Canon PowerShot G2 Revisited…
Now that I’ve had my Canon PowerShot G2 for two months and have taken over 1,500 pictures with it, I can make a few more observations about the camera, only obtainable through such experience.
First and foremost, I still love the camera.
The autofocus mechanism is achingly slow under poor light levels and when using the incredible macro capabilities, sometimes fails to focus properly at all. Of course, I’ve put it through some pretty difficult situations, especially some involving capturing fireworks at night, well after twilight. And many of the macro shots I’ve taken, I’ve been less than two inches from the target subject, usually at odd angles in order to get the most interesting images.
Straightforward pictures come out beautifully. The midranges at normal sunlight levels are incredibly rich, detailed and accurate. The highlights in a high-contrast situation tend to bleed slightly and be a bit oversaturated, most likely due to the apparent center metering exposure readings. When necessary, I compensate for that by letting it focus and set exposure just off center of the intended target in order to achieve better results, then, once the settings are locked by the appearance of the green square (indicating a proper lock), I continue to hold the shutter down halfway and point back at the original target, snapping a much better picture. The technique works, for example, when shooting a picture of a building against a brilliant blue sky with scattered clouds. Aiming at the building directly can result in a washed-out sky with limited cloud definition. Locking settings by pointing somewhere near the edge of the building and the sky gives a better exposure. I will give the caveat that I haven’t had the opportunity to finish reading the extensive manual and have not determined whether or not there are additional exposure types such as matrix metering, etc.
None of the great pictures I’ve taken with the G2 would be possible without the use of the excellent LCD preview screen. Looking back, I don’t think I’ve used the viewfinder at all since first acquiring the camera. Conversely, my wife hasn’t used anything but. It may be a preference based on style and comfort, but since I am very picky about exposure, focus, and subject coverage the LCD preview is priceless. I’ve also switched the default two-second display of the final shot to ten seconds to give me a longer time to make my decision whether or not to keep the photo.
Overall, the camera is very much worth its moderate-to-high price.
