Philip Goes To The Store – Page 2 – Choose to be a photographer and not a retoucher

Bedazzled Part 3

(Above) Here I am with another couple from the UK, Richard and Rosemary. It’s obvious that this shot was taken with the G15’s flash. What’s amazing is that I set the flash to Slow Synchro—this means that the camera sets a slower shutter speed so that more of the background is registered. Without doing this the background would turn out dark and unnatural.

(Below) I was thrilled to see so many flowers in the 1885 for a wedding dinner. Since I had my G15 with me I took a few shots before anyone arrived. 1/30s f/2.2.

(Above) The new wing of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel—the Victory Annex, is going to be opened shortly. Right now only one floor is accessible—the floor which houses the meeting rooms, the Business Center, and the Ballroom. This is a part of the foyer near the elevators.

(Below) The self-timer of the G15 is pressed into service for my picture here. 1/40s f/2.2.

(Above) The beautiful Ballroom. It’s pictures like this where the electronic level of the G15 is a godsend. Shot using only available light. 1/30s f/1.8.

(Below) The foyer outside the Ballroom. Nice plush carpets and comfortable couches.

(Above) Finally, here’s a shot of the new pier on the seafront. If I had a DSLR there would be no way of taking this without using a tripod—camera shake would most likely ruin the picture. Believe it or not, I handheld this with an exposure setting of 1/5s f/2.2! If you click on the picture and view it enlarged you can see that the railings on the pier are pin sharp—hats off to the IS (Image Stabilization) of the G15.

Tags Canon PowerShot G15

General Photography

Bedazzled Part 2

(Above) To take this picture I set the FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation) of the G15 to –2 and a fairly slow shutter speed of 1/8s. I spun myself around on my swivel chair—it took a few attempts and I was a little dizzy after that. This was the most pleasing shot.

(Below) The hotel lobby during Chinese New Year. I crouched down low and let the G15 do its magic. 1/30s f/1.8.

(Above) The interior of Ben’s Restaurant taken with available light. The colors are so pleasing and restful.

(Below) Valentine’s Day dinner in the 1885. 1/20s f/1.8.

(Above) With my UK friends, Rhys and Jean at Farquhar’s Bar in the hotel. This was taken with the G15’s built-in flash as the location was quite dark. I set the FEC to –1/3 before the picture was taken.

(Below) I love taking pictures of flowers too, so when I saw this beautiful bouquet on top of my piano, out came the G15. 1/20s at f/1.8.

(Above) Back to some more food pictures. Bruschetta—an Italian appetizer consisting of toasted bread slices drizzled with olive oil and topped with tomatoes and basil. Taken with available light, 1/30s f/1.8.

(Below) My favorite part of a meal. This brownie with a huge scoop of Vanilla ice cream looks deceptively wicked. 1/30s f/1.8.

Tags Canon PowerShot G15

General Photography

Bedazzled Part 1

I am so enamored with my Canon PowerShot G15 after using it for a few months. The camera continues to impress me with its features—the sharp and bright f/1.8 lens, well-thought out menus and functions, excellent build quality, a battery that doesn’t seem to need frequent recharging, great video recording…the list goes on and on. Rather than let words describe how I feel about the G15, perhaps letting some of my photographs speak might give you a better idea.

(Above) This lovely shot of Emily taken last Christmas illustrates how good the G15 can be. I shot on Program mode (as I do at most times) without flash. The IS of the camera works a treat—I handheld this at 1/5s f/2 and the picture was sharp. Not much noise even though the G15 chose an ISO of 800.

(Below) The built-in electronic level of the G15 is a godsend (sadly my 550D/T2i doesn’t have this). This shot also displays the lovely bokeh that the G15 is capable of achieving.

(Above) I have a fondness for flowing water and waterfalls. The picture here was handheld with an exposure of 1/10s f/5.6. Notice that the leaves in the lower right are pin sharp!

(Below) New Year’s Eve in the fine dining restaurant. Taken using available lighting only. 1/30s f2.2, handheld.

(Above) I love taking food pictures; perhaps I could be a food photographer in another life. Taken using available light entering through a window. 1/100s f2.8. This Spaghetti Bolognese was so good!

(Below) This must be the longest Club Sandwich I’ve ever eaten. 1/30s f2.2.

Tags Canon PowerShot G15

General Photography

Pinang Peranakan Mansion

Funny how sometimes life offers an unscheduled stop when you least expect it. I was in town doing a delivery and happened to have some time and my Canon PowerShot G15 with me. Since this little fella is so compact I tend to take it along with me when I go out. Anyway, I made a pit stop at the Pinang Peranakan Mansion located in Church Street, Penang. This place has historical stuff and antiques from the time of the Babas and Nyonyas so I paid the admission fee and went in. The nice thing is that photography is allowed within the premises, flash or no flash. Since I had the G15 I took all the pictures using only available light.

(Above) I did a self portrait with one of the huge wall mirrors. It was only when viewing the picture in my computer that I noticed there were several Philip’s in the picture, heh.

(Below) I like to focus on details—nice stained glass, patterned flooring, Mother of pearl inlays, that sort of thing.

It was a very nice visit…I’m so very impressed with the G15; I tend to bring it everywhere with me. Lovely place, lovely camera.

Tags Canon PowerShot G15, Pinang Peranakan Mansion

General Photography

Canon PowerShot G15 Verdict

Post author By Philip
Post date December 20, 2012
5 Comments on Canon PowerShot G15 Verdict

Oh gosh, I have to confess that my poor EOS 550D/T2i has been languishing in the dry box ever since I purchased my G15. For the past two months I’ve been using this little fella 100% of the time. I am impressed with a few features that the G15 possesses:

First on my list is the incredible fast lens—f/1.8 on the wide angle end and f/2.8 on telephoto. This simply means that I can dispense with the built-in flash (I did have grandiose thoughts about mounting my 600EX RT or 320EX on the G15’s hot shoe prior to acquiring the G15) and coupled with the IS (Image Stabilization) pictures taken using only available light turned out surprisingly well. Moreover, it’s so easy to adjust the AWB and to see it change on the LCD screen—another thumbs up for me. Here I am with Kelly; this picture was taken using only available light. In fact, all the pictures I’m putting on this post were taken without flash.

(Below) A shot of the Christmas tree and myself in the fine dining area of the hotel; at 352 g including the battery the G15 is light but not too light. I find that people can hold it with minimal camera shake while taking a picture.

I have to say that the NB-10L battery pack does a fantastic job…I can easily squeeze off 200+ shots without needing a fresh charge. The built-in dual axis electronic level is a boon in helping to keep pictures level.

(Above) Slow shutter speeds while handholding the camera are not a problem at all. The picture of the waterfall was taken with an exposure of 1/10 s at f/2.8. Everything is pin sharp.

(Below) Close up shots are easy to achieve. Just set the focusing to Macro.

Browse photographic websites and you’ll find people arguing about why Canon took off the articulated LCD screen and the less than perfect viewfinder. Personally I can live with the fixed LCD screen but maybe the articulated screen will make a comeback if and when Canon releases the G16. Until then I’m a happy camper with this little jewel…it might not be perfect, but it’s perfect enough for me.

Tags Canon 320EX Speedlite, Canon 600EX-RT, Canon EOS 550D, Canon PowerShot G15