The Canon G12...

I often extol the virtues of the Canon G12. Frankly, I think it's a crazy good "point & shoot" and, if I didn't need my DSLR's for my concert photography, I honestly do believe I could get through life without them. I really do think the G12 is that good. So, as you might suspect, on my current trip to the province of Quebec, all I brought with me was the G12. The 40D is back at home, snuggled in its' bag with nary a care in the world.

Last Thursday, I was going to visit a client close to my hotel, but also very close to the Old Port section of Montreal. The Old Port section is thick with photo opportunities so, naturally, I would want to have my camera with me. I hit the steps of my hotel and made my way down the street and across Boulevard Rene Levesque, and on down Avenue de l'Hotel de Ville.

About halfway to the Old Port section, I found a cool, ivy-covered doorway I wanted to get a picture of. I just saw it as one more thing that makes Montreal such a cool city. I unzipped my small camera case, pulled out the camera, and took a couple shots.

Here's what I ended up with:

Yeah, I kinda' dig it. Like I said, I see it as another reason why Montreal is so cool. Doorways like that are all over the older sections of town.

So, happy with what I had, I put the camera back into the small case and started to walk down the sidewalk.

I didn't get far.

I swear, what I heard can only be described as the sound of whatever it was that hit the back of Joe Pesci's head in the movie "Casino" when they buried him in that field. It was an absolutely sickening sound. But I heard it, and its' source was near.

I looked down at my feet.

There, on the concrete sidewalk, lay my beloved Canon Powershot G12.

A million thoughts raced through my mind in an instant, the first one being, I believe, "Can I find a camera store in Montreal which stocks the Canon Powershot G12 because, clearly, this one is toast."

I had neglected to close the zipper on the camera case. As a consequence, as I changed hands with the case, the G12 fell victim to gravity and found the quickest path to the ground. I was sure; in fact certain beyond belief, that the camera would be inoperable. It had, after all, fallen about four feet to the concrete. Surely, I surmised, it was done.

I surmised poorly.

I picked up the camera and inspected it for damage. I saw none, save for a slight scuff on the eyelet where a strap would go (say, there's an idea, huh?):

I hit the power button, and the camera turned on. I manipulated the zoom control. All was well. I ran a check in every mode the camera had and, much to my great surprise, the camera passed with flying colors. In fact, with the exception of the lunatic in the seashell bra holding his blow-up date, every photo in the previous entry ("Montreal") was taken with the G12. The camera has performed flawlessly since taking a dive on a quiet Montreal street.

I am now a true believer. Don't get me wrong; I've always been a big fan. I don't think I'm breaking any news by saying that. But this incident has proven to me the durability of this camera. While there are many fine cameras in this range available, they would have to do some pretty fancy tricks to woo me away from the Canon.