Canon PowerShot D10 Waterproof Digital Camera Preview And Video
Canon USA got their first batch of PowerShot D10 waterproof and shockproof digital cameras last week. I timed my request right and got one of the first they sent out. Our D10 review camera is already in the hands of professional photographer Ann Torrence, who will be taking it on a float trip down the Grand Canyon next week. I’m hoping for a great real-world camera test with sweet rafting and canyon photos! Before I handed the D10 over to Ann, I shot a shot box opening video and camera tour, made product shots, and shot controlled studio test photos at all ISO settings.
For the past few years, waterproof digital cameras have been the domain of Olympus and Pentax. But right before this year’s PMA tradeshow, Panasonic, Fujifilm and Canon all announced their first waterproof digital cameras. Of the bunch, the 12-megapixel Canon PowerShot D10 had me most excited. It matches the best waterproof and durability specs of what’s available with a 33-foot depth rating and the ability to withstand a 4-foot drop. But the reason I was most excited about the D10 is Canon image quality.
So far there has been a noticeable image quality compromise with waterproof/shockproof digital cameras. It’s too bad, but I guess it’s a reasonable tradeoff. I’m perfectly willing to give a little in the image quality department for a camera I don’t have to worry about breaking or getting wet. I’d still like better image quality, though. I haven’t shot anything besides studio tests with the D10, yet. But I noticed right away there are only two quality settings – the D10 is missing the Superfine quality setting that my Canon PowerShot SD950 IS has. I also noticed that a 4GB SDHC card holds a lot more photos on the D10 than it does with my SD950 IS (also a 12-megapixel camera), indicating more JPEG compression. The PowerShot D10 studio test shots confirmed my growing suspicion that Canon has made some image quality compromises with this camera. The image quality compares well to the Olympus Stylus SW cameras I’ve been using, with better color and saturation. But noise is visible at all ISO settings and I was hoping for more from Canon. The Canon’s better saturation, contrast and color do mean less post-processing and that means better ultimate image quality. Likely, Canon increased the JPEG compression in order to get more images on the card. Since the camera is made for shooting underwater and in wet conditions, it is good to be able to take more pictures before you have to open it up and put in a new memory card.
| Canon PowerShot D10 Studio Test Photos | |
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ISO 80 Sample >> ISO 100 Sample >> ISO 200 Sample >> ISO 400 Sample >> ISO 800 Sample >> ISO 1600 Sample >> |
As I said earlier, our Canon PowerShot D10 review camera is on its way to the Grand Canyon for some very serious real-world testing. I hope it makes it back and doesn’t end up at the bottom of the Colorado river. Make sure to use the wrist strap, Ann! The rest of you check back in a few weeks for our final review. And feel free to comment or post your questions below. We like to know what you think!
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Canon PowerShot D10 Waterproof Digital Camera Preview And Video
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