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Canon PowerShot G3  4MP Digital Camera w/ 4x Optical Zoom

Canon PowerShot G3 4MP Digital Camera w/ 4x Optical Zoom

List Price: $699.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This Camera Rocks!!!
Review: There is absolutely nothing bad I can say about this camera. I've owned one for about 8 months and it continues to exceed every expectation.

From the clarity of shots taken at max zoom (even at night), the video clips, the sound bites added to pics, to the battery life.... Everything about this camera has impressed me.

This Camera Rocks!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Simply amazing
Review: The G3 is simply an amazing digital camera. It offers all of the creative features a serious photographer could ask for, in a camera that when set to automatic, is simple enough for anyone to use.

The fast lens means that the flash isn't needed as often as with other cameras, while the hot shoe allows an external flash for when flash is needed. External flash is ALWAYS better than built-in, especially one with bounce capability (the Canon 420EX is a great companion to the G3).

The Powershot G3 is NOT small and light enough to dissappear into a pocket, but that is part of what makes it such a terrific camera. If you want a carry anywhere model, look at the Digital Elph or the S45/S50, which are much smaller and have built-in lens caps. The G3, on the other hand, is made for using, not carrying. That's not to say that its heavy and large, it is actually about the same size as most 35mm point and shoot cameras of the early 1990s.

The larger size is what makes the G3 great. It has a proper hand grip, that fast 4X zoom lens (physically a lot larger than the slow 3X lenses on other Canon cameras) and a large, tilt-swivvle LCD. There are also enough buttons, dials and controls to make all of the G3's many features easy to access and use, rather than burrying them deep in the menu system.

Some users complain that the lens barrel can be seen in the optical viewfinder when set to wide angle. Yes, it can be seen, and no, it isn't that big of a deal. If you've ever used a 35mm rangefinder camera you are probably familiar with this effect, and if you haven't, it isn't at all hard to get used to.

Finally, the 4 megapixel resolution and accurate color balancce make for incredible images. Automatic does a terrific job in most conditions, and when it doesn't, or you just want to be creative, you have more options with this camera than almost anything else on the market.

I also own the 5 megapixel S50 as my compact camera. I was concerned when I bought it that I would favor it over the G3 on account of hte higher resolution, however I just printed some 11X14s from both cameras, and resolution is not an issue on either one. I see the extra resolution simply as more room to crop, which can make up for the S50 having a 3X as opposed to 4X zoom lens. With the G3, I have more control over composition in the camera, doubly so as I also have the 17X Canon teleconverter. With the functional equivalent of a 285mm lens on a 35mm camera, I honestly don't need much cropping, whereas the S50 is limited to 105mm and I often crop more. Color saturation and accuracy are excellent on both cameras, and both are tack-sharp without any noise, at least if left at ISO 50 or 100 as I always do.

In conclusion, I love the G3, and give it my highest recommendation.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: First time user
Review: I bought the G3. It is my first digital camera. Am so glad I decided to purchase this particular model. It is incredibly easy to use as a point and shoot camera, yet, on the other hand allows a lot of depth for more advance photo shooting. The results so far have been nothing short of astounding. The picture quality is wonderful, particulary without the flash (both indoors and outdoors.) I was not able to directly hook up the G3 with my computer due to multiple USB devices. Probably could have figured it out, but instead I purchased a very inexpensive card reader which works perfectly. Immediately purchased a 256 mb card...and now I am ready for some serious picture taking. This is a wonderful entry level camera which will grow with the new user. Particulary impressive so far has been the long lasting battery. In fact, so far I have not gone to the limits of the battery! Last week I took 65 successive pictures at an event at our church and still had battery left.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Product!
Review: Can't say enough about this camera! I am a real novice at photography and I love this camera. It is very easy to use and the pictures are so crisp and clear. Very easy to download to PC. Only con would be that it's a little heavy. Other than that, this is a wonderful camera!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Love it!
Review: This is my very first digital camera, after using a 35mm camera for over 18 years, and I love it, love it, love it! The camera is easy to use and operate. I take (admittedly amateur) photographs of buildings and urban landscapes and need to be able to adjust aperture and exposure. This camera has simple controls that allow you to easily do that. I immediately took this camera on a trip abroad and had fun taking picture after picture. I still have to figure out how to help the camera focus on very faraway, difficult to see objects (I tried taking a picture of my hometown from a plane in the late evening and it took the camera a while to find the right focus). Downloading of pictures on a USB port is very easy. Over all, I am very happy with my purchase and recommend it to anyone who wants a little more than just a snapshot camera but can't afford a real professional camera.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Quality, easy to use!
Review: This camera is wonderful!

Originally bought it to photograph my children but found it to be a priceless gem for my business (Assistantforyou.com).

One of the services I use this camera for is supporting Real Esate Professionals and photographing their client homes for listings.

This camera is great and offers a wide variety of options from still shots to 30-second video with audio! Switching from one to another shot form is easy and quick!

Love it and highly recommend it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Love it!
Review: I originally bought an HP 935 5mp and had many problems with it. It was perhaps just a lemon but repeated attempts to solve problems with their tech support didn't work. Their tech support is terrible. I had to return the camera and chose the Canon G3 based on the reviews here and elsewhere. I am still very new to digital cameras but so far this Canon is wonderful! It is not only good for the PHD (push here dummy) users, it has many advanced features. I don't feel so bad about letting go of my 35mm now.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Camera
Review: I recently got this camera as an upgrade from my Canon S200. I am very happy with my S200 believe me but after shooting with my G3 I am amazed at the detail and color I can now get.

I was wondering if the G3 was worth the price jump over the G2, my only reason for this was the body design of the G3 which seems more modern to me. I know this is superficial but it looks nice.

The first thing I noticed was how similar the controls / icons were from the S200, so it wasn't a steep learning curve on known features. But these are some of the manual features the G3 offers:

-P/ Program AE Mode: G3 sets shutter speed and aperture, you set ISO speed, light metering

-TV Mode: G3 sets aperture, you choose shutter speed, ISO white balance.

-AV Mode: G3 sets shutter speed, you choose aperture, ISO, white balance

-M Manual Mode: You set shutter speed and aperture.

-Auto mode: auto.

-C1 and C2 modes: these are modes on the dial along with the others which let you save your own custom settings. This was cool because now I have a space for lmy own ow light setting and my own high speed setting, which i just turn the dial to get.

Some other Pros I wanted to list about the G3:
-LCD screen is beautiful, nice large, crisp.
-Movie mode (320x240 max) lasts 3minutes, and plays back on the G3 with sound.
-the two buttons needed for deleting images are right by each other, so you only need a thumb to delete. (dumb I know, but I delete alot on the fly) actually all of the buttons are placed thoughtfully.
-wireless remote, is cool for shooting group shots.
-macro mode is awesome, have gotten some very nice shots of flowers...etc
-longest shutter speed is 15 seconds.
-image sizes the G3 has, with images each size allows, based on a 256mg CF card, on medium compression:
2272x1704, 221 images
1600x1200, 439 images
1024x768, 760 images
640x480, 1560 images
RAW 64, images

All in all, I am very happy with the camera and the purchase. Definately not one of those you will feel guilty about treating yourself to, because that's how I feel. There are other features which I have probly missed. But these were the ones I noticed at first.

If you are looking at cameras and thinking about it, get the G3, its easy enough to use as an amateur. You won't be dissapointed.

Have fun, cheers. (Oh, my pics are on pbase.com/flashboy99)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GREAT CAMERA - MAGNIFICENT PICTURES
Review: Recently purchased the Canon G3. Decided to purchase the G3 over the G5 because they were so similar and the savings was substantial. The pictures are magnificent! The camera is very easy to use...even for a novice. The only negative thing about the camera is what most other people have found with the lens cap and the viewfinder. The viewfinder doesn't bother me because I always use the LCD screen. Canon should consider putting a better lens cap on!! I guess if that is the only thing you can find wrong with a camera then it must be an excellent piece of equipment. Would not hesitate to suggest the purchase of the Canon G3 to anyone. Hope you all enjoy yours as much as I do mine.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: No regrets at all
Review: I bought this camera a few weeks ago and have been shooting like crazy ever since. I've had enough time to feel comfortable with all the features, and I'm just amazed at the things this camera is capable of.

The images are sharp and the colors knock your socks off. You can saturate the colors or not, depending on preference. The buttons on the top and back of the camera make quick access to most of the features a snap, so you don't have to dive into the menu for them. Much better than my old Olympus D40 for this.

The flip out and twist lcd screen is absolutely a gem, and it feels like it has the sturdiest hinge ever. I don't think I would buy a camera without this ever again. The focus bracketing feature is incredible for macros, and unique among cameras. The battery life is astounding. I have never run it down yet, even after 275 pics shot one day, and I always leave the lcd on. The built in neutral density filter let me shoot flowing water with a smooth, silky appearance for the first time ever. That's fun.

I love the lens, the ability to add on tele and wide angle converters later, the off camera flash ability.

The one glitch is manual focus, but this is a problem for almost all non SLR digicams. They need to refine this for sure. Chromic aberration is not a problem once you remember to avoid the widest apertures in backlit shots.

I highly recommend this for the photographer who wants to explore the manual aspects of photography. The thing about it is, many folks won't think they'll ever go beyond point and shoot, but then they get hooked on it and wish they had a camera with more features. This camera has them in spades.


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