The Canon PowerShot G2 is a 4 Megapixel digital camera that looks and feels like a real camera. Whilst similar to a 35 mm compact camera it has many of the functions of a SLR and more. In auto mode it can be used to point and shoot and in manual mode, parameters such as shutter speed, aperture and focus can be set manually. Various in-between modes such as aperture priority, shutter priority and others allow you to enable or disable different automatic functions. If they wish, people familiar with advanced film cameras can fiddle with f-stops and shutter speeds to their heart's content.

The G2 has an eye level optical viewfinder as well as an LCD display. For most general shooting I find that the eye level viewfinder is easiest to use but as the viewfinder is not TTL (through the lens), the LCD display comes in handy for close-ups when parallax becomes a problem.

The camera does not accommodate interchangeable lenses but has an excellent 7 mm to 21 mm zoom lens permanently attached. This is equivalent to 34 mm to 102 mm on a 35 mm camera. It can be used with supplementary lenses with a special adaptor.

Image files are stored on CompactFlash (CF) cards which come in various sizes from 8 MB to 128 MB or more. A 32 MB card comes with the camera. This will store 14 full sized images with minimum JPEG compression.

The G2 can be set to record four different image sizes. Smaller images of course have smaller file sizes and more can be fitted on a CF card. Three different levels of JPEG compression are also provided. Files can also be saved in Canon's proprietary RAW format.

The rechargeable lithium-ion battery has more than adequate capacity for a days shooting. Unlike a nickel-cadmium battery, it has no memory effect. This means that the charge can be topped-up at any time without having to discharge the battery.

Effective ISO (ASA) rating can be set at 50, 100, 200 or 400. As with film, lower ratings tend to give better quality images.

The auto focus function works best where there are clearly defined lines in the subject. It does not work well if you try to focus on a subject with small random lines such as the foliage of a tree. However I believe that most other cameras in the price range have similar shortcomings. There are ways around this. For example you can focus on something else at a similar distance and lock the focus or else you can use manual focus which brings me to the next point. In my opinion. The G2's biggest fault is in the manual focus function. It is rather fiddly for people with fewer than three hands and you need to concentrate on a small part of the LCD display while adjusting the focus. Fortunately it is rarely needed.

The camera comes with Canon's own ZoomBrowser software which allows you to download images to your computer's USB port, organise them into folders and print them. Whilst ZoomBrowser is quite adequate for most purposes, there are more versatile programs available. Also bundled with the camera is Adobe Photoshop 5.0 Limited Edition. It lacks some of the more advanced features of Photoshop proper but is nevertheless an acceptable program for the occasional user.
 

Reprinted from the June 2003 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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