Product Description
Quite simply, the Canon PowerShot G3 is an elegant, easy-to-use joy of a digital camera that will satisfy the needs of the most demanding professional or advanced amateur photographer. It boasts an impressive four-megapixel resolution, a 4x optical zoom, and a bright LCD monitor that swivels off to the side of the camera and tilts up and down as needed. It also provides a bevy of manual creative controls in addition to its fully automatic mode.
The PowerShot G3 owes its brilliantly detailed images to a high-resolution, four-megapixel CCD that delivers a postcard-size image with no visible pixellation. On-chip primary colour filters provide vivid and realistic colour without the noisiness associated with other primary-colour filters. The G3 can capture images at resolutions of 2,272 x 1,704; 1,600 x 1,200; 1,024 x 768; and 640 x 480. This range allows for prints up to 11 by 14 inches, as well as easy-to-upload images for the Web and e-mail. The G3's lens features a 4x optical zoom, which moves from wide-angle to extreme telephoto with the touch of a finger. The lens aperture is a large and bright f2.0-f3.0, so you can shoot in low light without flash. The G3 also features a 3.6x digital zoom.
Images are stored on Type I or II CompactFlash memory cards. The included 32 MB card will store approximately 27 images at 2,272 x 1,704 pixels (at large/fine settings). Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB storage-class connectivity, which means it can be connected to any USB-based Windows Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software. In addition to taking still photos, the PowerShot G3 can also record movie clips of up to three minutes. You can choose from either 160 x 120 or 320 x 240 pixel video formats.
The G3's electronic dial, with its independent mode dial and lever, replaces the functions of the previous two-stage main dial and mode dial. The control layout is functional and simple to use. The display panel at the top of the large, 1.8-inch LCD monitor has been redesigned for a clear layout of icons, and larger fonts make the menus easy to read. Exposure metering is selectable among evaluative, centre-weighted average, or spot. AE lock and FE lock let you store ideal auto and flash exposures until you're ready to shoot, while the exposure compensation enables you to adjust the exposure up or down as much as two full stops. You can add power to the PowerShot G3 by adding optional components, from Canon's EX series Speedlight external flashes (which connect easily to the G3's hot shoe) to a variety of converters and conversion lenses.
The camera is powered by a proprietary Canon rechargeable lithium-ion battery (included), and measures 4.8 by 3.0 by 2.5 inches and 14.5 ounces. This package includes the PowerShot G3 digital camera, a 32 MB CompactFlash card, a lithium battery (model BP-511), a compact power adapter (model CA-560), a wireless controller, USB and AV cables, neck strap, and a CD-ROM with Photoshop LE imaging software and USB drivers for Windows and Mac.
Manufacturer's Description
The quality of a digital image depends on a variety of factors, factors that Canon engineers have given extraordinary attention in the PowerShot G3.The PowerShot G3 owes its brilliantly detailed images to a high-resolution, 1/1.8 " 4.0 megapixel CCD for a postcard-sized image with no visible pixellation. On-chip primary color filters provide vivid and realistic color without the noisiness associated with other primary color filters. The image processor, DIGIC, improves the signal processing algorithm, resulting in improved picture quality, more accurate auto focus, and faster image processing speed.The lens of the PowerShot G3 is a 4x zoom lens that moves from wide-angle to extreme close-up with the touch of a finger. It also has a bright and large f/2.0 to 3.0 aperture so you can shoot in low light without a flash. In addition, the G3 has a digital zoom of 3.6x, so that the maximum zoom capability of the camera is approximately 14 times, reaching a maximum focal length of 490 mm equivalent to a 35mm camera. The zoom process can be moved in six steps from wide-angle to extreme telephoto using the electronic dial on top of the camera.The electronic dial, with its independent mode dial and lever, replaces the functions of the previous two-stage main dial/mode dial. The control layout is more functional and simpler to use. The display panel at the top of the large, 1.8 " LCD monitor has been redesigned for a clear layout of icons. Larger fonts make the menus easier to read. A single touch resets all user settings to default conditions.