Canon G10 - Shooting the G10 at ISO 800 and ISO 1600

Canon G10 @ ISO 800 - Exposure pushed +0.75 in Lightroom

Since I unboxed my new Canon G10, I've been shooting a lot at ISO 800 and ISO 1600 to see how the G10 performs at these high ISO settings.

The above image of the Region of Waterloo Kitchener water tower, shows a typical ISO 800 photo with the G10, shot on the go in program mode with the exposure pushed +0.75 when I processed it in Lightroom. Sure, you can see some high ISO noise, but it's not bad, especially when we consider this came from a compact digital camera, AND I pushed the exposure almost a full stop in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.


Canon G10 @ ISO 800

Here's my daughter in her car seat, shot with the G10 at ISO 800. There's no exposure correction here. Looks pretty good for ISO 800.

**NOTE: Blogger's compression of the photos making some of them, especially the ISO 1600 photos, look pixelated and noisy. Click on any photo to see a larger image without the compression effects.**


Canon G10 @ ISO 800


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600

In the above photos of Lilly watching tv, you can see there is a substantial difference in the noise from G10 at ISO 800 and ISO 1600. Still, the photo at ISO 1600 isn't bad. I'm continually impressed that the high ISO noise is actually this low from the Canon G10.

You can see that the ISO 1600 image is a little sharper than the ISO 800, as the image stabilization couldn't quite compensate for the low shutter speed needed at ISO 800.


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600

Here's a close-up of one of Lilly's toys shot at ISO 1600. Not bad!


Canon G10 @ ISO 400


Canon G10 @ ISO 800


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600

In the above photos of the mints in the bag, you can see the stepped increase in high ISO noise from ISO 400 to ISO 800 to ISO 1600. Comparing the 3 photos, I'm really impressed with the ISO 800 and ISO 1600 shots for how little noise there is.


Canon G10 @ ISO 400


Canon G10 @ ISO 800


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600

Again, the above closeup photos of the clock continue to impress. The G10 is holding up really well at ISO 800 and ISO 1600.


Canon G10 @ ISO 400


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600

These wicker plant pot photos show the added noise in the ISO 1600 photo, compared to the ISO 400 photo, especially in the shadow areas where you'd expect, but overall, the ISO 1600 photo is still very usable.


Canon G10 @ ISO 400


Canon G10 @ ISO 800


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600

The elephant photos above again demonstrate the increased levels of noise as you increase the G10's ISO from ISO 400 to ISO 800 to ISO 1600, but they also demonstrate another important point. Look at the detail in the ISO 1600 photo. It's excellent for ISO 1600 out of a compact digital camera!


Canon G10 @ ISO 800


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600

Both of the above shots of Lilly show some noise, certainly much more than you'd get at the G10's base ISO of 80, but they're still usable. If I had to choose between getting the photo at ISO 1600 with the noise you see above, or not getting the photo at all because the G10 wasn't able to shoot it at ISO 80, I'd take the shot at ISO 1600.


Canon G10 @ ISO 800


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600


Canon G10 @ ISO 800


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600


Canon G10 @ ISO 800


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600


Canon G10 @ ISO 800


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600


Canon G10 @ ISO 800


Canon G10 @ ISO 1600

As you can see, the little Canon G10 does quite well at high ISO settings, especially when you consider the size of the sensor and the amount of megapixels packed into it.

Overall, I'm impressed with the G10 at these ISO levels. I wouldn't hesistate to shoot with ISO 800 on the G10, and I'd go to ISO 1600 if need be. Obviously, the lower ISO you can shoot at with any digital camera, the lower noise you're going to get, but when it comes down to getting the shot, or not getting the shot, the G10 delivers a very usable high ISO image.

Sure, the G10 is no Nikon D3 for high ISO, but just look at these ISO 800 and ISO 1600 images. We're talking about a $500 pocket camera here folks! The fact that the G10, with it's tiny sensor and massive 14.7 megapixel resolution, can deliver images this good at these ISO settings is simply amazing.

All the above images were shot on the G10 in RAW and processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2. You can view the full resolution files on my Flickr page at Shooting the G10 at ISO 800 and ISO 1600

More on the Canon G10...

Developing Canon G10 RAW - Lightroom vs Canon DPP

Closeup Pics Using Macro Mode On the Canon G10

Mrs. Ballard Shoots The Canon G10 - Straight Out Of Camera Jpegs

Shooting the Canon G10 With An Off Camera SB-26 Flash

5 Reasons To Sell Your Canon G10 And Buy A G11