Average Rating: 
Rating:  - 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.
Rating: - One of the Best on the Market
After months of exhaustive searching, I finally decided to purchase the Canon Powershot G2 (it's a wonderfully re-designed upgrade to the Powershot G1). The clarity of the images that this camera takes is spectacular. Combine that with the list of outstanding features that aren't included on any other digital camera: ISO 50, RAW image capture, a flip out LCD screen (which is much more handy than you would think), an infrared remote for long exposures and self-portraits, and easy menu functions -- this camera is without equal in it's price range.It's definitely not for the beginner, but, if you're familiar with photography, you'll be able to take sharp, beautiful pictures with this camera. Skin tones are perfect and the built in flash with exposure compensation does a good job for portraits. And, if you're considering a Sony, this camera uses the more inexpensive Compact Flash memory storage system. Compact Flash memory cards are cheaper than the Sony Memory Stick and are compatible with more peripherals than Memory Stick. All in all, if it's in your price range, you will be very pleased with the Canon Powershot G2.
Rating: - Great Camera! Bye, Bye Film!
I've hesitated making the switch to digital photography because of the stories I've heard about batteries that last 15 minutes before going dead, about the fact that you have to spend hundreds of dollars on storage media (provided that you don't have a laptop computer to immediately download photos) and talk from professional photographers that film is still where it is at if you want high quality shots.The Canon G2 has changed all those perceptions completely. It is a great camera and I have taken probably close to 600 pictures since I got it less than a month ago. Of those, I've been able to immediately delete one-third of those pictures because of things I didn't like with lighting, closed eyes, etc. This is something I couldn't do with my SLR camera and thus I will eventually save a lot of money in film developing costs and I will have better quality images. The pictures are incredible. I compared similar pictures I took with my Canon Elan 7E 35MM SLR (a great camera in its own right) and my Canon G2 digital camera and I think the quality of the latter pictures is better. Combined with the savings on film and developing and time saved by not having to scan pictures for editing in Photoshop, etc., the choice of going digital is easy. I do recommend that if you get this camera and intend to take indoor shots to get an external flash unit in Canon's EX series. The flash that comes with the camera gives me significant "green eye" when I took pictures of my dogs (a common problem when taking pictures of pets even with film), even with the red-eye reduction activated, but the bounce flash ability of my Canon 380EX Speedlite reduces this problem significantly (the 420EX is the newest in the Speedlite line). Battery life is also not a problem. I bought two additional batteries when I bought my camera based on the concerns voiced earlier about short life, but even after 600 shots, I am still working off my initial charge. Granted that almost all my shots were indoors so I'm not sure how much drain there will be due to elements, but I have also taken them with the monitor, so battery life is pretty good. You probably might want to get a second battery just to be on the safe side. Compact flash cards still can be pricey, but deals can be found where you might be able to get them for a good price and these prices will no doubt come down over time. Viking Components compact flash cards are very good and fairly inexpensive compared to other brands. I also think a cheap laptop or an image storage unit whereby you can store the images from the compact flash cards would be a good investment as well, especially if you plan to travel ... The Canon G2 is a great camera for the semi-serious photographer. Grab one while you can!
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