Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've only owned a G11 since this morning but was compelled to write this review for two reasons. First, I am amazed at how well Canon listened to their customer base. People loved the G10 ( and I plan on keeping the one I've been shooting for the last year....) But the two biggest complaints/suggestions I've routinely heard are: 1. The high ISO noise is too obvious and noise filters blur the image. 2. I wish it had a flexible screen on the back. To those two complaints I would have added: It would be nice to have a better optical view finder with more accurate framing. We all hoped that they wouldn't change the things that everyone liked such as the wonderful analog controls on the top of the G10. So, I now have camera that IS really about a stop and a half or two stops more sensitive. 400 on the G11 looks better than 200 on the G10. I'd buy the camera just for that. Secondly, the screen on the back now swivels. Nope, the viewfinder didn't get improved. What you are getting is a really nicely made camera that is convenient to carry around (but not really pocketable) that works quickly and well and is getting into the quality space that used to be the sole provence of DSLR cameras. You also get a nice movie mode (640, not HD) which works well for web projects as well as a camera with smaller file sizes than it's predecessor. It is 10 megs versus 15. Another reviewer griped that the G11 should have had a longer zoom and 24 megapixels. I don't want either of those things because I understand the greater the range of the zoom lens the less well it can be corrected for optical faults. I don't want more megapixels because 99% of what I print is 12 by 18 inches or smaller and both cameras will already do that very well if you practice good technique. There are plenty of long zoom range cameras that work well for snapping your kids playing soccer. I have a Canon SX20 that does a good job with that. But there are few small cameras that are both fun to shoot quickly, on the street and it available light situations that also yield really nice files. This camera is one of them. We should give a few kudos to Canon for getting rev2 (actually rev 8) right for what we really like to do as photographic artists. I hope someone writes a really good book about using cameras in this class. Also thrilled that Canon uses the same battery between the G10 and the G11. Added last night: I went out shooting in the soft rain and gloomy half light yesterday afternoon/evening. I used the camera at ISO 400 and 800 and shot as low as 1/25th of a second. The images did not have a lot of noise and the IS worked very well. If you've shot with Canon's previous powershot cameras you will get used to the controls and menus very quickly.