Canon PowerShot D10 review

Sample photos:
Canon PowerShot D10

If you're buying a camera with hopes of making big prints (larger than 8x10 inches) of what you shoot, the D10 is your best bet. The low ISO performance from it is very good. Image noise is in short supply below ISO 200, and fine detail and sharpness were noticeably better than other cameras in its class. Subjects get visibly grainier between ISO 200 and 400, and at ISO 400 details start to get a little softer. There's a big drop-off in quality at ISO 800 where it looks as if something's smeared on the lens. You can pretty much write off using ISO 1,600. Colors from the D10 are generally very good, as is white balance and exposure, though occasionally challenging lighting would cause subjects to underexpose--which is easily correctable.

The Canon PowerShot D10 is probably the best option for a rugged point-and-shoot camera if you spend a lot of time snorkeling, skiing, or poolside. Its design doesn't lend itself very well to other situations, though. If you're only going to have one snapshot camera for everyday shooting and adventuring, you'll probably want to go with the Pentax Optio W80, Olympus Stylus Tough 8000, or the Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP despite their shortcomings.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Smaller bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Typical shot-to-shot time (flash)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon PowerShot D10

1.2 

3.9 

2 

0.7 

0.5 

Olympus Stylus Tough 8000

1.8 

5 

2.5 

0.8 

0.7 

Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP

1.8 

3.8 

3.5 

1.4 

0.6 

Olympus Stylus 1050 SW

2.4 

6.1 

5.1 

1.8 

1.3 

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