Ever since I became interested in Adobe PhotoShop, I have had an increasing itch between the eyes for a high quality Digital Still Camera. I have been able to repress that urge because I have a Digital Video Camera that does an excellent job at TV resolution (640/480). Recently a close friend began seriously considering the purchase of a Digital Camera, with the excuse that he had to replace his Nikon film camera lost in a recent move, so he could take pictures of his granddaughter. So in keeping with current mindset that every dumb thing we do is someone else’s fault, it is his fault that I purchased this object. My law firm, Dewy Cheatham and Howe, says I should sue.

This is not a camera that should be considered by everyone. If you have been pleased with the results of your Instamatic, read no further. The G-1 is Canon’s latest 3.3 Mega Pixel Camera under $1,000, yes a whole $1.00 under.

Now for some of the justifications and excuses for the purchase:

I WANT IT, not withstanding that I know next year an equivalent object will be cheaper and maybe even better. I may have a heart attack and die without one, so what the H---. My friend bought one, keeping up with the Joneses. Look at all the money I will save on film; after all I took two rolls last year. Holiday photo opportunities are coming, so buy now or wait until next year to buy.

Now for some real reasons for a Digital Camera:

I can snap away without consideration of the cost of each picture. The main difference between snap-shooters and professional photographers is the number of pictures they take. It is easier to throw away all the bad ones, as they did not cost anything. With a program such as PhotoShop, I can do everything that formerly required an expensive dark room and all of those costly and smelly chemicals. If I make a mistake it is only my time that is lost. What you can do is limited only by your creative ability. I can save the good ones to CD ROM and preserve them for future generations. I currently have thousands of pictures that have suffered greatly from deterioration with time. No more box upon box of pictures and slides. I can easily share those special moments with family and friends via the Web. With high quality Digital Pictures I can make high quality enlargements of those occasional outstanding shots. This is the main reason for having an expensive SLR instead of an Instamatic.

Now my reasons for purchasing the Canon G-1:

It was the first camera I have seen that meets most of my desires for features. Its 3.3 Mega Pixels produces an image that is photo quality at 8" by 10". It will accept both standard compact Flash Card and the IBM 340 MB postage stamp size hard drive. Each image in highest quality uncompressed is over 2 MB. It has a 3 to 1 zoom ratio, wish it were greater. In addition to the standard Point & Shoot Mode it has all of the creative Modes one could wish for, including Shutter Speed and Aperture Priority, settable exposure compensation, 3 shot programmable bracketing and much more. In spite of the plethora of features it is quite user friendly with a little practice and careful reading of the manual. It has both an optical and LCD View Finder. I especially like the fact that the LCD normally rests screen side against the camera to protect it and folds out and rotates for creative low and high shots. I am getting too old to flop down on the floor to get kids or animals at their eye level. I still gag at most of the baby, look down, shots. The LCD View Finder also rotates 180 degrees and, with the wireless remote control, allows the photographer to compose and take the family photo and be included in it. I was impressed by the almost unanimous rave reviews, and so far the camera lives up to those accolades.

Naturally there are a few things I wish it had:

A larger zoom ratio, with a little more on the wide end would be nice, as would image stabilization. A faster lens for better low light performance without flash. But then would I want to tote around all that extra glass. One of my Nikon Zoom lenses weighs several times the whole G-1 and is several times larger. Zebra Stripe, which puts stripes in the LCD viewfinder areas that are over exposed. This is a cool feature of my Camcorder, as correct exposure using the LCD View Finder is almost impossible. The G-1 however includes programmable exposure compensation for bright or dark backgrounds and a 3 shot bracket mode. Remember the 2 extra shots cost nothing. The battery pack is a proprietary Li-Ion, so if the battery is dead you must wait for it to recharge instead of slipping in some Al-K-Line batteries, to catch the kid’s first poop in the potty.

If you are in the market for a camera of this class, the Canon G-1 is a MUST CONSIDER.