Canon G15 review

What does this upgrade of the popular G12 offer?

Canon PowerShot G15
The 12.1 megapixel Canon PowerShot G15 replaces the G12

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Canon PowerShot G15 review

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The Canon G15 is good at accurately judging the correct exposure, even in scenes with strong contrast between the highlights and shadows.

Canon PowerShot G15 review

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Its small and sleek size makes the Canon G15 a good option for an everyday backup camera for those times when you don't want to carry a DSLR, but still want to retain full creative control.

Canon PowerShot G15 review

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Colours straight from the Canon G15 are bold and punchy without being overly vibrant.

Canon PowerShot G15 review

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Thanks to the f/1.8 maximum aperture of the lens, attractive shallow depth of field effects can be achieved, with the focus drop off being nice and smooth.

Canon PowerShot G15 review

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Shooting at high sensitivities such as ISO 800 produces images that still retain lots of detail without introducing too much image noise. Automatic white balance has also done an excellent job here of accurately reproducing the colours.

Canon PowerShot G15 review

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Macro focusing enables you to get really close to the subject to produce images with plenty of clarity.

Canon PowerShot G15 review

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The Canon G15's 5x optical zoom range gives a good level of flexibility.

Filters

Like many compact cameras currently on the market, the Canon G15 contains lots of digital filters. These can be accessed by turning the mode dial to special effects mode. You can only use filters when shooting JPEG images.

Canon PowerShot G15 review

HDR filter

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Canon PowerShot G15 review

Nostalgic filter mid-range

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Five different levels of the Nostalgic filter can be used, ranging all the way up to full monochrome. This image is from the middle of the range.

Canon PowerShot G15 review

Nostalgic filter maximum

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This is the most 'extreme' Nostalgic filter.

Canon PowerShot G15 review

Fish-Eye filter

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This Fish-Eye filter recreates the effect of using a fisheye lens, and again there are different levels you can choose from. This is from the middle of the range.

Canon PowerShot G15 review

Miniature effect

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Canon PowerShot G15 review

Toy Camera filter

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Canon PowerShot G15 review

Soft Focus filter

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Canon PowerShot G15 review

Monochrome filter

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Three different options are available for Monochrome - standard black and white, sepia and blue.

Canon PowerShot G15 review

Super Vivid filter

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Canon PowerShot G15 review

Poster Effect filter

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Canon PowerShot G15 review

Color Accent filter

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Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar.