PowerShot G10 updates Canon's advanced compact

Canon provided details this evening concerning its latest entry into the advanced compact camera class with the official launch of the Canon PowerShot G10.

Building on the basic platform set forth in the previous G9, the G10 features a 14.7 megapixel CCD imager, a new 5x zoom lens, and a high-resolution LCD.

The flagship compact is among the first PowerShot models to get Canon's latest DIGIC IV image processor. The addition offers some key upgrades, including face detection that's further improved and an increase in overall camera performance and shooting speed.

To this end, the G10 also further expands the raw shooting capabilities set out in the G9. The latest G camera's raw files are now fully compatible with Canon's Digital Photo Professional raw conversion and workflow software. Of course, the new model is capable of JPEG capture as well.

The G10 gets a lens that's not as wide-ranging as the one on its predecessor, but may have more appeal nonetheless. Whereas the G9 sports a 6x lens, the G10's 5x, optically stabilized glass reaches all the way out to a 28mm wide-angle end – significantly wider than the G9's spec.

Control arrangement on the G10 is similar to the G9's setup, with a few key changes. Most notably, the new camera adds an additional dedicated exposure control dial on the left-hand side of the top deck, moving the ISO control that used to sit in this location to a position atop the mode dial.

Out back, users will find a new 3.0 inch, 460K dot LCD in addition to an optical viewfinder. The new screen represents another significant step forward when compared to the G9, adding twice as much resolution and an additional half-inch to the G camera's screen specs.

As with its predecessor, the G10 permits high-sensitivity shooting at full resolution up to ISO 1600, or smaller captures at ISO 3200 via the camera's High Sensitivity shooting mode.

Overall, the G10 is logical, a progressive upgrade rather than a paradigm shift. There's no CMOS sensor, no outrageous high-ISO shooting, no drastic changes to the basic G camera look and layout with the G10. Instead, Canon has announced a conservative, well-speced upgrade that should compete favorably with competitive cameras from Nikon and Panasonic – if not completely outclass them, as many rumors had predicted.

The PowerShot G10 is expected in stores next month. MSRP has been set at $499.99.

Canon PowerShot G1 Specifications: