Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Canon PowerShot G12 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

Canon PowerShot G11

53

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot G11

Size
Really small
Mid size 112x76x48 mm
Screen flips out
Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Macro focus
Great macro
1 cm
Thickness
Thin
1.9"
Supports RAW
Shoots RAW
Better editing
External flash
External flash
Better lighting
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

40

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

External mic jack
External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Battery life
Great battery life
470 shots
Macro focus
Great macro
1 cm
Supports RAW
Shoots RAW
Better editing
Longest exposure
Long exposures
60 seconds

differences

Advantages of the Canon G11

Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Sensor size Much larger sensor 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm vs 1/2.3" 6.1x4.6mm
Help
More than 50% larger sensor
Size Significantly smaller 112x76x48 mm vs 118x76x89 mm
Help
Around 50% smaller
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 461k dots vs 230k dots
Help
More than 2x higher resolution screen
Screen size Larger screen 2.8" vs 2.7"
Help
Almost the same
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.9" vs 3.5"
Help
Around 50% thinner
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
True resolution Higher true resolution 10 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
Almost the same
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/2000s
Help
2x faster max shutter speed
Canon PowerShot G11 Learn more about
the Canon G11

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-FZ38

External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Zoom More zoom 18x vs 5x
Help
Around 13x more zoom
Movie format Higher resolution movies 720p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
Shoots high resolution HD (720p) video
Wide angle Better wide angle 27 mm vs 28 mm
Help
Almost the same
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
Help
Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
Help
4x longer exposures
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 2.3 fps vs 1.1 fps
Help
More than 2x faster continuous shooting
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-FZ38
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digicams, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot G11 Canon PowerShot G11
53 vs 40
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
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.

advice

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by Julie-Maddams-Huggins last month
Canon G11 vs Canon G12

I love taking pictures of my family , particularly when we're on holidays or just playing around i...

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Aperture Wide aperture Help
f/2.8
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
1 cm
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
G11:Tunnel
DMC-FZ38:Digital
Weight Heavy Help
G11:375 g
DMC-FZ38:367 g
Thickness Quite thick Help
G11:1.9"
DMC-FZ38:3.5"
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Screen size Very small screens Help
G11:2.8"
DMC-FZ38:2.7"
Size Large Help
G11:112x76x48 mm
DMC-FZ38:118x76x89 mm
Movie format Poor movies Help
G11:480p @ 30fps
DMC-FZ38:720p @ 30fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$390 - $496

Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$356 - $430

Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$347 - $380

Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens

Overall image quality Has much better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Canon EOS 1100D

Canon EOS 1100D

Entry-level DSLR

$489 - $546 body only

$546 - $643 with 18-55mm lens

Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
True resolution Takes much higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$433 body only

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Battery life Has a significantly shorter battery life
Canon EOS 600D

Canon EOS 600D

Entry-level DSLR

$835 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

Canon PowerShot G11 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon PowerShot G1X

Boutique

$799 - $800

Sensor size Much larger sensor
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO
Macro focus Much worse macro capability
Size Larger
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
Nikon Coolpix P7000

Nikon Coolpix P7000

Pro digicam

$249

External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Canon PowerShot G9

Canon PowerShot G9

Pro digicam

True resolution Much higher true resolution
Screen size Larger screen
Wide angle Much worse wide angle
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Super zoom

$495 - $500

Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Size Larger
Battery life Shorter battery life
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47

Super zoom

$285

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Autofocus Faster video autofocus
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Supports RAW No RAW support
Nikon Coolpix L120

Nikon Coolpix L120

Super zoom

$180 - $215

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Screen size Significantly larger screen
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Aperture Narrower aperture
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28

Super zoom

$136 - $151

Lowest price Much cheaper
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Weight Heavier
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45

Super zoom

$366 - $450

Screen size Significantly larger screen
Zoom More zoom
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Size Slightly larger

appearance

Canon PowerShot G11 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon PowerShot G11 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon PowerShot G11 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

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