Canon's enthusiast compact with 1/1.7-inch sensor, vari-angle LCD, and RAW shooting — pre-1-inch era classic.
The Canon PowerShot G11 was released in 2009 as the premium compact in the G-series, featuring a 1/1.7-inch 10MP CCD sensor — a deliberate reduction from the G10's 14.7MP to improve image quality at high ISO. 28-140mm equivalent (5×), f/2.8-4.5. Video is limited to 640×480 at 30fps (VGA only — no HD). Optical IS. At 355g body only.
1/1.7-inch CCD, 10.0MP effective (deliberate resolution reduction from G10 for improved high-ISO performance). 28-140mm equivalent zoom (5×), f/2.8 (wide) to f/4.5 (tele). Video: 640×480/30fps only (no HD recording). Optical IS (lens-shift). 355g body only. Fixed 28-140mm lens; no interchangeable mount.
The 10MP sensor versus the G10's 14.7MP was an unusual and deliberate downgrade: Canon reduced pixel count to increase individual photosite size for better noise performance at high ISO values. The rationale was that 14.7MP on a 1/1.7-inch sensor produced smaller photosites with worse high-ISO noise than a lower-resolution design. The G11 was praised for improved high-ISO quality at the cost of absolute resolution. The absence of HD video reflects 2009 compact camera limitations.
On the used market the Canon PowerShot G11 is very affordable as a vintage premium compact. Condition checks: CCD sensor for hot pixels (common on older CCD compacts), lens element for marks, IS engagement. VGA video only. Fixed 28-140mm lens; no interchangeable mount.