Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/10/23

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Subject: [Leica] Fr the "wtf?" files -- Canon G11
From: kcassidy at asc.upenn.edu (Kyle Cassidy)
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:18:52 -0400

I saw the Canon G11 at Photo Expo yesterday and I'd been anxious to get my 
hands on one, thinking that it might fill the space between Ye Olde iPhone 
and a DSLR. I was particularly drawn to the high iso performance, full 
manual control and optical finder all of which I find leicalike essential. 

While the G11 looks great on paper, I can only imagine that the interface 
was designed by a chimpanzee who's been huffing glue. The camera sports two 
very leica-like wheels on the top, one of which sets the mode, okay, the 
second of which sets the _film speed_. Hello? My camera's been on iso 400 
for 99.9% of the photos I've ever taken with it, why do I need a wheel for 
this? Especially one in a very useful position. No matter though, because 
there's also a Canon like wheel on the back -- ah! You can turn this to set 
the shutter speed. Okay, I can live with that. That must mean this ring on 
the front around the lens is -- wait, no, it's nothing. It's just 
decoration. How do you set the aperture? Same wheel you set the film speed 
with. You press a function button. Okay, I guess I can get used to that. 
Shutter speed, function, film spe-- wait, wtf's going on here? There are 
THREE functions you select between, you mean I have to scroll through the 
METERING MENU to get between the shutter speed and the aperture?

WHY ARE YOU WASTING THOSE PERFECTLY WONDERFUL WHEELS ON THE TOP OF THE 
CAMERA? Canon? Hello? 

Ask next time, I'll give you the advice for free.

Perhaps this means there's a Panasonic GF-1 in my future, with that cute 
little pancake lens, until an M9 falls off the back of a truck for me....


Kc





Replies: Reply from hopsternew at gmail.com (Geoff Hopkinson) ([Leica] Fr the "wtf?" files -- Canon G11)
Reply from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] Fr the "wtf?" files -- Canon G11)