Like the Far East East Movement’s song about the non-existent G6 that doesn’t exist, this standard bearer by Canon, is pretty fly.
Part of a long line-up of mid-size cameras, meant to cover the range between the point and shoot and DSLR, or perhaps the professional, walkabout camera the G series has come to the G12 with, surprisingly, not so much of an update from the G11.
Seriously.

It still has the feel of a, pardon me, French bulldog: small, compact and heavy for it’s dimensions.

Everyone realizes that the MP wars are over and shove too many of them on a small sensor and you lose. The noise factor is massive, so 10 MP works here.

They kept the articulated LCD which we love. For those stealth shots or a crow shot, an articulated screen screen is a keeper. But if we’re shooting a crowd scene, chances are we’ll have a DSLR. Canon has been good about including those into the DSLR line in the lower end anyway.

The ergonomics and layout of functions was good, not great. Front wheel was great, but tiny.

One of our favorite features here was the color accent. Sure, it was a specific feature to be used sparingly.
from this:

to this:

An extreme image to illustrate a point, but would be quite the time saver in CS5, right?

The methodology was mildly tedious, however, as you had to highlight a specific color within the scene, which could have minor bleed in other areas in the image.
We tried to keep it pretty clean. All of it in-camera.

Another fave feature is the specific focus area. We shoot food almost daily and move around the focus point depending on ingredients, and the layout of the plate.
The initial button to turn on this function, although not working in Auto, was easy to find. The wheel system made it fast to move the rectangle around.

Lens was sharp and the focal range was fine: 28 mm-140 mm. The camera shots our norm of RAW and Jpeg.
Speed was as to be expected in any of these small cameras, that is, not as reactive as needed.
A few missed shots.

All said though, in most circumstances, this is a solid performer. Good clean files at the lower ISO’s, solid construction. A little smaller than the Nikon P7000, in the same category, but heavier by 2 ounces.

Did we forget something?
Like the 720P HD video ? Well, there you go. We only use the vid recorder in these smaller cameras when it’s the only thing you have at hand.

The nameplate will resonate when you bring it out. The brand and G series heritage carries it’s own positive weight.

Are you in the market?
May we suggest you also take a look at the Canon S95 ?
Less money, faster lens (f/2 v f/2.8) same video capability.
In fairness, it has a shorter zoom 28-105, doesn’t focus as close (0.4 in v 2.0 in) and no viewfinder or articulated screen.
For that, it’s less than half the weight, and the rest is pretty similar.
I will fit in your pants pocket. Trust us, we did it.

We look forward to the G13