The second reason I like this camera is it’s feel. It’s solid and heavy. The ergonomics are great. All the necessary controls are right there, without needing to go to the menu, especially the exposure compensation wheel on the top left of the body.

Serious Amateur Photography:
If all this preliminary information is correct then there are really two primary differences between these two excellent cameras; the low light / high ISO performance and the articulating LCD screen. I certainly hope the low light / high ISO performance (lower noise) of the new G11 is better than the G10 which is really poor. Especially since this improved performance comes at the expense of image resolution (which I really like for landscape and nature photography).

To be honest, I’m having trouble understanding the benefits of an articulating LCD screen, especially in outdoor conditions. Will this screen be easier to see in bright sunlight if it’s tilted somehow? Does this feature make composition easier? Is this feature aimed at videographers using the G11? Personally I’d have preferred a higher resolution 3″ LCD like that found on the new EOS 50D and 5D Mark II, which is much easier to see outdoors.

gdgt:
I’d recommend the G11 due to the reasons you’ve already mentioned. I’d wait to see how it stacks up against other cameras like Panasonic’s own LX3 since it is pretty comparable to the G10 as it stands (better low light performance, HD video) and will quite likely be a lot cheaper than the G11. Haven’t investigated all the features, but I would bear in mind the price of the G9 didn’t fall that much (if I recall it actually went up) after the G10′s release…

Radiantlite:
Canon G10 is suitable for photographer that shoot in base ISO (100-200) most of the time and care about fine details. Therefore, G10 is great for photographer who works in studio.

Canon G11 has better control of noise, especially shadow in expense of detail and resolution. It also has swivel LCD which is helpful for various shooting situations. Therefore, G11 is more suitable for photographers who work in the field, especially in low light condition.

The Powershot G series has represented a fairly formidable presence at the top of the compact camera tree. From a keen photographer point-of-view, there’s little on the market that can match its mixture of zoom range, lens flexibility, build quality and level of manual control. Somehow Ricoh’s GX and Nikon’s P series have never quite had the same impact but Panasonic’s LX3 has been enough to tempt some potential customers away, with its bright lens and convincing (for a compact) low-light performance.

Headline features

• 10.0 Megapixel CCD sensor
• 5x wide-angle (28-140mm equivalent) zoom lens with optical image stabilizer
• 2.8” tilt/swivel LCD (461k dot resolution)
• RAW image recording
• Claimed 2-stop advantage in low light compared to G10
• Dedicated Exposure Compensation and ISO dials
• DIGIC 4 processor
• i-Contrast boosts brightness and retains detail in dark areas
• 26 shooting modes with manual control and custom settings
• Accessories include tele-converter, Speedlights flashes and waterproof case
• VGA movies, 30fps

Changes compared to G10:

• 10 megapixel ‘high sensitivity’ sensor, down from 14.7 megapixels
• Gains ISO 3200 as full setting (Rather than option-limited scene mode)
• White balance fine tuning
• Tilt and swivel LCD 2.8″ (rather than 3″ fixed screen)
• New Low Light and Quick Shot modes
• HDMI connector
• No Superfine JPEG compression (Fine is least compressed option)
• No voice annotation or sound recording function
• No remote (tethered) image capture

The Final Word

Although the G11 faces competition from more sides than its predecessors did, it’s still a unique offering. There are more readily pocketable cameras out there that offer similar image quality and, once you’re resigned to wearing it around your neck, there are not much larger cameras that will trump it for image quality (though they are more expensive). There are even cameras that offer greater zoom ranges in smaller, less expensive packages. However, there’s nothing to match the G11′s all-round capability – its strengths are its balance between size, flexibility and image quality.

The G11 combines some of the best compact camera image quality with excellent levels of manual control, an optical viewfinder, flip-out screen, raw capability, superb battery life, flexible lens range and the ability to mount dedicated flashguns. It may not be the smallest camera out there (in fact it’s one of the largest to use such a small sensor), but, if you can live with the compromises this all-round ability brings, then there’s little that can touch it.

The lack of HD video looks odd on a contemporary high-end camera and the removal of some of the G10′s minor features might appear a touch petty and see the G11 marked down a little for features. However, the addition of a flip-out screen and its more consistent performance in a wider range of situations means the G11 improves on the G10 enough to just gain our highest rating.

Read the full review on DP Review