Canon Powershot D10 Review

Overview

The Canon Powershot D10 is different to any other digital camera. To start with it is waterproof to a depth of 10m. Next it is shockproof to 1.2m and freezeproof to -10 degrees centigrade. It is also dustproof. When it comes to looks it has a distinctive, fun design that makes it stand apart from any other digital camera on the market.

More standard features include 12 megapixels, a 3x optical zoom lens and image stabilisation.

Why Buy the Canon Powershot D10

If you would like a robust digital camera that will stand out from the crowd take a good look at the Powershot D10. It takes a good snapshot and is easy enough to use.

Features

LCD Screen

The LCD monitor is 2.5 inches in size. The screen is made up of around 230,000 dots.

Flash

The flash modes are: Automatic, On, Off, Slow Sync Speed, Red Eye Reduction. In addition flash exposure compensation is available.

The maximum flash range is 3.2m. This falls to 2m when the zoom lens is fully extended. To increase the range of the flash unit you can buy an external flash - the Canon High Power Flash HF-DC1.

Scene Modes

There are a number of preset scene modes. These are: Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Sunset, Fireworks, Long Shutter, Beach, Underwater, Aquarium, Foliage, Snow, ISO 3200¹, Color Accent, Color Swap and Stitch Assist.

Movies

You can shoot short, TV quality movies with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. The top recording speed is 30 frames per second. Sound can be recorded and zoom can be applied before shooting.

Advanced Features

Among the more advanced features are:

• Maximum Aperture: f/2.8 - f/4.9 (set automatically)
• Metering Modes: Multi Point, Centre-weighted average, Spot
• AE Lock
• ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
• Exposure Compensation: +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments
• Shutter Speeds: 15 - 1/1500 seconds (set automatically)
• White Balance: Auto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater, Custom
• Continuous Shooting: Approx. 1.1 shots/sec until card full
• Manual Focus

Image Quality

The Powershot D10 starts off with a shot that is full of colour. Sharpness is as good as I have come to expect from Canon digital cameras. There is a problem with glare from the sun though. This causes a loss of detail around the boats and other light areas. There is also a small degree of purple fringing showing.

As with the first shot sharpness is above average. This is a distant scene, but the camera does well to bring so much of the shot into focus. Colours are strong here too, with a powerful blue sky.

With the Powershot D10 you do not get quite the ultimate picture quality that you do with other Canon models. With some digital cameras I have seen a haze around lighter coloured objects and this happens here around some of the boats. To be fair you are unlikely to notice this with smaller prints.

You can clearly make out the individual bricks if you blow the photo up. As I have found in my other tests focusing is sharp, but there are some minor issues with purple fringing and a slight hazy look in places.

Portraits

The colours in my outdoor portrait test have a very natural look to them. To help achieve this I have used a white balance setting of cloudy. This can help to give a boost to the colours if you are taking photos on a cloudy day or in a shady place.

Lighting from the flash unit is well balanced. I also feel that about the right amount is used too. This produces even lighting across the photo. Skin tones are a little pink in places.

This is not a bad effort, but it underlines just how much light is required to create a noise free and sharply focused photo. You will need a lot of window light to be able to take indoor shots without resorting to flash.

Macro, Colours and Noise

My guess is that the main reason for buying this camera is likely to be for use in and around water, plus the fact that it can withstand the occasional bump. Therefore it is a bit of a bonus that it can also take good quality macro shots. I found the sharpness and detail of the photo to be some way above average.

I like the colours produced by the Powershot D10. They have plenty of power. This can help to produce vivid scenic shots. I was also impressed by the more natural colours showing in my outdoor portrait.

Noise levels are fairly standard. As mentioned above noise soon creeps in when lighting dips unless you use the flash.

Top Rated Cameras in this Category

Olympus TG-820 Rating 83/100

There are a number of robust digital cameras with similar features and general qualities. The Olympus TG-820 is priced a little lower than most of its direct competitors, so if you are looking for a good quality, robust digital camera and you would like to keep a few pounds in your pocket then this camera could well be the one for you.

Read Review: Olympus TG-820 Review

Nikon Coolpix AW100 Rating 82/100

The Nikon Coolpix AW100 is up against some stiff competition. It does a decent job, has a good range of features and can handle plenty of different photo opportunities. It may not possess a knock out blow that marks it out as clearly better than its rivals, but it is good enough to make your shortlist if you are looking for a more advanced robust digital camera.

Read Review: Nikon Coolpix AW100 Review

Canon Powershot D10 Rating 82/100

The Powershot D10 has a distinctive, fun look that means it will not get mistaken for any other digital camera. It has a number of robust features and is waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof to varying degrees. It takes a good snap and is well worth a close look.

Read Review: Canon Powershot D10 Review

Related Pages

Canon Powershot D10 Specification

Canon Powershot D10 Sample Images

Canon Powershot D10 Features

Canon Powershot D10 vs Olympus MJU 8000

Canon Powershot D10 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC FT1

Digital Camera Reviews

Canon Digital Cameras

Review Date

Review Date: June 2009