G-3 - A Great Prosumer Camera - Updated For Add-on Lenses

Overview
The G-3 is the latest in Canon's G-family of cameras, and like it's
predecessors is a prosumer camera, meaning that it is a mix of the basic functionality of a digital SLR while at the same time providing point-&-shoot functionality. What this means is that while you don't have the full SLR capabilities (e.g. TTL viewfinder, wide selection of accessory lenses, etc.) you still have all the features normally sought after by photo enthusiasts including full auto, shutter-speed and aperture priority modes (respectively Tv and Av in Canon-ese), a full 'program' mode, as well as portrait, landscape, night, and panorama modes (more about this later).

Let me say at this point that I have been a Nikon 'snob' all my life. I have never been keen on Canon products per se but this camera changes all that. Read on for a full review.

Design and Ergonimics
The G-3 is larger and somewhat boxier than it's predecessor the G-2, adding a grip that is very SLR-like to the right hand side of the camera helping the camera feel very comfortable in hand. Canon leverages the G-3's increased size by spacing controls a bit further apart than the predecessor G2 and some of it's competition. I find that this added size helps increase user-friendliness when accessing controls and menus. A new separate on-off button now lies just to the left of the mode dial.

This is greatly improved from the G-2 set up where the power and mode dials were situated in a piggy-back design, which ran the risk of being triggered to off while using the mode dial.

Canon has kept their now famous flip-out LCD, which is one of the best features of the camera. The LCD is a fast and bright 1.8" affair that can be positioned just about anywhere - including facing in or out from the back of the camera (no more nose smudges when taking those quick portrait shots with the optical viewfinder - a nemesis on most every other digicam). One of the few areas that Canon decided not to touch in the upgraded G-3 design. Don't worry about having to contort yourself to get the right access to a decent line of sight for a shot.

Also still intact is the display panel found on the extreme left top of the G-3. The panel provides virtually everything you would want to know about camera settings without having to constantly refer to the LCD monitor.

Optics
Canon has upped the focal length of the G-3 to 4X optical (I never worry about digital zoom, as the same effects can be created in most imaging software packages), giving the G-3 an equivalent 35mm length of 140MM. This competes nicely with the likes of the Nikon 4500 and even the Fuji 602Z. The lens speed has been increased as well to f2.0 at wide and f3.0 at full telephoto. While not quite as fast as the Olympus 5050c, it is plenty fast for most every shooting situation I have thrown at it thus far. The lens is nice and clear, with some pincushioning and and barrel distortion at the extreme wide and tele which is to be expected anyway in a lens this physically small. The lens can be focused automatically or manually - again, standard for most digicams, only Canon adds a most appreciated measurement scale in feet or metres depending on your preference.

Functionality
Overall this is a very functional camera with a very easy to access user-friendly menu system. White balance and exposure are both accessible directly from the omni-controller on the back of the unit, making it simple to tweak these all-important settings on the fly. Like all digicams, the menu system is specific depending on what shooting mode you are in (e.g. while in

Program mode, you can't select f-stop or shutter speed). In addition to standard menus, by using a dedicated function key, you can access often-used features like file format, film speed, white balance, and others without drilling down into a menu.

Features
Two notable features that I particularly like are the built-in ND filter and a dual auto bracketing mode. The ND filter is used to help better control light coming into the picture without changing the aperture setting of the camera. Auto bracketing allows you to take a series of 3 frames of the same picture either from an exposure or focus perspective. Some of my more 'creative' shots happen to come when using the ND filter and auto-bracketing. The G-3 has a hot-shoe for dedicated external flashes - again, Canon really flies high here matching this with any of their speedlight units, as well as two different ring-light setups for macro lighting.

The G-3 has a very capable and easy to use panorama mode allowing you to take several shots in panorama and stitch them together to create vista-like pictures without tying you down to a specific media manufacturer (like some competitors have done).

Competition
Typical cameras that compete with the G-3 include the Nikon 4500, 5000, and even 5700, although the closest match in my mind is the 4500 in terms of all-round features and specifications. I also include the Olympus c5050, c4000 and Fujifilm s602Zoom in the list as well.

I don't consider any of the higher end point and shoot cameras like the Canon S45/S50 because these are not system cameras and are limited in their expansion capabilities.

Overall Value
Overall, I consider this an excellent value camera provided you are looking for a system camera with lots of room to grow in terms of creative photography as well as system components themselves. One drawback though, if you have a G-2, and are looking to upgrade, your lens adapter won't work with the new bayonet mounting system the G-3 has. The telephoto and wide angle lenses reportedly work, although Canon says they don't. If there is a downside to this camera, it's probably the strap that comes in the box. It's hard and stiff and can rub the back of your neck leaving you chaffed and tender if you carry it around your neck for long periods of time.


UPDATE - Add-on Lenses
One of the key reasons behind my purchasing a G-3 was it's system approach which allows the owner plenty of expandability - especially in the area of add-on lenses. Now - a couple of months after buying the camera, I have purchased a telephoto and wide angle lens.

A key factor in my purchase was that I wanted to continue to be able to leverage my Cokin filter system that I have used since 1979 with my Nikon FM SLR. A bit of research showed that my first choices - the Canon lenses - did not include filter threads on the end of the lenses - so that ruled them out. Then I spent some time researching other 3rd party products and soon realized the vastness of choices for add-on lenses (as well as the wide-open price range). I finally decided on a Kenko KNT-20 telephoto lens and a Raynox DCR 720 wide angle lense, with the Kenko 52mm adapter. I made the purchase from The Filter Connection (http://www.2filter.com/welcometo.html) - a store-front operation in Connectiicut which also has an on-line store. Their prices were excellent (I live in Canada, and saved the equivalent of $150.00 CDN by not buying Tiffen or Canon product here in Canada).

Here's how the 3 products break-down.

Kenko KNT-20 Tepephoto Lens:
With a 52mm lens mount, the Kenko mounts on either their own 52mm lens adapter or the Lensmate 52mm adapter. You will need a 58-52 stepdown ring if you want to use the Canon G-3 adapter tube. The lens starts to show significant vignetting from about 85% zoom downwards - which makes it best suited for full-zoom applications. This is no big deal really, as this gives you an effective 35mm equivalent zoom range of between 240mm and 280mm. It has a 67mm filter thread on the end of the lens, but for some reason, the filter threads are silver and not black, which can cause some reflective artifacts on some pictures depending where the sun is. Either careully blacking it out with an indelible marker, or adding a sunlight filter should take care of this. Optically, this is an excellent lens, with picture quality as good as Canon's own product (without a filter thread, remember).

Overall, I give the Kenko KNT-20 a very good rating. The only thing keeping me from rating it as excellent is the presence of silver filter threads on the end of the lens. An integrated lens hood would be nice too.

Raynox DCR720 Wide Angle Lens:
The Raynox also has a 52mm lens mount, and like the Kenko product mounts directly to either of the Lensmate 52mm or Kenko lens adapters (same applies for using the Canon 58mm adapter - you'll need a step-down ring). Raynox calls this a 'full-zoom compatible' lens, which means you can use this lens with the full zoom lengths of the G-3 without any vignetting at all. The equivalent is a nice wide-angle zoom of about 26mm through 100mm - very handy indeed for landscape photography and some portraiture without switching lenses. Raynox have milled a 62mm thread on the end of this lens. Unlike the Kenko KNT-20, the Raynox has black filter threads as well as a built-in,blacked-out lens hood that is non-removable (which means I'll need some kind of an extender ring set-up to use my Cokin filter set with this lens). Optically, like the Kenko KNT-20, this lens compares equally to the Canon wide angle lens, with an additional 2mm on the wide end for a slightly wider field of view at full wide.

Overall, I give the Raynox DCR-720 wide angle lens an 'almost excellent' rating. It only falls short because the lens hood isn't removable.

Kenko 52mm G-3 Adapter Tube:
There are essentially 4 options for adapter rings for the G-3; Canon's own 58mm tube, Lenmate's 52mm and 58mm tubes, and Kenko's 52mm tube. Canon's product is made of a plastic/resin material with a blacked-out interior to help prevent lighting spikes. Likewise, both Lensmate units also are blacked out, but for some reason, the Kenko tube is not. Both the Lensmate and Kenko products are made of some kind of metal alloy (aluminum?). The Kenko is by far the cheapest of the 4 tubes (I paid less than $15.00 USD for mine). A couple of nigglies though. First - there is no de-markation on the outside of the Kenko tube to assist in mounting it to the camera, which means a bit of fiddling to get it on. Second, the inside of the tube isn't blacked out - which could mean some light refractions when using it. I have not had any problems with it so far though, so I don't know if this is an issue. Either way - both nigglies can easily be corrected with some black-matte model spray paint and a bit of masking tape (to protect the lens and bayonet mounting threads) and a black indelible marker to dot the outside for a mounting landmark. Both lenses mount readily and easily to the Kenko tube, and because it isn't as wide as the Canon adapter, you get less flash shadow with it on.

Overall, I rate the Kenko 52mm G-3 tube as very good.

To see my results with my G-3 kit, refer to my new InstantLogic on-line gallery at http://jww.instantlogic.com/