Canon PowerShot D10

Handling (7.50)

The D10 is a camera that is going to be used in some extreme locations, so the way it fits into the hand is important. Fortunately, it is comfortable to hold, with the index finger falling over the shutter and the thumb falling onto a set of raised bumps on the back that provide a firm grip. We would have liked to see something more solid on the front than the Canon logo for the fingers to grip, but the hold is tight enough that it won't slip from your hand in normal use.

the D10 in the hand

One thing we did like particularity was that the wrist strap can be attached to any of the 4 corners of the camera body, so you can wrap the strap around the right or left hand in a way that won't get in the way if you need the hand to hold onto a ski pole or to punch a polar bear. The wrist strap is also more robust than the standard strap, and has a retaining clip that allows it to be more tightly fixed onto the wrist.

the wrist strap of the D10 attached to the bottom and top of the camera

Canon also offers an optional accessory kit (the $130 AKT-DC1) that includes a number of replacement face plates and bungee straps that allow the camea to be attached to things with carabinier clips. A case with a carabinier clip is also included in this kit, so it's probably a wise investment for the more adventurous user.

Buttons & Dials (6.50)

There are a lot of buttons on the D10; 14 in all. Although this number could look intimidating to novice users, they are logically grouped and laid out. The zoom buttons also naturally fall under the thumb, so zooming in and out is easy to do with one hand. The other buttons require two hands, though, so switching modes or accessing the menu is a two-handed process. 

The controls on the back of the D10

The controls on the top of the D10

Menu (6.00)

The D10 has two separate menus: the function menu for the basic functions, and the main menu for everything else. The function menu is accessed by pressing the func. button in the middle of the directional control pad, and offers options for things such as white balance, color mode, bracketing, etc.

The function menu of the D10

The main menu contains all the other features. It is divided into three tabs: shooting settings, camera settings, and the customizable my menu settings. The shooting settings tab is for features such as enabling/disabling the digital zoom, setting the AF mode, etc. The camera settings menu is for features such as formatting the memory card, the power saving settings and others. The My Menus tab allows you to create a customized menu that contains commonly used features for quick access.

The main menu of the D10

Manual & Learning (7.00)

Accompanying the S90 is a 163 page manual that covers a lot of ground, from basic functions like turning the camera on to more advanced ones like editing images. It does so well, with clear, accurate explanations in plain language.

Canon D10 Manual

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