Night Shot Head-to-Head: G11 vs. 5D Mark II

I have been spending a lot of time lately putting my G11 through its paces. I have taken macro shots, daylight shots, and just regular ol' snapshots. But I finally got my chance to treat it like a real camera and take it out at night.

The above shot was from the G11. I had planned to do an HDR exposure, but I got more than enough detail and color from a single shot. By putting the G11 on a tripod and setting the exposure manually, I was able to get a very decent shot. For a point and shoot, it is quite amazing.

In order to understand how awesome this is for a point and shoot, it is best to compare it to the best low-light camera out there, the Canon 5D Mark II. To the right is a shot from the same time with the same light, in a slightly different angle.

The color quality is very similar, and both would make great web images or great prints. The place that the 5D excels is the ultra high detail. This shot could easily make a 20"x30" poster print.

Overall, the G11 did do very well for the shoot. If I didn't have the 5D with me, I would be perfectly content capturing images with the G11. If I were to be traveling, the G11 and a mini tripod would be adequate to carry around with me without weighing down too much.