Canon PowerShot G15 photo samples

Areas of focus look pretty good in JPEGs through ISO 200; then color noise and noise-reduction artifacts kick in. You can see how much detail you lose on the fur as well as the softness of the details on the tape measure. I wouldn't recommend going above ISO 1600.

Like the S110, the G15 inexplicably blew out exposure on the book page.

At ISO 80 the camera produces good detail without aggressive sharpening.

(1/80 sec, f2, ISO 80, Evaluative metering, AWB, approx 30mm)

The camera produces natural-looking sharpness at ISO 100 as well.

(1/100 sec, f2.5, ISO 100, Evaluative metering, AWB, approx 62mm)

At ISO 200 you still get decent detail, but it also starts to get a little soft.

(1/50 sec, f2.8, ISO 200, Evaluative metering, AWB, approx 105mm)

This detail comes from an out-of-focus area of the previous image. You can see how the sharpening in the JPEG produces some contouring and graininess in the out-of-focus areas, but the raw trade-off is softness in the sharper areas.

At higher ISO sensitivities, you can really get some better results shooting raw to minimize color noise, improve edges, and decrease fringing.

(1/30 sec, f2.2, ISO 800, Evaluative metering, AWB, approx 45mm)

By ISO 1600, photos have that processy, special-effect look when viewed up close. However, they can still print pretty well as large as 13x19 if you use the raw files.

(1/100 sec, f2, ISO 1600, Evaluative metering, AWB, approx 28mm)

There generally isn't a lot of detail available in blown-out highlights, but there's enough to fix sky and clouds.

(1/125 sec, f3.2, ISO 80, Evaluative metering, AWB, approx 28mm)

Overall the G15's color rendering looks good; it's a little cool and contrasty, but not as bad as from the S110.

The lens tops out at f8, but remains relatively sharp throughout most of the aperture range.