Canon’s Powershot G10 offers a staggering 14.7 million pixels on its hi-def CCD sensor. Pixel count isn’t the only indicator of quality, but in general more pixels is better and certainly gives you more cropping choice after the event.

Unlike, say the Canon A590IS model, which is geared to amateurs, the Powershot G10 is very much a prosumer model. The list of features alone make that clear.

The G10 goes as wide as 28 m.mm and also offers a 5x zoom. Optical Image Stabilisation helps you to keep the image sharp even when using the long end of the zoom – pretty essential in the event that you can’t hand-hold a camera as steadily as before. The image stabilisation feature should mean that more of your shots come out sharp.

The lcd monitor is a 3.0-inch Pure Color LCD II screen. That makes it much easier to line up your shots – no more squinting to see what’s on the screen. If you’ve never used a large LCD monitor digital camera before then you’ll be astonished at just how much easier it makes life. The Canon Powershot offers a really beautiful display.

The famed Canon Digic 4 processor has been added. Digic4 offers faster operation and enhanced image quality – something everyone will enjoy.

The Powershot G10 is truly a stunning example of engineering and . For most people it will be a more practical alternative to an SLR. It’s certainly not the smallest digital ‘compact’ on the market, it’s probably the best specified and well designed cameras available today.