Canon PowerShot G2 4MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom
- 4.1 megapixel sensor creates 2,272 x 1,704 images for prints at 8 x 10 and beyond
- 3x optical (plus 3.6x digital) zoom lens with autofocus
- Included 32 MB CompactFlash card holds 24 images at default resolution; camera is Microdrive compatible
- Movie mode captures variable amount of video depending upon memory card size
- Uses proprietary lithium-ion rechargeable battery (included); connects with Macs and PCs via USB port
Quite simply, the Canon PowerShot G2 is an elegant, easy-to-use joy of a digital camera that boasts impressive 4-megapixel resolution, a 3x optical zoom, a bright LCD monitor that swivels off to the side of the camera and tilts up and down as needed, and maximum overall creative control in addition to a fully automatic mode. Of course, none of this comes as much of a surprise to anyone familiar with its popular predecessor, the PowerShot G1. Both of these cameras have features and picture-taking modes similar to Canon’s EOS cameras, which means they have what Canon calls a “very camera-like feel.” Some of the G2’s more obvious improvements over the G1 (besides higher resolution) include a champagne gold finish, larger grip for easier handling, improved image and color quality, new photo-effect shooting mode for various effects, including black-and-white and sepia, and a new high-speed selectable three-point autofocus. The G2’s 4-megapixel CCD captures images at user-selectable resolu
List Price: $ 699.99
Price: $ 699.99
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Good digital camera, but much room for improvement,
I consider myself an advanced amateur photographer. I own a Minolta 3xi SLR, and this Canon G2 is my first digital camera. I have done extensive research on 3MP to 4MP digital camera. The final candidates are: Olympus C-4040Z, Canon G2, with G2 being the winner.
Things I like about G2 (from personal experience):
– swivel LCD very useful in quite a lot of situations.
– swivel LCD protects LCD when not in use.
– long battery life. I have bought an extra battery just in case, but I have never used it so far (I have been using G2 for more than 3 months now). On average, I can use one charge for about 200 shots, with 50% of shots taken with flash; or > 300 shots on normal usage. I think I will use the extra battery when I go on travelling…
– manual focus magnifies the subject, thus allowing easy and accurate focusing.
– ability to show 9 thumnails at a time, and ability to let you jump 9 photos forward/backward at a time.
– remote control comes very handy. The downside is: I always forget to turn on the remote control feature on the G2, and I wonder why my remote control is not working… I wish future cameras will allow use of remote control, without having user to remember to turn on/off the remote control feature everytime he wishes to use it.
– G2 normally produces good and sharp photograph.
Things I dislike about G2:
– slow to focus: causing me to miss many great photos.
– unable to auto focus: the camera could not auto focus during night time even with street light. The G2’s light assist does not help much and is of little to no use. Fortunately, manual focus is available. On another situation, I cannot auto focus on subjects are close (less than 1.5 foot) to the camera.
– video recording has max time limit of 30 seconds. This is useful for short clips, but generally videos require much longer than 30 seconds block. Note: Olympus C-4040Z has no video time limit.
– unable to zoom in or out after you have started video recording. However, you can zoom in or out before starting a video session.
– flash insufficient. When taking indoor pictures, flash assisted photos will look artificial, and gives you a feel that there is insufficient light (i.e. subject too bright, background too dark). I have read that adding an external flash will solve this problem, although I have never tried it. In the meantime, I use Night mode to compensate for this artificial lighting. With Night mode, your photo will look natural. The drawback is: the subject will need to stay still a little longer for the shot, so that there is more exposure for the darker areas. Unfortunately, my subjects do not always stay as long as I want them to.
– auto stitching does not work very well. Initially, I was impressed by auto-stitching. But upon further examination, I find that the stitching is done correctly only on certain parts of the photo. For example, auto-stitch is done correctly at the bottom half joining two pictures, but somehow auto-stitch did not stitch the top half correctly (i.e. top half is misaligned). In all, I would give auto-stitching a B- to C+ grade.
– photos taken tend to be more magenta in color. Fortunately, I can resolve this by setting Saturation level to Low (from Normal).
– noise found in higher ISO. Generally, G2 produces good quality photo at ISO 50 or ISO 100. I do not recommend using any ISO higher than 100 since I experience a lot of noise at these higher ISO.
Summary of main points: G2 is an above average digital camera for an advanced amateur, with many bells and whistles to play with. 3x zoom might be a little too small, but sufficient for most shots. Main problems of camera are slow focusing and sometimes inability to focus. Strengths of G2 are swivelling LCD and sharpness. Considering its price, it gives good value for money, but there is much room for improvement.
Note: You will definitely need a 128MB CF card. 32MB just isn’t enough for a 4MP camera.
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|Canon G2 -The BEST digital camera for under $1000US! Period!,
The Canon PowerShot G2 is a digital camera consumer’s dream come true, and a nightmare for other digital camera manufacturers.
Make a list of features you’d expect and not expect to find from a “prosumer” digital camera, and chances are you’ll find them on the G2. This is a little camera that was designed to act a lot bigger than many other digital cameras in its class.
You only have to pick up a G2 to realize that there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye; this camera’s significantly heavier and feels sturdier than any other camera in its class! The extra weight means better camera stabilization. The G2’s sturdiness inspires confidence and makes the camera feel like a photographic tool, not an electronic gizmo.
From the tilt-and-swivel LCD, the magnification loupe for manual focusing, dedicated and fully functional flash hot-shoe, evaluative metering, IR autofocous assist mechanism, ISO 50, RAW image format, etc., etc., this camera has it all!.
Many photographers will argue that the real measures of any camera lie in the controls and results. The G2 doesn’t disappoint in either of these respects. Although you’ll have to familiarize yourself with the camera’s controls initially, you’ll soon find them very intuitive and actually use them more often than not.
The quality of images captured with the G2 is nothing short of superb! You’ll get clean, detailed, very high-resolution photographs with the G2, especially if you use the camera’s RAW mode at ISO 50.
The Canon PowerShot G2 is still a point-and-shoot digital camera. Anyone who’s ever used an SLR will miss the optical viewfinder, true manual focus, and lens selection not available in the G2. However, this can be said for any other digital camera in the G2’s class. In every other respect, the G2 rises above its inherent limitations and really challenges its competition to try and keep up!
Beyond the camera itself, Canon has really done the consumer proud by offering most every accessory that you would want included at no extra charge, i.e. an remote control unit, high-capacity rechargeable Lithium Ion battery, and remote capture software.
If you’re in the market for a capable digital camera at a reasonable price, thank Canon for making the choice really very simple.
Positives:
– extensive feature set
– excellent build and design
– superb results, especially in RAW mode at ISO 50
– Excellent lens produces very little distortion and chromatic aberrations
– extremely reasonable price
– All the accessories that should come standard do come standard.
Negatives:
– Certain exposure adjustments, i.e. flash compensation, aren’t available in full manual mode.
– The fact that the G2 isn’t an SLR.
– Not much else.
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