Canon G15 Test: Low-Light
Canon G15 Test: Low-Light, originally uploaded by @lifebypixels.
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Well I finally got my Canon G15 and I've been using it for about a month and a half now. I wanted a camera that was smaller than a DSLR that I could keep with me for spontaneous inspiration and street photography. I had shot with previous versions of the Canon G-series point and shoot bodies and was always a fan. This was a tough choice though, people were suggesting the Sony RX100 as it's price point was very similar and the quality is spectacular. So a few things drew me closer to the G15. Now sure, I own a smartphone, and it's true I could use that for spontaneous photography, and I do. But the shutter button response time, the resolution, the transferring of files. It's not quite there for me as a photographer, but I definitely use it for exploring and research. Mostly, my phone is for taking pics of my kids, my friends, and occasionally my meals. ;)
First, they had gone back to the original focusing system, it was much faster back in the G8 days and it had a much shorter distance for focusing. You can get this thing about 1" off of your subject, and in macro mode get unbelievable details. I love that! Trying to see the innerverse of our day to day lives is a great way to use a camera for inspiration. Textures, creatures, and more that you wouldn't normally see.
So another reason I wanted the camera was because I go to a lot of local shows. Music shows that is. I was a gigging musician for over fifteen years, and I have a lot of friends who are still in bands I like to go support. Taking my DSLR out when they want me to get shots of them is a given, but some nights the lighting looks cool, and I just want to capture that thing that I'm seeing. The G15 is a little too thick for your jeans pocket, but it fits great in my hoody or just to wear around my neck. This shot is just one example of those moments. My friends Kevin and Nate from Horseshoes & Hand Grenades were playing at an Ice House in New Braunfels, Texas. They can be found around Austin, Texas almost any night of the week and they are a great live duo. The lighting was minimal, and it was crazy dark. Needless to say, it wasn't an ideal photography setup. So I pulled out the G15 and man did it hold up. The focusing system was locking on really fast, and these shots were taking at a high ISO (ISO500) for such a small sensor. But, the focal range on this camera is great. 14-140mm with a aperture range of f1.8-f2.8. So I had plenty of room to shoot at 1/50s f1.8 ISO500 and still nail some of the drama and detail of this smoky dark bar. The guys were moving around, and still I managed to nail some key moments of their performance. It was a nice bonus being able to take some HD Video afterward with just the flip of a switch.
So all in all, I'm very happy with this little point and shoot camera. It's under $500, gives me a wide range of usage options/controls. It has video, high res photos, editing features, and manual like controls comparable to my DSLR. For anyone looking to have fun and not get too deep into a heavy investment, this is a great choice!
@lifebypixels