- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Canon PowerShot G15
- 12 MP
- 5x f/1.8
- 1/1.8" CMOS
- 3" LCD
Released October, 2012
Rated 76% by by DPReview (Nov, 2012)The G15's fast lens also means you can keep the ISO sensitivity lower than on cameras with smaller maximum apertures, which means better image quality, or alternatively use faster shutter speeds - great news if you're shooting moving subjects.
Conclusion Check out the Canon PowerShot G15
First reviewed October, 2012
Features Key features of the Canon PowerShot G15
12 MP
1/1.8"
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Nov, 2012)The G15 has a very useful front control dial, as featured on EOS DSLR cameras, which makes changing the aperture and consequently the full Manual shooting mode very easy.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 14.2 MP    | 20 MP |
PowerShot G15 by Photography Blog (Nov, 2012)Building on the success of previous G-series models, for 2012 the G15 principally adds a 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, faster 5x zoom lens, bigger and higher-resolution LCD screen, 10fps burst shooting and full 1080p HD video.
PowerShot G15 by Photography Blog (Nov, 2012)All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 12 megapixel Superfine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 4Mb.
sensor size
PowerShot G15 by fastest-drummer (Oct, 2012)Of course, due to the sensor size it's not quite up to a DSLR quality if you are looking for smaller details in distant shots, but it is still very good for a compact.
PowerShot G15 by J.-D.-Morgan (Jan, 2013)The 12.1 Mpixel sensor may not be as large as some others, but it is entirely sufficient for all but poster-size prints.
wide angle lens
PowerShot G15 by MHP777Well, you don't actually get a choice of taking a photo in wide angle or not with this camera, unless you zoom every photo, because the un-zoomed setting is always wide-angle.
PowerShot G15 by Marilyn-Reinarz (Feb, 2013)Finally, the photos are beautiful as I would expect, but would rather add a Wide Angle lens, than to have every photo taken with Wide Angle.
aperture size
PowerShot G15 by Dennis-Vogelsang (Mar, 2013)The G15's sensor is surprisingly good and combined with the new Digic 5 processor and f/1.8 lens, it matches the X100's low light performance.
PowerShot G15 by Robert--Robert (Jan, 2013)The camera is great for someone who wants the option of independent control of functions such as shutter speed and aperture, remarkable for a camera that can fit into a large breast pocket.
zoom range
| 0x | 20x   | 20x |
PowerShot G15 by DPReview (Nov, 2012)The G15 also finally gains a dedicated movie record button, for the first time on a small-sensor G, and the lens can zoom and focus during recording.
PowerShot G15 by rmode (Nov, 2012)Ridiculous that Canon won't allow users any manual control in video mode (iso, shutter speed, aperture).
body size
107 x 76 x 40 mm
117 x 81 x 65 mm
105 x 59 x 28 mm
PowerShot G15 by Pro-recordist (Nov, 2012)In combination with the fast 28-140mm F1.8-2.8 lens that makes it a very versatile and pocketable photographic tool that offers almost the same degree of control as much larger DSLRs "The G15 is highly commended by this reviewer ( I have owned one for a few weeks ) for outdoor work, where a high quality compact camera is required for convenience and portability, and it is useable at higher iso settings than any previous G series Canon.
PowerShot G15 by Andy-Rosenblum--Andy-RosenblumI know that with time, the thinness and weight will be beneficial, as my hands aren't as strong as they used to be.
Performance Real world tests of Canon PowerShot G15
battery life
350 photos
700 photos
210 photos
PowerShot G15 by MHP777The camera does have excellent automatic light adjustment and battery charge life, far better than my A570.
PowerShot G15 by S.-Vogt (Oct, 2012)The battery is of a good size and the camera gets excellent battery life.
max continuous shooting
PowerShot G15 by DPReview (Nov, 2012)The G15's CMOS sensor also enables rapid continuous shooting at 10 frames per seconds, although only in the somewhat-restrictive High Speed burst HQ mode.
PowerShot G15 by MunDog--MunDog (Nov, 2012)The burst mode did surprise me for a camera of this kind.
DxOMark low light performance
PowerShot G15 by George-Hillard (Dec, 2012)In low light conditions got a great shot of the glass (yes, lit from inside) and the brick building outside in the semi-dark.
PowerShot G15 by Photography Blog (Nov, 2012)The Canon Powershot G15's maximum shutter speed is 15 seconds, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
Contrast detection focusing system -
HD video -
Proprietary -
f/1.8 -
Gives you more flexibility when framing your shot -
Create slow motion video -
For that film look -
10 mm -
Stitches together multiple photos into a single ultra-wide view -
Combines multiple photos together to capture both bright and dark areas -
1/4000 s
cons
-
1/1.8" -
46.0 -
2.1 fps -
9 -
19.9 bits -
1,460 s -
The screen is fixed in place -
None -
15 s
Reviews Word on the street
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 | Rated by 126 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Andy-Rosenblum--Andy-Rosenblum Rated 100% by by Andy-Rosenblum--Andy-Rosenblum Rated 100% by by Pro-recordist (Nov, 2012) |
Lens
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 75% by by c|net (Nov, 2012)Thankfully, you don't have to resort to the high ISO sensitivities as often because of the excellent lens: it's fast, bright, and reasonably sharp, albeit with some barrel distortion even at the 50mm-equivalent focal length.
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 76% by by DPReview (Nov, 2012)Photographers tend to be interested in how well a lens can blur backgrounds when shooting portraits at full telephoto, and in this respect the G15 should do pretty well for a compact, due its combination of relatively fast aperture and long-ish lens.
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by Ron (Dec, 2012)Compared to other cameras with this range of features and lens quality, its size is average.
Sensor
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by fastest-drummer (Oct, 2012)Sony is a very good camera and also deserves 5 stars (for the sensor size/picture quality; it's also $150 more BTW), but to me it seems like could use a little improvement making the body a little tougher,so the flash,and battery compartment don't feel that flimsy.
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by Mark-F (Dec, 2012)So far, I can now begin to properly adjust Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO on the fly and in different lighting situations (I have yet to even think about the more advanced chroma controls, such as white balance).
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by S.-Vogt (Oct, 2012)You can get respectable looking photos right up through ISO1600 if you're not blowing them up to billboard size and are willing shoot and process RAW files.
Screen
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by Mark-F (Dec, 2012)The LCD screen is a thing of beauty.
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 80% by by Todd-Jansen (Jan, 2013)Camera offers some features that are not too complicated and allows the camera to be used easily when changing to different modes they are breifly defined on the screen, quality of picture is great.
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by M.-E.-Balzer--What-is-Reality (Jan, 2013)I also do not miss the articulating screen since the G7 did not have one, and I find the size, quality and the wide view-angle makes it usable above and below your eye-line.
Image quality
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by OlibclarkeThe image quality is more than acceptable for a camera with a 1/1.7 inch sensor - sharp, detailed images with little apparent distortion, and the auto-white balance is pretty reliable.
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by fastest-drummer (Oct, 2012)To me, the built quality, size, handling, and picture quality are very important all together, and the sony is not up to the standard as far as the built quality is concerned.
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by David-M.-Pittle--David-M.-Pittle--Ph.D. (Dec, 2012)The icing on the cake is the f1.8 lens which coupled with a very capable image stabilization means taking photos in very low light without a flash.
Video
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by Mark-F (Dec, 2012)This camera takes very good 1080p videos, and they look great on my 60" 16:9 HDTV.
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by David-M.-Pittle--David-M.-Pittle--Ph.D. (Dec, 2012)The full HD video is extremely good and handy.
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick | Rated 100% by by Joyce-B.--Joyce-B. (Dec, 2012)I also used the video and was impressed by the videos I got when we were going through the Panama Canal.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 vs Canon PowerShot G15 |
 | 2 | Canon PowerShot G1X Largest sensor PowerShot G1X vs PowerShot G15 |
 | 4 | Panasonic Lumix TZ30 Has a touch screen Panasonic Lumix TZ30 vs Canon PowerShot G15 |
 | 5 | Canon PowerShot G12 OK delay taking photos PowerShot G12 vs PowerShot G15 |
 | 6 | Canon PowerShot SX260 HS 2-way tie: Most zoom PowerShot SX260 HS vs PowerShot G15 |
 | 7 | Nikon Coolpix P7700 Fastest to start up Nikon Coolpix P7700 vs Canon PowerShot G15 |
 | 8 | Fujifilm FinePix x20 Fastest rapid fire mode Fujifilm FinePix x20 vs Canon PowerShot G15 |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
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