Canon PowerShot G1

Richard Price
23 January 2001

The Canon PowerShot G1 digital camera looks like a real camera, feels like a real camera and comes with enough features to satisfy the most advanced users. To be blunt, it's the first digital camera I have seen that I would consider buying.

The PowerShot it very intuitive to use with easy to understand controls. I had no trouble using it without referring to the manual once the lithium-ion battery was charged.

Boasting a 1/1.8 inch CCD and 3.34 million pixels, the PowerShot G has the capacity to capture images up to 2048 x 1536 pixels. The 3 x zoom lens is generous enough but can also be enhanced with optical accessories for greater creativity.

The 12 shooting modes ranging from full auto to manual can be selected using the Mode dial on top of the camera. Auto mode is self explanatory and foolproof. All the user needs do is push the shutter button.

Portrait mode ensures the subject is in focus while the background fades out by automatically setting a larger aperture for minimum depth-of-field.

Pan mode sets the focal length to the maximum wide-angle setting so shots can be taken quickly. This is handy when for action shots.

Landscape mode increases the depth of field by decreasing the aperture. An icon warns you to use a tripod with slower shutter speeds. The Night Scene mode exposes the background using a slow shutter speed while images in the foreground are illuminated with the flash. Black-and-White mode creates nostalgic black and white images. Stitch Assist mode is useful for creating a series of overlapping frames that can be later merged into a panoramic image. Movie mode captures short 30 second video clips which include sound at 15 frames per second with a 320 x 240 pixel resolution.

The more adventurous can experiment in the Creative zone of the Mode dial.

Manual mode puts the user is complete control. Shutter speed, aperture and all other digital parameters can be individually set to suit any purpose.

The Canon PowerShot G1 supports both JPEG and RAW format for picture data. Unlike JPEG which is "lossy" compression, RAW compresses without the loss of any data.

The LCD monitor flips out and can also swivel allowing users to take pictures at awkward angles. It is also useful for reducing glare on the screen when shooting in bright sunlight.

For me the Auto Exposure Bracketing was really useful for shots where it was difficult to determine the optimum exposure. I could choose the variation (up to two f-stops) and the PowerShot would take three pictures in rapid succession. Once previewed on the LCD monitor, unsuitable images are easily deleted.

Images can also be viewed directly from the camera on a TV monitor using the supplied AV cable.

Type II Compact Flash (CF) cards are used to store images and a 16MB CF card is included with the camera.

The manuals included with the camera are easy to understand and comprehensive. Even a complete novice should be up and running in no time.

Installing the software and connecting the camera to a PC using the USB cable is easy enough.

Images have to be moved to the computer using Zoombrowser EX 2.4.The 120 MB of harddisk space this program chews seems excessive for what is basically a downloading and cataloguing program. You would think with a USB connection Windows Explorer would be allowed to do the job simply. Sadly it cannot!

Price AU$2199
www.canon.com.au

By Richard Price, Editor, EnergyME.com

For information on getting a product reviewed email richard@energyme.com