Canon PowerShot
G11
 vs
Canon PowerShot
S5 IS

Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Canon PowerShot G12 vs Canon PowerShot S5 IS

Canon PowerShot G11

55

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot G11

Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Macro focus
 Great macro
1 cm
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Tunnel
External flash
 External flash
Better lighting
Canon PowerShot S5 IS

32

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot S5 IS

Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Macro focus
 Great macro
0 cm
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
External flash
 External flash
Better lighting

differences

Advantages of the Canon G11
Wide angle Much better wide angle 28 mm vs 36 mm
Help
 More than 20% better wide angle
Sensor size Much larger sensor 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm vs 1/2.5" 5.8x4.3mm
Help
 More than 70% larger sensor
Screen size Significantly larger screen 2.8" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
True resolution Much higher true resolution 10 MP vs 8 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Size Smaller 112x76x48 mm vs 117x80x78 mm
Help
 More than 40% smaller
Supports RAW Shoots RAW Yes vs No
Help
 Digitally develop your own photos with precise image control
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 461k dots vs 207k dots
Help
 More than 2x higher resolution screen
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The G11's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Weight Significantly lighter 375 g vs 550 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.9" vs 3.1"
Help
 Around 40% thinner
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/3200s
Help
 20% faster max shutter speed
Canon PowerShot G11 Learn more about
the Canon G11

Advantages of the Canon S5 IS
Zoom More zoom 12x vs 5x
Help
 Around 6x more zoom
Aperture Slightly wider aperture f/2.7 vs f/2.8
Help
 At its widest zoom, the S5 IS's lens captures marginally more light (0.1 f-stops)
Lowest price Much cheaper $244.78 vs $703.80
Help
 The best price we've seen is $459 cheaper (2.9x less)
Macro focus Better macro capability 0 cm vs 1 cm
Help
 Almost the same
Canon PowerShot S5 IS Learn more about
the Canon S5 IS
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digicams, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot G11 Canon PowerShot G11
55 vs 32
Explain scores
Canon PowerShot S5 IS Canon PowerShot S5 IS
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot G11. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro digicam with a super zoom.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonPowerShot G11
 Canon PowerShot G11 vs Canon PowerShot S5 IS
CanonPowerShot S5 IS
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
0
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
0
Vote Vote
Features Low light image quality Low light image quality
Lack of noise, sharp details
0
0
Vote Vote
Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
0
Vote Vote
Performance Image stabilization
Ability to reduce blur from hand shake
0
0
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
Aperture Wide aperture Help
G11:f/2.8
S5 IS:f/2.7
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
G11:1 cm
S5 IS:0 cm
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
G11:Tunnel
S5 IS:Digital
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
G11:1/4000s
S5 IS:1/3200s
Light sensitivity (boost) No boost ISO Help
Lacks boost light sensitivity
Weight Heavy Help
G11:375 g
S5 IS:550 g
Thickness Quite thick Help
G11:1.9"
S5 IS:3.1"
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Movie format Movie support Help
480p @ 30fps
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
G11:1.1 fps
S5 IS:1.5 fps
Screen size Very small screens Help
G11:2.8"
S5 IS:2.5"
Size Large Help
G11:112x76x48 mm
S5 IS:117x80x78 mm

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon PowerShot G1X

Boutique

$799
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the PowerShot G11
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the PowerShot S5 IS
Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500

Super zoom

$339 - $350
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the PowerShot G11
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the PowerShot S5 IS
Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$379
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the PowerShot G11
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the PowerShot S5 IS
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$599 - $600 body only

$698 - $699 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has much better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PowerShot G11
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PowerShot S5 IS
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has much better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the PowerShot G11
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the PowerShot S5 IS
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has much better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the PowerShot G11
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the PowerShot S5 IS
Nikon Coolpix L120

Nikon Coolpix L120

Super zoom

$227 - $230
Zoom Has significantly more zoom
Movie format Records lower quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the PowerShot G11
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the PowerShot S5 IS

Canon PowerShot G11 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$389 - $500
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Low light performance Slightly more noise at high ISO
Weight Slightly heavier
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the PowerShot G11
Nikon Coolpix P7000

Nikon Coolpix P7000

Pro digicam

$279 - $500
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the Coolpix P7000 vs the PowerShot G11
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$414 - $430
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
External flash No external flash support
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot G11
Canon PowerShot G10

Canon PowerShot G10

Pro digicam
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Screen size Larger screen
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the PowerShot G10 vs the PowerShot G11
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$369
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Macro focus Significantly worse macro capability
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the PowerShot G11

Canon PowerShot S5 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Super zoom
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Zoom More zoom
Size Larger
Aperture Slightly narrower aperture
Compare the PowerShot SX20 IS vs the PowerShot S5 IS
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Super zoom

$420
Zoom Much more zoom
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Size Significantly larger
Thickness Significantly thicker
Compare the PowerShot SX30 IS vs the PowerShot S5 IS
Canon PowerShot SX130 IS

Canon PowerShot SX130 IS

Travel zoom

$127 - $245
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Screen size Much larger screen
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the PowerShot SX130 IS vs the PowerShot S5 IS
Fujifilm FinePix HS10

Fujifilm FinePix HS10

Super zoom

$496
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Size Much larger
Thickness Significantly thicker
Compare the FinePix HS10 vs the PowerShot S5 IS
Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Super zoom
Size Slightly smaller
Weight Slightly lighter
Screen size Much smaller screen
Macro focus Much worse macro capability
Compare the PowerShot S3 IS vs the PowerShot S5 IS

appearance

Canon PowerShot G11 Canon PowerShot S5 IS
Canon PowerShot G11 Canon PowerShot S5 IS
Canon PowerShot G11 Canon PowerShot S5 IS

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

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