Boy, not sure where to start. The technology of digital camera's has gotten so complex, that not having the right setting is common place, and having someone that knows how to set the camera seems to be rare.
Having a G10 that was broken, I am sure that happens, having two...pretty unlikely.
Here is an image I shot on a bet, that one cannot control the focus and depth of field like a DSLR...
This was done in one shot. So was it a DSLR (I have several)... a point and shoot?
This is a very down sized image (not cropped).
It was shot with a G10..which has a far better focus system than most P&S do (including the S90), but you also have a lot of choices to make, in order for it to work correctly.
If you are using auto... well auto was made for taking snap shots.. so expect snap shot quality. There are lots of "auto" setting that do not use "auto"
P&S cameras are not DSLR's (thankfully)...you have to use different setting... different methods to get the results you want. You can alway shoot in manual.. and use manual focus...I don't, but you could...or, you could take the time to learn what those hundreds of setting do, and pick the right ones, and then go have fun.
Here is a down sized G10 image.. which I have in a 13 x 19 inch print...
and this one:
or this, where you just want the head with the just swallowed fish still in it's mouth:
In your defense,the manual sucks, and they don't tell how all the setting should go together to make a shot.
If you have a strobe (and you should), then you need to understand the following:
1. Anti-shake does not work with macro..use a faster shutter speed.
2. This camera has amazingly high flash syn... which you can use to replace the f stops it does not have.
3. Use the zoom to give yourself working space and control depth of field.. sounds odd to a DSLR using, but it is all you have, and it works.
4. Ignore the F stops for the most part.. you only have a couple at each setting.
5. Use spot focus...the smallest one, as there are several
6. Have focus magnify on.
7. Have spot exposure on or center dominate.
8. Have the half depress exposure lock on.
There are a bunch more, but that is a start.
Regarding image quality... if and only if, you shoot in ISO 80 or 100, and if you leave the f stop wide open, and if you zoom to about the middle of the zoom range.. you have slightly better resolution than say a Nikon D3S and about the same as a Canon 1D... don't believe it? Just download the resolution chart images for those cameras at Dpreview.com and look for yourself. Now shoot under different setting, and that is not true..The G11 is no where near to that, but it does have better low light performance.
The first day I bought the camera I studied the manual, went out in the yard and tried to take closeups of flowers and other detailed foliage. I tried all the automatic settings, both macro and non-macro. Sometimes the pictures would be in focus but usually not. I then went back to the camera shop where I purchased it and one of their employees who gives their class on macro photography took me and the camera outside to a flower bed and tried to take closeup pictures of the blooms. Same result, sometimes they came out OK, but usually not. We then went inside and got anouther brand new G10 and tried it. Same result. He finally gave up and just said some cameras were better than others at this. Needles to say I wasn't very happy with this after the money I spent on the camera and the UW housing. Off to Cozumel I went. Used the automatic settings for underwater and tried both the macro setting and just staying further away and zooming in. Spotty results in both shallow, well lit conditions and deeper, not so well lit conditions. I tried both with the diffuser and without it. I found without it for some reason half the picture would have a dark shadow acroos the bottom. With the diffuser the shadow went away. I don't believe the focus problem was necessarily related to lighting as it didn't work in very good light either. Meanwhile my buddy was happily snapping macro pictures of Nudabrachs, seahorses and other fine detail objects with my old Olympus C-4000. His pictures came out beautiful. The G-10 did beat the Olympus in taking long range pictures of Barracuda, turtles, etc. It seemed to make better use of ambient lighting at a distance. I guess my next approach will have to be to use all the manual settings and set each shot up myself. That's the professional approach and I was hoping to avoid that. I was specifically attracted to the G-10 because it featured an automated program specifically for underwater. Unfortunately, it only works if you're not taking closeups.
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And here is a very similar picture taken with the Olympus