Instant Gratification
Written: Jan 03 '01 (Updated Jan 06 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use and yet complete control
Cons: price
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| csonger's Full Review: Canon PowerShot G1 Digital Camera |
Digital photography is just plain cool. I clearly recall my first experience with a Kodak digital camera that was being used where I worked. Who could resist instant photo gratification? Well I could. It turns out that the instant gratification offered by the camera was more like instant frustration. It produced terrible pictures in no time at all. Unless you counted upload time – which started to make film development look quick. I am a typical American consumer, I want convenience and I want quality and I want it right now and I don’t want to pay too much for it and I don’t want to compromise.
But the allure of digital photography was always there for me. And so every couple of years I would check in on the state of digital cameras. But I never found anything that I wanted and I just kept waiting. The wait is now over.
I have recently purchased the Canon Powershot G1 in a decision process that was rife with consumer angst. There are only about a bizillion companies making digital cameras right now. And there are only about a zillion different models from each company. The differences between them are perhaps hard to quantify by reading the product specifications if only because so many of the true issues of quality are subjective. Even the things that are easily quantified, such as number of pixels, are difficult to decide about. What’s the difference between a 2.1 megapixel camera with a 10x optical zoom and a 3.3 megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom? And what is the difference between the tiny 2.1 megapixel Canon Powershot S100 Digital Elph and the larger 3.3 megapixel G1?
So before I extol the virtues of the G1, let me be clear. I had neither time nor energy to do an exhaustive search on this subject. I looked various places to see what was available. Overwhelmed by the number of offerings, I looked only at those products that had glowing user reviews. I came out with a list of four. I looked at those products a little more closely and what folks said about them and then I chose the G1. That simple. It is the best camera? Maybe not. Is it the best camera for me? Maybe not. Am I happy with it? Absolutely.
Here’s what I like about it:
The quality is good. It is a 3.3 megapixel camera and seems to do a great job with the color from the CCD. If you get your picture framed correctly then you can indeed make 8x10’s of good quality from the images that it takes. If you don’t get your pictures framed correctly then there is still plenty of resolution to crop the image for the right framing and get a good 5x7.
The size is right. I received a “miniature” point and shoot as a present about 10 years ago. This camera is about that size. Is it “Canon ELPH” small? No. Is it small enough to use one of these small over the shoulder camera bags? You bet. This camera is not a major production to carry. It won’t fit in your coat pocket, but it won’t weigh you down either.
The LCD display is lovely. It does a great job of showing you your shot and it can be moved to point in so many different directions. I don’t know how this works -- it seems like you can magically turn this LCD to point in any direction you like. But this is really nice for taking odd angle shots without breaking your back and for self-portraiture without destroying your ego.
Point and shoot mode works well. Turn on the camera, put it in auto mode, use the lever to set the up to 3x optical zoom and hit the button. The picture will look pretty good. That’s critical for me. There are times where you want just the right shot and are willing to take time to get it. But then there are times where you just want to get the photo and move on. The automatic mode is reliable for this.
There’s a mode for every occasion. Want to take a picture of a person against a sunset? There’s an automatic mode for that (that works wonderfully). Want to get a landscape? There’s a mode for that. Want to control the exposure yourself but not the focus? There’s a mode for that. The list goes on. From fully automatic modes for different common circumstances to varying degrees of manual control to full manual control, this camera will let you be just as dumb or smart a photographer as you like – while still giving you good pictures.
It comes with Photoshop LE. Photoshop is the way to go for image manipulation. And the Powershot G1 comes with it. Have no illusions – Photoshop is hard to learn. Whole books are written on the subject. But this is a great tool for manipulating your digital images and the on-line help seems thorough, if a little cryptic at times.
The rechargeable battery lasts a long time. Since I bought the camera I have been on several five day trips with the battery and not with the recharger. I have not run out of juice while on a trip.
The 16MB compact flash card holds quite a few pictures if you are taking 640x480 shots. You will get 80 to 90 640x480 shots on the 16MB card that comes with the camera. You will get more like 10 – 15 3megapixel shots. But remember that you can delete the ones that you don’t like and, of course, buy a new card. I purchased a 64MB card that holds about 30 high resolution, high quality pictures. When you consider that you delete the pictures that you don’t like, this is quite a large number.
USB download is fast. Digital cameras used to use serial for download. Wow, was it ever slow. USB offers a world of difference and the Powershot G1 comes with all the cables and software to connect via USB to your computer. A large picture is downloaded in just a few seconds. Smaller shots are downloaded almost instantly.
There’s a setting for everything. Want to set the compression ratio? You can. Want to set the white point? You can. Want to set the effective film speed? You can (from 50 to 400 anyway). The list of settings is huge and the interface to set them simple. Truthfully, I’ve read the manual cover to cover and am still not certain that I completely understand all of them. Thank goodness that understanding is not necessary to take good pictures.
It comes with a remote control. This can be handy when doing a slide show on TV. It is also much more convenient than the timer for taking pictures without a hand at the helm.
It’s a digital camera. That means that you know how good your picture was immediately after you take it. You can delete the ones you don’t like instantly. You can easily digitally alter the shots once you get the back to the computer. Digital cameras are cool.
There are a few things that I don’t like:
The Photoshop packaging is inexcusably bad. The manuals state that the software key for Photoshop is on the CD case but it is actually on the product cellophane wrap. I had to call tech support and then root around in the trash to find it.
The Canon picture library software is merely OK. It has already corrupted its database once – forcing me to go through several steps to get back to where I could view pictures. When the manual says: backup often, make sure to believe it.
The cover for the USB and charging ports feels cheap. It seems to be of a completely different build quality than the rest of the camera. That having been said, it has been quite sturdy so far. Possibly it only feels cheap.
It is expensive. Film photography needs to watch out when this camera is $200. But at $800, it is quite pricey. Not an inexpensive toy by any means.
The Canon Powershot G1 is a great camera. It takes great pictures. It is easy to use and it comes with Photoshop. For folks willing to spend a thousand dollars on a digital camera, this product performs well. And you’ll never wait for film development again.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
csonger
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Member: C Songer
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 2 members
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