Sayonara G-12...

Good to the last pixel.. 
I have had no regrets getting the Powershot G12. 
It was a replacement for my ageing G10 'enthusiast' camera and had proven to be a reliable asset. 
As far as Ringgit and Sen is concerned, the G12 was worth every bit of blood, sweat and tears I've put in.
It was my primary camera used for work as well as leisure.


Problems
Of late, I noticed that all the function buttons on its back panel could not be activated.
Even the zoom feature was disabled.
I sent this to the Canon service centre and received an SMS from them the very day it was sent in for service.
Relieved and elated, I was hoping to use this camera for at least another six months before retiring it.
But to my utter disappointment, the problems were still apparent even though the technicians at Canon had cleaned up the camera.
A watermark on the panel had indicated that moisture had seeped-in.
This is true as sweat from my body had trickled down into the camera each time I bring the G12 out for my ride.
To prove his point, the technician even showed me the rusted panel which can be seen only when the camera is disassembled. 

Well-used, the G12

Replacement
Right now, I am seriously looking at the Powershot G1X.
This is not scheduled to be released here in Malaysia until late March or early April.
It has an estimated pricetag of RM2.4K (from USD$799 on most on-line retail outlets) and I am sure that it will serve very well as the G12's replacement..

Slow shutter shots done right

Underutilised feature...
I must say that I've only used about 5% of my Canon Powershot G12 digital camera's features.
This enthusiast-level pocket camera is feature-packed and unlike its predecessor, the G11, it has yet to be dropped from Canon's powershot line-up.
In the past, I've been strugging with the slow-shutter settings on the G12, usually ending up with overexposed shots.
Now, I know that there is a Neutral Density (ND) filter which is built-in on the camera's retractable zoom lens.

Taking the shot: A tripod steadies the camera for the slow shutter technique on this stream at the Sungai Tua nature park in Selangor

Got it!
After fiddling with it, I realised that the feature can be activated under the 'Function' button.
All I need to do, is to scroll down the functions and activate the ND filter.
With this feature, I can step down the shutter speed without overexposing the shot in the frame.


Results..
I must say that I am pretty impressed with the results.
Some shots that were taken with a slower shutter speed like 1/8sec did provide some promising results.
I placed a tripod and pointed the camera on a stream.
The effect of slow shutter speed is a soft flow of water.
And if you control the aperture and shutter speed, the results are just amazing...


ND and slow shutter gallery..

HDR shot of the stream

Slow-shutter shot with ND filter feature

'Miniature' effect

Perils of the Samo-cam

Still needs tweaking - the Samo-cam, a handlebar mounted rig for the G12

It works!

The much-anticipated Samo-cam MK1 was tested today at the MPSJ health ride.
I rigged it with a remote shutter release cable fastened to my right hand grip and tried it with flash and the results were disastrous.
Vibration from the ground and lateral force yielded some blur shots.
This was not as bad as shooting it handheld. All I need to do, is to stretch out the neck strap with one hand and fire away.
Previous results with this technique were acceptable.
The Samo-cam MK1 however, did perform well in broad daylight.
Some of the chase shots I made was quite decent, yielding crispy clear and sharp images of the ride.
What I found flawed, was the threaded base.
Due to vibration and lateral force, the medium hygrofriction arm was loosened.
I think the solution is to thread-lock it and I have just the tool for the job.
Two parts on the Samo-cam needs to be tweaked.
First is the base thread and the micro ballhead.
Hopefully, with the problems at bay, I can test it again in Broga next week!

Mo better gadgets

Getting some flak - the massively souped-up Curve SL

The right stuff: Manfrotto's nano-clamp, medium hygrofriction arm and 492 micro ballhead

I drew some flak for showing my new camera rigs.
First, some dude was poking fun. Said that I better pack in an M-16, AK-47, bla-bla-bla, ding-dong-ding-dong.. 
That was okay.
The practical guys (whose ideas and advice I truly appreciate) said the ball-joint may not be steady.
True. No arguments about that.
But can we improvise? Of course.
What I showed, was how a super clamp, magic arm and quick release plate can be mounted on the bike.
There's no way that I would ride it without attaching a safety wire on it.
On the other hand, the medium hygrofriction arm, nano clamp and micro ballhead on my Dahon Curve SL's handle would seem like a viable option.
All I need to add for remote capture, is a remote control..

Powershot G12 gone kaputt!

In the workshop: my Canon powershot G12

I picked the Canon powershot G12 as a successor to my ageing powershot G10.
This was two months ago and yesterday, the camera died on me.
Seems that there were some tell-tale signs. One of it was its inability to focus at long zoom length.
When the camera failed to function yesterday, I knew that it was going to go kaputt.
Lucky for me, my powershot G10 is still there to back things up.
I sent the camera to Canon's service centre this morning and was told that it would take five to seven working days to get it back.
For a two-month old top-of-the line point-and-shoot camera, it was really disappointing to learn that it was so fragile.

Powershot G12 special function - Fish eye effect

A distorted me

My boy, shot with the fish eye effect - now, cuter than ever!

The girl

I am discovering some features in the Canon powershot G12 which is really fun.
The fish eye effect under its special functions - is something that would put a smile on people's face.

Canon powershot G12 part 2

Twilight in Malacca

Shot with the 'low-light' mode on my G12

Another twilight shot at Malacca

I had a chance to try out my new Canon powershot G12 in Malacca on Sunday. 

Since we left early to get there, it was a perfect chance to give the low-light mode feature a try.

With all those hybrid IS and high ISO capture capabilities thrown-in, my compact camera was able to capture some shots handheld. 

Some pundits from a photography forum said pixelation occurs on this low-light feature which is apparent in the photos shown, but that didn't matter because I basically use the pictures for record.

Anyway, in the newspaper business, high-quality images are not a necessity.

What the G12 can capture compared to its predecessors is truly impressive.

But all these features including the HDR capture has a flaw. It can only be recorded on JPEG.

I got used to shooting in RAW and can only utilise the shots in JPEG.

Again, this doesn't really matter much when I publish the pictures in low-resolution images in the newspaper.

Summary

As far as controls are concerned, there is much to fiddle around with if you compare the G12 with the G10.

The swiveling LCD screen came as an advantage for low-angle shots. When I rig my tripod on the ground, I no longer need to squat down low. All I need is to place the LCD to get the right angle. If you shoot landscape, this feature has plenty of advantages.

Although the camera is not as responsive as some micro four-thirds, the G12 is well ahead of cameras within its class. Its much more affordable than the Leica D-Lux 5 and can give the Panasonic Lumix LX-5 a run for its money. Only thing that is absence is a faster lens and of course, the Leica coatings. Then again, I don't need it.

If you compare the user interface, the G-12 is much more friendlier. 

As as image quality is concerned, I am very impressed with the G12 as it is able to deliver some really good and clear shots. 

Canon powershot G12 part 1

The camera's new front dial button

On/Off controls are recessed

My G12 and the G10 in the background

Over the last 10 years, I've cycled at least 6 out of 10 Canon powershot digital cameras. 

My first was a G-1 which I bought through a friend. It was a showroom set which was taken for trade exhibitions. I paid RM1.6K for the G-1 and subsequently upgraded it to a G-3. 

Soon, the powershot G-5 and G-6 came along and it took a while until I changed it to a G-7. 

My last camera was the G-10 which served me very well. 

It was replaced by the G-11 which features a swiveling LCD screen and low-light capture capabilities.

I came very close to procuring the G-11, but after a deal to sell it went sour, I decided to keep it. 

Recently, I got a very good offer for the camera and decided that it was time to give the G-10 some rest.

First impressions 

With the G-12, Canon did away with bulky boxes and papers. 

Instructional sheets were replaced by a CD-Rom and the package was minimalistic.

I found that the controls too have changed a bit.

The On/Off button is recessed and this is good because it prevents accidental power-up when you are carrying this camera in your pocket. (most people found it to be too big for their pockets and prefer the slimmer S-95)

Anyways, feature selection and certain controls can be accessed with a front-dial. 

This is something that you would find on an EOS camera.

Even the slow-flash sync function on the flash controls were not there anymore. 

Its been replace by a slow-flash feature on the flash function itself.

The G-12 has a low-light capture ability but this is toned down to 2.5MB per image which turned out to be very pixelated when you blow it up on screen at 1040 x 800.

Its good for record purposes but if you want to present this as a large print, better forget it. 

The feature is also limited to large JPEG images. No RAW capture.

On feel, the swiveling LCD is plastic. So, when you play with the jog dial during image reviewing on playback, it feels rather 'plasticky' compared to the G-10 which is housed in a magnesium-alloy casing. 

To me, this is a slight drawback. Nothing really serious. 

As far as value is concerned, the powershot G-12 is a bang for your buck if you prefer a small point-and-shoot camera packed with advanced features.