Canon has added a  new premium compact to its range, announcing the Canon PowerShot G15 at Photokina 2012.

The Canon G15 features a new f/1.8-2.8 5x zoom lens, which is the brightest lens of any Canon G camera to date.

Canon says the lens was developed using new highly refractive glass with a unique multiple material coating engineered to handle specific wavelengths of light at the nanometre scale.

The Canon PowerShot G15′s 5x optical zoom offers an f/1.8 aperture at its 28mm wide-angle, and an f/2.8 aperture at its maximum 140mm focal length.

Also on-board the 12.1-megapixel Canon G15 is an HDR mode and full HD video recording, while the body features a front dial, dedicated Movie Record and shortcut buttons and offers full manual control along with raw format shooting.

Canon says the PowerShot G15 is 17% smaller than its predecessor, the Canon G12, and it boasts a 920,000-dot, 3in PureColor II G LCD screen, as well as an optical viewfinder.

Other features include 4-stop optical Image Stabilizers, and Intelligent IS that automatically detects the shooting situation and applies the most suitable of seven Image Stabilizer modes.

On board the Canon G15 is the DIGIC 5 image processing system, Multi-Area White Balance and an ISO range up to ISO 12,800.

Canon also claims an AF speed on the PowerShot G15 of 0.17secs at the wide-angle end of the focal range.

The Canon PowerShot G15 price tag is set for £549.99, with an October release date.

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The 12.1-megapixel waterproof camera can shoot pictures at depths of 10m, and when used in conjunction with Canon’s WP-DC45 waterproof case with external flash support, the PowerShot D20 can capture images at depths down to 40m.

The Canon D20 is also shockproof from 1.5m, freezeproof to -10C and dustproof, Canon says, and is capable of recording full HD (1080p) videos via a one-touch Movie Record button.

Other features include Canon’s advanced HS System, which combines the Canon D20′s 12.1-megapixel, high-sensitivity CMOS sensor with the DIGIC 4 image processor for use in challenging low-light conditions

The Canon D20 also boasts a 28mm wideangle Canon lens, with 5x zoom and Intelligent IS that automatically analyses a scene and selects the optimum settings for the optical Image Stabilize.

Adventurous photographers will also have a new Underwater Macro mode with Underwater White Balance, a Handheld Night Scene mode and Super Slow Motion Movie mode.

Those who wish to map their adventures with the Canon D20 can use GPS tagging and the low energy consumption GPS Logger feature. These can be used to tag images with location data or track routes and share discoveries easily using the supplied Map Utility software and through Google Earth. Photographers can then retell the story behind a shot with Movie Digest mode creating a ‘making-of’ film reel for a day’s images. When engaged, this mode films the last 4 seconds before each photo is taken in 720p HD resolution and combines all the clips from that day to create a movie that allows users to document their experiences.

Details of price and release date for the new Canon waterproof camera were not available at the time of writing.

If you’re looking for a neat, chic SLR back-up, check out this new S-series compact. S-series cameras were positioned just below the G-series models, and designed to offer similar control but in a pocket-sized body.

The S90 certainly is pocket-sized, at around half the size of the G11. But surely it’s not as good? In fact, there’s not much in it. The S90 only has a 3.8x zoom rather than the G11’s 5x, but that’s not a huge difference really, and the S90’s lens has a maximum aperture of f/2 at the wide-angle end.

Yes, the S90 has PASM exposure modes. Yes, it shoots RAW files. And yes, it comes with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional RAW conversion/editing software. It may be small, but there’s room for a three-inch display with twice the normal resolution at 461,000 pixels.

It doesn’t articulate like the G11’s but, amazingly, it is slightly larger. The screen takes up much of the back, leaving room for just a rotary controller on the right and four buttons. On the top, there’s a mode dial, shutter button/zoom switch, power button and ‘Ring func.’button, used to change the function of the ring mounted around the lens. It can be configured to adjust the ISO, EV and white balance compensation, or operate a ‘step zoom’ feature that sets the lens to a series of specific focal lengths.

Form and function

This is how the S90 manages to combine minimal exterior controls with maximum photographic function. Between the lens control ring and the rotary controller, it’s possible to set up and carry out your favourite adjustments in moments. That said, there is a bit of a disparity between the two.

The lens control ring is beautifully engineered, with positive click-stops and just the right weighting, but the rear controller is just a little too light. Too often you end up pressing the directional button underneath as you turn it. This is a small point, though, given that the S90 is perfectly put together in every other respect.

The design is understated, it’s devoid of stickers and spurious styling details, and its smoothed corners mean it’s easy to slide in and out of a pocket. Small cameras mean small lenses, and this generally brings more distortion, chromatic aberration and edge softness. Not here. In fact, the S90 seems to produce less barrel distortion than the G11. There’s little or no chromatic aberration, the definition at the edges of the frame is as good as it is at the centre, and it doesn’t soften up at full zoom, unlike most compacts. It might be small, but the S90’s lens is absolutely in the first division.

So what about high-ISO performance? Canon’s used the same new 10-megapixel sensor in both the G11 and the S90, and it has paid dividends. With this camera you don’t really notice a major drop in performance until you get past ISO800. It’s hard to fault the exposure system or white balance, either, and Canon’s enhanced its i-Contrast feature so it does more than just apply a quick and dirty shadow ‘fix’.

Now, the camera increases the ‘gain’, or sensitivity, in darker areas as the image is processed to produce a much subtler enhancement of high-contrast scenes. There are a few little weaknesses. There’s no HD movie mode, and the S90 can only manage 0.9fps in continuous shooting mode.
It saves RAW files in around three seconds, which isn’t bad, but takes a couple of seconds even with JPEGs.

But on the whole it’s small, it’s beautifully made and it’s a joy to use.And the pictures are very good indeed.

See below for some test shots (click to see full sized image, opens in new window):

Canon’s PowerShot D10 stands out from the crowd with a distinctive and chunky design and good performance both underwater and in freezing conditions, but it doesn’t pack quite enough zoom for our liking.

The PowerShot D10 is Canon’s first attempt at a waterproof compact, and straight away it looks different from the rest, with a chunky, bulbous design that certainly looks the part, but which may have been needed to accommodate a larger, more conventional lens.

The zooming and Autofocus speeds are average to good, but the zoom range is disappointing, especially at this price. The picture quality is decent, though; results were very sharp and the exposure and colours were reasonable.

The Canon worked fine in freezing conditions, though the LCD display was more sluggish than at normal temperatures. Underwater, the D10 proved fine and the LCD’s wide angle of view will prove useful for close-ups at awkward angles.

Canon’s PowerShot D10 has a somewhat inelegant design, but it’s easy to grip in the water.