Canon Powershot G6 Review

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By: Steve's Digicams

First Look posted 8/19/04
Full review posted 8/28/04

Click to take a QTVR tour of the G6

The 7.1-megapixel Canon PowerShot G6 is the successor to last year's popular PowerShot G5 and is over 10% smaller. The G6 features 12 shooting modes and a new ergonomic design with all of the key controls falling under the fingertips of the right hand, which wraps around a comfortable rubberised grip. The clear, anti-reflective vari-angle color LCD is now 2.0-inch display. The G6 also offers simultaneous RAW and JPEG recording, with selectable JPEG file resolution, improved image quality, up to 55% faster AF speed than its predecessor and the start-up time is improved by approximately 30%.

The 7.1 Megapixel CCD sensor delivers the high resolution expected of a camera in this class, allowing photo prints beyond A3 in size with plenty of resolution for post-capture cropping. The fast f2.0 4x optical zoom lens (35-140mm equivalent in 35mm format) has been optimised to the image sensor's requirements.

Canon's 9-point AiAF appears for the first time on a G-series camera, allowing for automatic, accurate focusing even with off-center subjects. The enhancement of the G6's focussing system means single and continuous AF speeds have been improved by 45% and 55% respectively . FlexiZone AF/AE allows users to specify the particular spot in the frame from which to focus and meter - ideal for creative compositions - and focus bracketing takes extra shots focused in front of and behind the subject.

Users have a choice of 12 exposure modes including Auto, Program AE, full manual, aperture and shutter priority modes, 2 Custom modes, Portrait and Landscape modes to control depth of field, a Night Scene mode with slow sync flash speed to maintain both background and foreground detail. Stitch Assist works in 5 modes to enable precise alignment of up to 26 images for panorama and poster shots, merged later with PhotoStitch software. 3 minute video clips with sound can be recorded in movie mode, or up to 30 seconds at VGA resolution. Photo effects include sepia, vivid color, black and white, neutral and low sharpening.

The vari-angle 2.0" color LCD monitor rotates fully to allow for shooting with the camera close to the floor or high in the air. The display automatically shows a mirror image for easy self portraits. 2x to 10x magnification playback allows fast, detailed image review to confirm focus accuracy.

A wide range of accessories further expands the capabilities, versatility and creative potential of the camera. A 0.7x wide converter and 1.75 tele converter cover a 10x zoom range of 24.5 - 245mm (35mm equivalent). True macro photography is available with a 58mm close up lens and professional Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX or Macro Twin MT-24EX flash units. The G6 offers full support of Canon's extensive EX series Speedlite flash units, including the new range-leading

For photo prints without the PC, the G6 is directly connectable to all PictBridge compliant and Canon Direct Print printers.

Powershot G6 Features:

7-megapixel CCD with RGB primary color filters
Standard JPEG and Canon RAW image formats
Canon 4x optical f/2.0-3.0 zoom lens (35-140mm in 35mm format)
9-point AiAF with FlexiZone lets user select the AF point anywhere in frame
AF assist focusing illuminator for dim to dark environments
2-inch 270° Vari-Angle color LCD viewfinder/monitor
Selectable ISO speeds: 50, 100, 200 or 400
Shutter speeds from 15 secs to 1/1250 (1/2000 @ f4 and higher)
Noise reduction for 1.3 sec. or longer exposures
Fast Canon DIGIC 12-bit signal processor
Program AE (with Program Shift), Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority and Manual.
Image Zone modes: Auto, Pan Focus, Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Color Effect, Stitch Assist, and Movie.
Movie mode with sound: 640x480, 320x240 and 160x120
Metering: Center-Weighted Average, Spot, and Evaluative
Canon iSAPS scene-analysis for more accurate exposures
Exposure compensation, flash exposure compensation, auto exposure bracketing
White balance modes; six preset plus 2 custom settings
Playback histogram function with over-exposure warning
CompactFlash Type II slot compatible with Microdrives
High-capacity BP-511A lithium rechargeable battery pack
Hot Shoe flash for Canon Speedlites
Direct print to PictBridge and Canon Card Printers
Exif 2.2 compatible for optimal print quality
Optional wide angle, telephoto and closeup lens converters

Physical Views

The Powershot G6 compared in size to a CD

The Powershot G6 and the 5-megapixel Powershot A95.

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Powershot G6 Specifications

Effective pixels:

Approx. 7.1 million

Image sensor:

1/1.8 inch CCD, primary color filter

Lens:

7.2 (W) - 28.8 (T) mm (35mm film equivalent: 35 - 140mm)
Maximum aperture: F 2.0 (W) - 3.0 (T)
8 elements in 7 groups (2 aspherical elements)

Digital zoom:

Up to approx. 4.1x (Up to approx. 16 times in combination with the optical zoom)

Optical viewfinder:

Real-image zoom viewfinder
Field of view approx. 83%
Dioptric adjustment -3 to +1m^-1 (dpt equivalent)

LCD monitor:

2.0 inch, low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD with 118,000 pixels
Fully articulated: 180° tilt / 270° rotate
Picture coverage 100%

Autofocus method:

TTL autofocus (continuous or single)
Focus lock and Manual focus are available

Focusing points:

9-point AiAF
1 focusing point (Any position is available with Flexizone AF)

Shooting distance:
(from tip of the lens barrel)

Normal AF:	50 cm (1.6 ft.) - infinity
Macro AF:	5 cm (W) / 15 cm (T) - 50 cm (2.0 in. (W) / 5.9 in. (T) - 1.6 ft.)
Manual focus:	5 cm (W) / 15 cm (T) -infinity (2.0 in. (W) / 5.9 in. (T) -infinity)

Shutter:

Mechanical shutter + electronic shutter

Shutter speeds:

15 - 1/2000 sec.
1.3 sec. or slower shutter speeds are available in Shutter-Priority mode or Manual mode
Slow shutter speeds of 1.3 sec. or more operates with noise reduction

Light metering system:

Evaluative, Center-Weighted Averaging or Spot (Center or AF Point)

Exposure control method:

Program AE, Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE or Manual exposure control
AE lock is available

Exposure compensation:

± 2.0 stops (in 1/3-stop increments)
Auto exposure bracketing (AEB) is available

Sensitivity
(equivalent film speed):

Auto, ISO 50, ISO 100, ISO 200 and ISO 400 equivalent

White balance:

TTL auto white balance, pre-set white balance (available settings: Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash), Custom white balance (Custom1/ Custom2)

Built-in flash:

Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction, 1st or 2nd Curtain Sync.

Flash range:

70 cm - 5.0 m (2.3 - 16.5 ft.) (W), 70 cm - 4.0 m (2.3 - 13.1 ft.) (T)
(When sensitivity is set to ISO 100 equivalent)

Terminals for external flash :

Sync-terminals at accessory shoe
Use of following external flashes is recommended:
Canon Speedlite 220EX, 380EX, 420EX, 550EX, Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX and Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX

Flash exposure compensation :

±2.0 stops (in 1/3-stop increments), FE lock, Slow-sync and 1st-curtain / 2nd curtain flash are available

Shooting modes:

Auto
Creative zone:	Program, Shutter-speed priority, Aperture-priority, Manual, Custom1 and Custom2
Image zone:	Portrait, Landscape, Night scene, Stitch Assist and Movie

Continuous shooting:

High-speed continuous shooting:	Approx. 2.0 image/sec. up to 14 images
Standard continuous shooting:	Approx. 1.5 image/sec. up to 23 images

(Large / Fine mode with LCD viewfinder off)

Self-timer:

Activates shutter after a 2-sec. / 10-sec. delay

Interval shooting:

Shooting interval: approx. 1 - 60 min. (1 min. increments)
Number of shots: 2 - 100 shots (Maximum number of shots varies according to CF card capacity)

Wireless control:

Shooting and playback are available (wireless controller is included in the camera kit)
When shooting, image is captured ontime / 2-sec. / 10-sec. after shutter button pressed

PC-connected shooting:

Canon RemoteCapture software is included in the camera kit

Recording media:

CompactFlash^TM (CF) card (Type I and Type II) or Microdrive

File format:

Design rule for Camera File system, DPOF-compliant

Image recording format:

Still images:	JPEG (Exif 2.2 [Exif Print]) / Design rule for Camera File system, RAW, Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant
Movies:	AVI (Image data: Motion JPEG, Audio data: WAVE [monaural])

JPEG compression mode:

Super Fine, Fine or Normal

Number of recording pixels :

Still images:

Large:	3072 x 2304 pixels
Medium 1:	2592 x 1944 pixels
Medium 2:	2048 x 1536 pixels
Medium 3:	1600 x 1200 pixels
Small:	640 x 480 pixels

Movies:

640 x 480 pixels (approx. 30 sec.)*

320 x 240 pixels (approx. 3 min.)*

160 x 120 pixels (approx. 3 min.)*

640 @ 10fps, 320 and 160 @ 15fps

* The data in parentheses refer to the maximum movie length per shooting.

Replay modes:

Single (Histogram displayable), Index (9 thumbnail images), Magnified (2x - 10x), Sound memos (up to 60 sec.), Slide Show

Canon Printers:

CP Card Printers, Pixma printers supporting PictBridge

My Camera Settings (customizing) :

The Start-up Image, Start-up Sound, Shutter Sound, Operation Sound and Selftimer Sound can be customized using the following methods.

Using the images and sounds recorded on the camera.
Using downloaded data from your computer using the supplied software.

Interface:

USB (mini-B, PTP [Picture Transfer Protocol]), Audio/Video Output (NTSC or PAL selectable, monaural audio)

Power Source:

Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (type: BP-511A included)
Battery life: approx. 300 shots/400 min. playback
Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (type: BP-512) (sold separately)
Compact Power Adapter (CG-580) (included in the camera kit)
Car battery adapter (separately sold Charge Adapter/Car Battery Cable Kit CR-560 is required)

Operating temperatures:

0 - 40° C (32 - 104° F)

Operating humidity:

10 - 90 %

Dimensions (WHD):

104.9 x 72.8 x 73.1 mm
(4.13 x 2.86 x 2.87 in.) excluding protrusions

Weight:

Approx. 380 g (13.4 oz.) (camera body only)

G6 kit includes:

Digital Camera, Lens Cap, Neck Strap NS-DC1, Compact Power Adapter CG-580, Battery Pack BP-511A, Terminal Cover (for Battery Pack BP-511A), CompactFlash™ Card FC-32M, Case for CompactFlash Card, Canon Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, ArcSoft Camera Suite Disk CD-ROM, USB Interface Cable IFC-300PCU, AV Cable AVC-DC100, Wireless Controller WL-DC100, Lithium Battery CR2025 (for Wireless Controller WL-DC100), User Guides, Warranty Card

(Specifications as represented by the manufacturer)

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