A great learning camera
Written: Oct 21 '01
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Pros: Picture quality, extras that come in the box (wireless remote, battery), hotshoe
Cons: Focusing problems in certain situations
The Bottom Line: G1 is an excellent camera for someone who's interested in delving into artistic photography. Great pictures, portable and flexible, it's an all-around great value.
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| kclemson's Full Review: Canon PowerShot G1 Digital Camera |
Before June of this year, I didn't know what 'aperture' meant. I had a foggy notion that it had something to do with cameras, but that was it. Around that time, I decided that I wanted a digital camera for my birthday in July, so I started to research.
First, I decided that I only wanted to look at cameras that used compact flash, since it's generally cheaper than smartmedia/sony memory sticks and we already had a card. That ruled out a whole bunch of cameras, and basically left me with Nikon and Canon. So then I looked at the lower end point & shoot cameras - Canon S300, Nikon Coolpix 775.
While both cameras had good reviews and good picture quality for the price, I wanted to find a camera that would let me be a little more creative.
This led me to the Nikon Coolpix 995 and Canon G1. Both cameras allow you to control shutter speed, aperture, white balance, exposure adjustment, and all the goodies you don't generally find on your typical film rangefinder.
While reading the reviews of the cameras, as I came across a term I didn't understand ("focal length", "depth of field" etc), I looked it up. The more I read, the more I understood, and thus felt more able to make an educated decision.
I ended up settling with the G1 for three main reasons:
1. The ability to use lenses & filters (with a sold-separately lens adapter). I've long enjoyed infrared photography, and with an IR filter, I could take some of my own!
2. The hotshoe on top (a hotshoe is a plug for an external flash). I'd seen from my research that an external flash was absolutely essential for higher quality indoor pictures, and a large majority of the pictures I take are at events like weddings.
3. The flip-around LCD. I just LOVE this! I'm short, so if I want to take a picture straight-on from 6 feet up, I hold the camera up and swivel the LCD down so I can see it. Similarly, when doing macro shots of flowers near the ground, I aim the LCD straight up so I don't have to put my nose on the ground.
The above are all things the Nikon Coolpix line just didn't have (or didn't have easily - you can get a bracket that fits around the camera but it's awfully bulky).
Now, in the 4 months since I bought this camera, I have only one major complaint. When I want to take a picture of something such as a flower with very thin spines in front of a background of greenery, the G1 cannot auto-focus on it. It insists on focusing on the background. Fortunately the G1 has manual focus which lets you work around that, but using manual focus means that you have to look at the LCD to see what's in focus, and sometimes you just can't tell on the small screen.
Other pro's of the G1:
* Good quality LCD, easy to see even in sunlight
* Excellent picture quality, even when you just point & shoot
* A lot of punch in a fairly small package - heavier than my old 35mm rangefinder, but still light enough to carry around with me all the time.
* Very good battery life - all the tests of batteries I read (from various cameras in the same price range) placed the G1's battery on top. The battery used is BP-511, same as used on the prosumer digital SLR D-30.
The G2 just came out last month, and improves upon the focus problems from what I've read. If you're just now searching for a camera, the G2 is sure to be great, but that also means that you can get a great deal on a G1 as other people upgrade.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 700
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Epinions.com ID:
kclemson
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Member: KC Lemson
Location: Redmond, WA
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 10 members
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