With digital photography, especially when building slideshows and audio slideshows, the importance of good work flow can be woefully underestimated and the effects of bad work flow can be disastrous – inconsistent color reproduction, insufficient image resolution, lost work and hours and hours of lost time.  A bulletproof system for capturing, processing and archiving images is essential.

So what are the specifics of good digital photo work flow?  With the help of Congress and through the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, the good folks at the American Society of Media Photographers have developed an answer, if a somewhat exhaustive one:  The Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow (dpBestflow™).

The site is a comprehensive repository of resources, skills, and systems for managing the entire “life cycle” of a digital image.

The irony of  dpbestflow.org is that it is so far-reaching in scope that it requires good work flow just to navigate the material.  The team addresses the problem with a ‘start here’ tab and the intro video embedded below:

StartHere from ASMP dpBestflow on Vimeo.

In truth, much of the material is beyond the needs of most news photographers; managing CYMK output for glossy print publications or the relative merit of bilinear or bicubic interpolation when resizing images, for example.

The well-designed quick reference guide may be as deep as many photojournalists or photojournalism educators need to go.  Or, it may work as a more surgical point of entry into specific topics of interest.

In addtion to the site dpworkflow site, there is also the Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow Handbook (Focal Press, 2009) by Richard Anderson and Patti Russotti (dpBestflow™ Project Director and Contributing Author, respectively), as well as a schedule of nationwide seminars and a host of online forums. More information is available at dbBestflow.

• Highly functional design
• Great in low light
• Superior image quality

I admit this is less bonafide product review and more just gushing endorsement. If you’re looking for the cost and size advantages of a compact/point-and-shoot camera that can produce the kind of image quality that solid visual journalism requires, this is the one for you.

Canon introduced the first of the G series of cameras in mid-2000 for pros and high-end amateurs as a pocket-size alternative to a dSLR. The cameras have since developed something of a cult following. The G11 supports an expanded dynamic range and much-improved image quality in low light conditions over its predecessors.

I bought the new Canon Powershot G11 the week it came out. I owned its predecessor, the G10, and looked at some of the competitors in the category, such as the Leica C-Lux 3, the Lumix DMC-LX3 and the Nikon Coolpix P6000. Hands down, I find this to be the best of the bunch.

Functionality

Much of the marketing literature for the camera talks about its cool, retro design – because it has dials rather than menus for features such as manual control, exposure compensation and ISO rather than buttons that send you into a menu. I don’t think there is anything retro about it. The design just makes it easy to access the features working photographers most often use.

The camera offers a variety of shooting modes ranging from manual to custom to scene selections. It shoots a variety of formats and aspect ratios that include a panoramic setting, a number of JPEG options and camera RAW. In other words, lots of options. The G11’s durable design and swiveling 2.8-inch monitor make it a good camera for rough shooting conditions.

Image Quality

Canon made the unusual decision to reduce sensor resolution with the G11. The camera has a 10MP sensor. The G10 had a 14.7MP sensor. The idea is this: all those sensor arrays create a lot of heat, which creates digital noise. Reduce the number of sensors, reduce the heat, improve image quality. It worked. The 10MP sensor can produce 3648p x 2736p images, still plenty big enough for quality web and print reproduction.

Canon also improved the camera’s processor. The DIGIC IV processor offers an expanded dynamic range over its predecessor and many other cameras out there. Set to RAW, the colors are lush from highlights to shadows. Best of all, the DIGIC IV was designed with low-light shooting conditions in mind.  Photojournalists often find themselves shooting in poor lighting conditions in which they either can’t use a flash or just don’t want to. I am simply amazed by what this camera can do – image quality at ISOs of 1600 that look great and are professionally usable.

Drawbacks

Nothing is perfect, not even the G11. As terrific as the image quality and functionality are, in the end, the camera doesn’t compare to a good dSLR. The camera fits so many features on to its small body that the camera can be slow to use because it’s so easy to hit the wrong button or turn the dial too far.  Another aggravating fact about the G11 is that Adobe Photoshop CS3 will not recognize Canon’s new RAW format. You need to upgrade to CS4 or use an alternative.

In Closing

All in all, it’s by far the best compact I have ever used. There are many other factors and features a buyer may want to consider before make a choice. For example, video, which I don’t address here. Below are some of the camera’s specs and some sites that offer more detailed reviews.

SPECS:

• 10MP resolution
• 1:1.7 sensor
• 2.8 –inch rotating monitor
• 28-140mm (35mm equivalent) 5X F/2.8-4.5 zoom lens
• 3200 ISO
• Manual exposure
• RAW File capture
• E-TTL flash shoe mount
• Video: 640 x 480 @ 30fps

For more reviews of the Canon Powershot G11, check out:

• Digital Photography Review
• Luminous Landscape
• Digital Camera Review