Rating: 
Summary: Noise Level
Review: This camera has significantly more noise at ISO 100 than the Nikon 4500.
Rating: 
Summary: The pictures are brillient !
Review: I just bought the camera a few days ago. Before I "get used to it", here are my first feelings: a) the picture quality (color and sharpness of focusing) are so great, it completely eliminated my doubt about digital imaging --- how could one eat rice one grain at a time:-)) b) the lens cover is surely loose, I already accidently finger-printed the len a few times, and I think I know why it's made that way: because once the camera is in shooting mode, the len will extend out, if the len cover is tight, it would block the len movement and cause potential damage. I wish Canon would work out some way for that issue. The zooming lever is shaky, I hope it does not operate mechanically, otherwise you'll feel uneasy.
Rating:
Summary: Great gadget
Review: i bought this last week through amazon.. got a great deal from a reputable seller. i love this camera. i am still trying to figure out the may options it has. took hundreds of pictures and they were great. great colors, pictures and white balance. has 4x optical zoom which is higher than any other in the same price range. it is generally overpriced a little bit but you get what you are paying for.
Rating: 
Summary: OK for a digital camera
Review: Maybe it is my lack of experience, but I found shots with this camera very disappointing. It was(I sold it after a few months) too expensive for the shots that I got. Sure it had all the features, but when I tried to shoot a girl's basketball game it just wan't up to the task. I don't think I was asking too much. Any film zoom p and s would have given superior results with a minimal effort. And with the 500 you save you could print the results for the life of the camera. I found that low light situations combined with any sort of action left this camera in the dust. I wanted it to shoot concerts as well. That meant even less light and just as much action. Sure, I adjusted the film speed to 400. The grain was terrible. Next time I set it at 100 and used the flash. Well flash photos are never great, and there was still a lot of noise. When I took outdoor photos with plenty of light and the objects weren't moving, the photos were awesome. The camera was a marvel. Getting the printer to help output them was another tale. Overall I think that you need to consider what you wan't to do. For simple point and shoot photography, consider a cheaper digital. You don't need the extra resolution or the cost. Then again a one time use camera may do just as well. If you shoot in lots of light and desire high quality, this will be your camera. It is versatile and seems to be one of the best. Me, I am going with a Leica Minilux( the G3 was replacing mine which was stolen). Sure. it is less versatile, but I am never disappointed with the output.
Rating:
Summary: Within its limitations, produces stunning images
Review: I am a long-time user of highly responsive film SLRs and professional quality external flash equipment, just so you know my bias. I have been watching the development of digicams for years, waiting to make my first move. What I really want is a $1,500 digital SLR with a full frame sensor that will take my Nikon lenses. I figure that is at least three years off, and I am getting impatient. Hence I decided to spring for a "point-and-shoot" digicam that that would have features that would let me get around their inherent limitations. I chose the G3 because of its reputation for very high quality, clean images. The two limitations I knew I would have to deal with are the very long lag time before it focus-locks (even in bright light), and the unsatisfactory light quality of the built-in flash. As of this writing, technology has not solved the focus-lock lag time problem for point-and-shoot digicams and anyone who is satisfied with it simply has never used a modern film SLR. At least once you've got focus lock, the shutter release lag time for the G3 is about 1/10 of a second, which from what I've read, is better than just about anything else available. What makes the focus-lock lag time something I can live with is the extreme depth of field obtainable with these point and shoot digicams at f8. Once I get focus lock, I can then wait until my restless subject (a pet or a child) strikes an amusing pose and then fire the shutter with some reasonable probability of getting my subject still in focus. Now what about the flash problem? Relative to what I can easily achieve with external flash on my Nikon SLR, the internal flash on the G3 produces harsh, flat images with ugly hot spots. Fortunately, the G3 has a hot shoe that can take an external flash, and fortunately for me, I already owned a one of the highest quality external flashes that money can buy: the Metz 60 CT-4. I can't use my Nikon external flash on a Canon camera, but I CAN use my Metz, with the proper Metz module and extension cord connected between the G3 and the 60 CT-4. For those who have this Metz flash (or the 45CL-3) and would like to get the absolute ultimate quality out of this G3, the Metz module you need is the SCA 3102 and the connector cord is the SCA 3000C. In order for this to work, you have to set the camera to manual mode and set the shutter speed and f-stop yourself. Contrary to what I've read elsewhere, the G3 DOES sync at 1/250 of a second with third-party flashes, just as it does with the dedicated flashes from Canon. You also have to set the G3 to second shutter sync, which is what you'd want to do most of the time anyhow. Then just forget about all the controls you have on the Metz flash head itself and the SCA 3102 control panel, because they are all IGNORED. The G3 completely takes over controlling the duration of the Metz flash, and most of the time, the exposure is spot on and when it isn't, it's because you've exceeded the range of the Metz flash itself. This might happen if you get too close to the subject and you are not bounce-flashing, or if you ARE bounce flashing and the walls are simply too far away. Unfortunately, the neutral density filters for the Metz flash are no longer available, so the first problem can't easily be solved. The second problem is solved by more direct lighting from the Metz (with the attendant shadows unfortunately). But once you've got your exposure within an acceptable range, the G3 is shown to produce utterly stunning images that I can hardly get with my Nikon F100 film camera. The 60 CT-4 flash head can actually be reversed 180 degrees and then tilted, enabling you to bounce the flash off the walls behind you. The results are shadow-free images that look as if they've been exposed with the gentlest natural light you could imagine. Now there is one more complaint I have about the G3 and that is the software that comes with it for processing raw images (I only shoot in raw image mode and the first thing I did was replace the 32 MByte CF with a 512 MByte CF, which gives me 130 raw images, as opposed to 7!). The Canon software for raw images does not present you with a raw image AT ALL, but the raw image after it has been processed by all the image-affecting settings in the camera. I believe this is enabled by a second file that comes out of the camera that stores all this information. Maybe if you delete those files before you looked at them with the software, you'd see the true, raw image that the camera actually produces. I didn't wait to experiment. Instead, I bought the Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in. What this plug-in reveals is the truly stunning quality of the raw G3 hardware. Without any tweaking at all, if the exposure is accurate, the colors are as realistic as I've ever seen produced by film, and this is a raw image! The Adobe Camera Raw plug-in shows once again that hardware is miles ahead of software. What the G3 raw image software gives you is a fantasy world designed to please the uncritical. What the Photoshop plug-in gives you is REALITY, and then if you want fantasy, you can use Photoshop to create it. But at least you're starting with the most photorealistic images I've ever seen from a camera. I am stunned and amazed at the quality of the raw images I am getting from this G3 (in conjunction with my professional flash system), and can easily put up with the camera's limitations, because I've never seen anything better within its resolution limits.
Rating:
Summary: Knock your socks off great
Review: I've had this for 3 months now, and I am pleased with my decision. This is the perfect camera for a photo hobbiest who wants to have easy point and shoot ability as well. My girlfriend loved using this camera so much as a point and shoot that I had to pry it out of her hands most of the time. Battery life, the drawback to most digital cameras, to quote K. Reeves...whoa. Manual functionality is excellent, downloading pictures is quick and a breeze, and the quality is astounding. I did a good month's worth of research before buying this over other similar priced digital cameras, and this IS the best buy for the buck. Not perfect (yes, the viewfinder can get obstructed in instances...but the lcd works well enough in those instances), not the cheapest 4.0 mp, but the best 4.0 mp. If you don't believe me on that, check the consumer reports review as well as the many digital camera review sites out there. Or save time and just do it, you won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Picture Quality / Color!!!
Review: I recently purchased the Canon PowerShot G3 and am extremely satisfied with the purchase. The Camera is very easy to use, in fact on a recent trip this past week I was asked to take a picture of a vacationing elderly group. After I took their picture with their camera, they offered to take a picture of us. I just told them, press halfway, wait for the box to turn green and press the rest of the way. They fired away and the picture turned out quite nicely. (As all of my pictures have thusfar). A few of my work constituants owned the G2 and highly recommended the Canon for picture quality. I'm easily enlarging pictures to 8 1/2 x 11 with no visable loss in picture quality and not even using the best possible setting as yet (super fine). Ensure you get a larger flash, 128 or 256, some are selling with the larger flash, 32MB will do in a pinch but you'll quickly want a larger flash card as with any of the 4MP cameras. Bottom line, well made camera, easy to use, very flexible and powerful features to include the ability to use external flash and lense/filters choices. I'd highly recommend this camera for anyone who is looking for excellent quality pictures and a combination of ease of use and the flexibility to get advanced with many options to adjust if you like. Great job Canon!
Rating:
Summary: Great Digital Camera
Review: After reading the very positive review of this camera in a leading consumer magazine, I decided to head here, to Amazon, to read through the online reviews. The objections of the naysayers almost caused me to purchase a different camera, but, in the end, I figured I'd give the G3 a try. I'm very glad I did. The service from the supplier was exceptional. The camera arrived on time and in perfect condition. Having used it for more than a month, I can say that it consistently produces topnotch photos. Recently, I attended a "flyball" competition -- an event that involves dogs running and jumping hurdles. By cocking the shutter to the halfway position and getting the settings ready to shoot, I was able to produce excellent stopaction photos -- contrary to what other reviewers experienced. The camera is a dream to operate in automode, but also gives tremendous flexibility in aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual modes. In the coastal redwood forests I was able to use these additional features along with the macro-focussing option to shoot wonderful close-up photos of the trilliums and other flowers in bloom. About the only legitimate criticsm from the online reviews is that fact that the lens really does obstruct the viewfinder. This effect is increased when one buys and uses a telephoto doubler. But who cares? I always shoot using the LCD panel. I can't write enough positive things about this great little camera!
Rating:
Summary: Canon never ceases to amaze, even better than G2
Review: Being a great fan of the G2 I set out with G3 with a somewhat negative expectation, difficult as it is to improve drastically on something already as 'perfect' as the Powershot G2. But Canon never fails to amaze. Some of the great gains over G2 -- 1. The ability to selectively switch to RAW format during record review gives you incredible more post-processing flexibility. 2. Battery life is over 4.5 hours, compared to about 2.5 hours for the G2 or the 2 hours for most Nikons. 3. The Remote Capture and FileViewer software bundled for photo capture is mind-blowing. Looks sort of like Picasa Software (google it if you dont know) in the interface and is as easy to install and operate as G2's, but more intuitive. 4. The shape of this device is a little squarer, without losing the weight which means better balance and less shaking while clicking. A big plus in my book. 5. The 1/200 sec, F5.6 + ND filter for highly exposed (or very brightly lit) environments. The light auto-correction is awesome. You could take a picture of a stone glinting in the sun and still avoid the shining glaze and get the contours right. 6. The G2's "Color Effect" exposure mode has now been removed, the replacement is a selectable "Effect FUNC" menu option available in all exposure modes. There are six default settings (Off, Vivid, Sepia, Neutral, Low Sharpening, B&W) as well as a 'Custom Effect' that allows you to control sharpening, contrast and saturation. 7. A new PhotoStich software for stiching your pics into a panoramic view. I can of course buy such a tool off the shelves separately but helps if it comes with my camera. (Looks quite neat too suggesting that Canon may have, er, Canonized it a bit). 8. Perhaps inspired by the Canon's factory white-correction settings (which were found lacking and had to be altered by a user before the white edges from buildings etc could be cleaned out), the G3 has much sharper white offsets. In English, this means that even straight out of the box, you'll be amazed at the pics you end up taking.
9. In dim lit environs the G2 could easily outperform any other camera, and thankfully G3 maintains this rep. Personally I believe it even outperforms the G2 in terms of less haze and astonishingly real colors. Overall, the G3 delivers what must be considered the best image quality of any current >4 megapixel digicams, from a detail, tonal balance and color response point of view. There's really very little about G3 images to criticize. Short of the EOS range from Canon or the D100s from Nikon (both SLRs) this is quite simply the best you can ask for.
Rating: 
Summary: LOVE THE G2, HATE THE G3
Review: I LOVE MY G2 SO THOUGHT I WOULD UPGRADE. BIG MISTAKE. THE G3 HAD PROBLEMS FOCUSING IN LOW LIGHT AND WOULD NOT TAKE THE PICTURE WHEN THE SHUTTER WAS PRESSED BUT AFTER THE SHUTTER HAD BEEN RELEASED A FEW SECONDS. GOT WAY TOO MANY BLURRY PICTURES. I HAVE RETURNED THE G3 (ACTUALLY I TRIED TWO OF THEM) AND HAVE MY G2!
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