The G15 will appeal most greatly to existing DSLR owners looking for a smaller backup for those shoot-from-the-hip photo opportunities. Read our Canon PowerShot G15 review to find out more.

A good way to think of of Canon's PowerShot G15 is like an EOS digital SLR without a lens mount. It sports a similar rock-solid build – here aluminium – and control layout to an EOS camera, but is of course more compact.

Built-to-last aluminium construction; Solid feature set; Optical viewfinder; 5x optical zoom usable during capture of video and stills; Manual top plate dials; Pop-up flash

LCD screen is fixed; Bulky; Pricey given that a digital SLR could be bought for the same price

Many "professional" reviews compare this camera to similar "large sensor" cameras and conclude that the large sensor cameras "win" - but you should ignore those reviews. The optics on this camera blow away the competition - there is no 5x zoom point-and-shoot camera with an F2.8 lens at maximum...

good battery life; Good Low-Light Performance; Nice features/settings; excellent image quality; durable; Bright LCD; Lightweight/Portable; Simple controls/menu; easy to use; two custom settings; separate flash on/off control

none

I spent a couple of hours trying to work out how the pop-up flash worked. Then asked Canon and it appears that you need to take of the hot-shoe protector. With the plastic hot-shoe protector on, the camera thinks you are using an external flash and disables the on-board pop-up flash.

great quality compact; Viewfinder; Robust.

Pop-up flash

I bought this product as a backup to my SLR kit and for good quality images when it is difficult to use an SLR. I have nightmares of walking to remote places only to find my camera has failed, my battery and backup are depleted etc. It happens occasionally. This camera is pretty small.

Bright LCD; Comfortable Controls; Easy Setup; Easy To Use; Great Picture Quality; Strong Construction

None To Speak Of

HD recording with stereo sound and a telephoto zoom lens is all you need on your camping trip. The performance of this camera will not disappoint you, because the focusing speed does not let you blink amidst a momentary shot.

The Canon Powershot G15 is a well-refined product and a joy to use. It is very quick and responsive in operation, built like a tank and offers the most external controls in its class. 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 Coolpix P7700 offers an impressive feature set, a longer zoom range than most of its competitors, a fully articulating LCD, and very good photo quality. Unfortunately, it is marred by very slow write times, especially in RAW mode which makes continuous shooting a chore, and really forces you to use the fastest memory cards available for best performance.

Photographers who want DSLR-like controls and build-quality in a pocketable package; Enthusiasts seeking a compact with great image quality at low sensitivities, a plethora of manual controls, an articulating display, and more zoom power than the competition.;

Video shooters or users who cannot live without an articulated screen; Photographers who will shooting RAW files continuously and don't want to wait to take the next photo. And, of course, optical viewfinder lovers.;

Excellent successor to the Canon G12: faster lens, better screen, faster AF, smaller and lighter.

Fast/accurate auto-focus; Good Image Quality; Good Image Stabilization; Good in Low Light; Great Zoom; Large Clear LCD; Nice Body Color; Small / Compact

Canon has kept the G-series brilliantly pro-friendly while cutting it down in size. Impressive.

Excellent image quality; Optical viewfinder; Pro controls

Chunky design; Fixed screen

I bought this camera as a 'take anywhere' to complement my Canon 7D DSLR. It's proved a more capable camera than I dared hope for. Image quality is excellent with RAW files offering all that you ask for from a compact.