I bought the Canon G11 camera to use as an all-purpose go-anywhere camera, and I was not disappointed with it for that purpose.  It is really a bit too big to be a pocket camera and the image quality is not up to dslr quality, but I really hate lugging a camera around and the G11 really is easy to bring along, even though it is a bit on the heavy side, when I do not want to bring my dslr.  It will fit in a big pocket, or a big purse, or is very easy to carry in my hand, and does not get in the way much, so if I see a snapshot I want, I can easily get it.  Just point and shoot and it is done.

The reason I chose this camera over other compacts is because at the time it came out, as far as I was concerned, it had the best image quality and useful features (custom settings and video) in compact cameras below the $500 mark.  I was however disppointed that it did not have hd video.

One problem that I had with this camera, and I always seem to have this problem with Canon compact cameras, is with the use of the macro mode.  Sometimes the camera will focus and sometimes it will not.  And so I lose some macro pictures.  Since I always seem to have this problem and I rarely take macro pictures I was not too concerned about it, and it was certainly not a dealbreaker.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 499.99
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts