new camera.

To help cut through some of the rhetoric I thought I’d post a quick and dirty comparison of the G10, G11 and G12 cameras based upon the information currently available. Right off the bat let me state that this comparison is from a still photographer’s perspective only. The video capabilities of both cameras are very cool but beyond my area of expertise.

G12 Features
High-sensitivity 10 Megapixel CCD
28mm wide, 5x zoom lens, Hybrid IS
HS System
7.0 cm (2.8″) Vari-Angle LCD, Electronic Level, OVF
ISO capabilities from 100-12,800, with expansion
Front Dial, Full Manual control & Multi-Control Dial
RAW shooting
HD movies, HDMI
High Dynamic Range mode
Smart Auto mode
Multi-Aspect Shooting
FA-DC58B lens filter adapter (Watch out Lensmate)

Sensor:
According to Canon, the G12 includes Canon’s new “HS” system – a combination of a high-sensitivity 10.0 Megapixel CCD sensor and powerful DIGIC 4 processing, which delivers exceptional low light performance. They claim it enables the camera to support a maximum ISO of 3200 at full resolution and works to reduce the occurrence of noise at all ISO speeds for high quality images. Users can also set their own parameters in Auto ISO mode, with the ability to limit the maximum ISO speed they want to employ during shooting.

ISO:
G10 – AUTO, High ISO Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
G11 – AUTO, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
G12 – AUTO, 80, 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200

Pixels:
G10 – 14.7 MP
G11 – 10.0 MP
G12 – 10.0 MP

Image Stabilization
According to Canon, the G12 now uses their latest “Hybrid IS” system which corrects both angular (rotational movement) and shift shake (linear shake). The “Hybrid IS” system moves the lens elements to compensate for both types of movement – enhancing the effectiveness of the optical Image Stabilizer during macro shooting.

Processor: Same (DIGIC 4)
Lens: Same
Focusing: Same
Exposure Control: Same
Shutter: Same
White Balance: Same
Viewfinder: Same

LCD:
G10 – Fixed 3.0″ PureColor LCD II, 461,000 dots
G11 – Vari-angle 2.8″ PureColor LCD II, 461,000 dots
G12 – Vari-angle 2.8″ PureColor LCD II, 461,000 dot

Maximum Image Size:
G10 – 4416 x 3312
G11 – 3648 x 2736
G12 – 3648 x 2736

Interface:
G10 – A/V Out
G11 – HDMI, A/V Out
G12 – HDMI, A/V Out

Flash Sync:
G10 – 1/500th
G11 – 1/2000th
G12 – 1/2000th

Continuous Shooting:
G10 – 0.7 fps
G11 – 1.1 fps
G12 – 4.2 fps (Wow!)

Conclusions:
Honestly, it looks like there are really only four significant differences between the Powershot G12 and it’s predecessor the G11; the Hybrid IS system, the High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode, the ISO expansion capabilities and the 4.2 fps continuous shooting mode.

• If you plan to use the G12 as a travel camera, anything that provides a sharper hand-held image like Canon’s “Hybrid IS” is a huge plus in my book.

• Since I’m not into HDR photography, I’ll leave this new “in camera” HDR feature for others to comment on.

• I’m unimpressed with the ISO expansion capabilities in this camera. Pushing a penny-sized CCD sensor to ISO 3200 and above usually results in very noisy and grainy images. I’ll reserve judgment until I can test the G12 at ISO 1600 and 3200 but I’m not too hopeful.

• However, if Canon’s claim of 4.2 frames per second is correct, we’ve finally seen a P&S camera that can be used for action shots. This could be Canon’s “killer feature” and a significant reason to upgrade.

Some Final Thoughts:
I think the Powershot “G” series are superb cameras capable of delivering exception results under the right conditions. I do think that Canon has done the right thing in concentrating on improving the sensor in these cameras, rather than on just adding more megapixels with each new model.

I look at the G12 as an incremental release. Nothing earth shattering but some nice new features which build upon what’s available in the G11. I can’t see many G11 owners rushing out to buy a G12 but for folks looking at a high end P&S camera for the first time, its a great choice.

The real question is whether the G12 can beat the new Nikon Coolpix P7000 in image quality. I’m sure Nikon has had just about enough of folks buying a D3 or D700 as their “primary” camera and a Canon G10 or G11 as their “travel” camera.

But that’s a post for another time!

Nothing Could Be Finer…

I occasionally get asked why a “point & shoot” camera like the G10 or G11 is so good for landscape work and the answer is really simple: depth of field. One key to a good landscape shot is keeping the entire scene in perfect focus and with G10/G11’s small sensor, this is a snap (no pun intended).

I’m no sensor engineer but I can tell you this, the smaller the sensor, the “larger” the depth of field. That’s why a full-frame sensor like that used in my 5D2 can so easily throw the background out of focus, even at smaller apertures like f/8. That’s also why a crop-body sensor like that found in the Canon 50D, 7D or Rebel series will never be able to match the bokeh produced by a full frame camera.

It’s also why a point & shoot can take such wonderful landscape images where every detail is in perfect focus. That small sensor may produce noise at higher ISO setting but at ISO 80 and shot at f/5.6 you’ll have almost unlimited DOF and near perfect focus. So for inexpensive landscape shooting, nothing could be finer…

Bastrop State Park, Texas
Copyright © 2010 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon Powershot G10 set on aperture priority (Av) using a circular polarizer. The exposure was taken at 30mm, f/5.6 for 1/50th of a second at ISO 80. All post capture processing was done in Adobe’s Lightroom 3 Beta. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Canon PowerShot G9/G10/G11 Neutral Density Filter

I’ve recently received several email messages asking how to enable and correctly use the neutral density filter built into the Canon PowerShot G9, G10 and G11 cameras recently.

Here are a few tips & tricks to get you started. Enabling the built in 3-stop ND filter is very simple:

1. Press the Function/Set button to get to the Function menu.
2. Use the Up arrow or Down arrow to highlight the ND icon.
3. Use the Right or Left arrow to select ND (ND Filter On).
4. Press the Function/Set button again to exit the menu.

If you plan to use the ND filter often you can assign it to the little “S” (shortcut) button using the Set Shortcut Button menu.

Other Tips & Tricks

• Use a tripod to eliminate camera shake when using the built in ND filter. Read my previous post for more details.

• You can use a Canon RS60-E3 remote cable release with the PowerShot G10 / G11 or use the Self-Timer to activate the shutter and eliminate even more camera shake.

• Use a circular polarizer to eliminate reflections and add color depth to you images. My previous post explains how to “trick out” your G9/G10/G11 for landscape shooting.

The River Flows – Spring Branch, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon Powershot G10 set on full manual mode and tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 30mm, f/8 for 0.6 seconds using the built-in neutral density filter at ISO 80. Post capture processing was done in Adobe’s Lightroom 3 Beta. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Canon PowerShot G10 / G11: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Jeff Carlson’s latest book Canon PowerShot G10 / G11: From Snapshots to Great Shots has just been released and is available from Amazon or Peachpit Press right now. Jeff’s books contains three of my favorite G10 landscape images which were chosen from the hundreds submitted to Peachpit’s Flickr group created just for this book. The first person to buy the book and find my three images gets a free copy of my new photo book Hill Country Landscapes.

Running Water Shot with Canon’s G10

Here’s another abstract landscape shot with Canon’s Powershot G10 using its built-in 3-stop neutral density filter. Landscape photographers have long known the creative potential a neutral density filter can offer when shooting flowing water using a long exposure. Being able to take advantage of this in a point & shoot camera is somewhat unique and really sets the Canon G9, G10 & G11 apart from the competition.

Swirl – Guadalupe River State Park, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon Powershot G10 set on aperture priority (Av) and tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 30mm, f/8 for 1/2 second using the built-in neutral density filter at ISO 80 on Lexar Professional digital film. Post capture processing was done in Adobe’s Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.