Canon PowerShot G12 VS. FujiFilm FinePix X10 - High ISO Comparison

Took the Canon PowerShot G12 and the FujiFilm FinePix X10 for a spin to see how they do in low light situations. See the results below.

Both cameras sit at the top of the compact camera mountain, looking down at the rest of them, smug with excellent ergonomics, manual controls and more than decent behaviour in low-light conditions.

The G12 and X10 look each other in the eye, being two rather large compact cameras, with coarse, square, black bodies covered with buttons, dials and knobs. Each of them has a different style - the X10 all retro and the G12 all beefy, condensed and armored.

Lets see what they deliver when lights (most of them) go out:

ISO 800 (f/5.6, 1/4 sec):

Canon PowerShot G12

FujiFilm FinePix X10

ISO 1600 (f/5.6, 1/8 sec):

Canon PowerShot G12

FujiFilm FinePix X10

ISO 3200 (f/5.6, 1/15 sec):

Canon PowerShot G12

FujiFilm FinePix X10

Here are 100% crops of the images above:

ISO 800 (f/5.6, 1/4 sec):

Canon PowerShot G12

FujiFilm FinePix X10

ISO 1600 (f/5.6, 1/8 sec):

Canon PowerShot G12

FujiFilm FinePix X10

ISO 3200 (f/5.6, 1/15 sec):

Canon PowerShot G12

FujiFilm FinePix X10

The first obvious difference is how the two cameras behave in terms of white balance. The X10 does a much better job at recognizing the incandescent lighting conditions, whereas the G12's output is much warmer (perhaps to some people's liking).

Second, it seems that even though both cameras were set manually to corresponding ISO, aperture and shutter settings, the images of the X10 are significantly brighter. This could be related in part to the warmer colors of the G12, but it looks to me more than that.

Regarding detail - to my eyes, the X10's sensor is able to deliver better results than that of the G12. The difference is evident already at ISO 800, and much more so at ISO 1600 and 3200.

The images of the G12, usually enjoying the high chair when compared to other compacts, suddenly seem soft and sad, with little detail preservation and with much less pop.

On top of that, when considering the one-stop advantage of the X10 over the G12 at 28mm (and more when zoomed in), you begin to understand the price difference. Of course, this might not be important to you, but if you seek to squeeze the most out of a compact camera in low light conditions, you might be tempted to pay 50% more.

I did.

-eyalg