Digital Trends

As D-SLR prices continue to fall—you can get a 10-megapixel Sony A200 for $499 including a lens—the appeal of similarly-priced advanced point-and-shoot digicams dims even further. And yet, while all the imaging buzz centers on D-SLRs, fully-featured aim-and-forget cameras definitely have their place… especially for people who don’t want to lug around a bulky three pounds of plastic and glass just to take a good photograph.

We’re not so snobby as to turn our noses up to handy point-and-shoots though, especially when there are models like the Canon Powershot G10 around. This rugged and solid digicam fits in your pocket (as long as it’s a reasonably large one) and has 14.7MP – that’s right, nearly 15-megapixel – resolution. In addition, the retro-looking camera has a wide-angle zoom and several cool dials that give it a rather unique feel.

However, this is an almost-$500 camera, not a sub-$250 model like the pocket-sized and very popular 10MP Canon SD880 IS. So is the G10 worth the extra cash, or is an affordable D-SLR the way to go? Let’s put is through its paces and find out…