The Canon Powershot G15

About a week ago I reviewed the Canon Powershot G16 on this site going through some photos that I made with it at a Jimmy Buffett concert. This camera the G15 is the one that changed it all for me though. Last winter I was trying to find a good compact camera to give my mother and brother for Christmas. I wanted something that was easy to use, but also had the manual controls on it in case they wanted to dig a little deeper. I pondered a small dSLR, but then you have the lenses and everything else that comes with the dSLR to contend with. This camera seemed to be the one that fit the bill. I took one of the cameras out to test it, and I loved it from square one. It was a very powerful little camera that was great for carrying around and capturing those candid family moments. The ability to manually control your exposure easily without having to go through a menu system is a big plus. The fact that it shoots RAW is also very big to me. This is the camera that had me rethinking how I shoot. I do not take the large dSLR to special events anymore. I carry this small wonder with me to make those photos. I personally own the G16, but these are two similar cameras. I will have a comparison post up in the next few days.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Small and portable
• RAW imaging from a point and shoot
• 12mp images
• Modes and dials very similar to a dSLR
• Dual axis level
• Build quality
• f/1.8-2.8 lens
• 5x zoom
• HDR mode
• Roughly 480 shots per battery with eco mode turned on
• Large LCD screen
• Smart auto mode
• Hot shoe to fit accessories on

Cons

• Optical viewfinder is not through the lens
• Video not as good as the G16
• LCD screen does not tilt
• No GPS
• No Wifi
• Mode dials may be a bit much for a beginner

Final Verdict

This is a great camera for the money. If you are on a budget than this might be the camera for you right now. The G16 is about $100 more, and is very close to this camera. There are a couple of features that make the G16 a better camera, but for the most part the G15 holds its own against it. This is a great camera if you want to have something small with you to walk around with. You can make your photo, and then put it back into your large pocket.

Photo Sale!

This image and all of my others on my website here are now 50% off until Labor Day. I thought that after the long winter that we endured a photo sale was in order. If you like the photo above just click on it, and you will be taken directly to the image on SmugMug. If you just want to browse my online portfolio you can click on the link below.

50% Off