I'm no photographer. Never took a class. Never used anything but a run-o-th'-mill point-and-shoot. Ain't never had no call for no ISO n' shutter speeds n' ap'ture n' all such as that. Since I was a sapling I've wanted to learn though - and I'm suspecting there is no better method than using a digital camera to cut yer photo-takin' teeth. A fella can blow through some serious cabbage on film when he's in the primordial stages of a self-taught photography education; experimentation means many a wasted shot, to say nothing of setting up a darkroom. I was looking to score a camera with all those manual features that I couldn't make sense of (but knew I wanted) that could also act as a basic point-and-shoot when I didn't want to fumble with settings. Since Photoshop was all the darkroom this cowpoke was gonna need, these newer 3MP digital cameras seemed like just the ticket.

After a couple months of research (didn't want to rush the big purchase here), I narrowed the field down to Kodak's DC 4800, the Olympus 3030z, the Sony DSC S70, and the Nikon CoolPix 880 (and of course their very popular CoolPix 990). All solid performers, but each had its drawback(s). Then Canon announced their new PowerShot G1. A powerhouse of a machine, bursting with more features than should be allowed by law. The specs looked solid, but what of the all-important picture quality? A most trusted source deemed the quality to be on par with the CoolPix 990 - widely known as the seasoned heavy-weight champ of 3MP DCs. Enough said. The G1 was our pony; perfect enough.

I ordered online from RitzCamera.com - who didn't have the greatest prices in town, but offered a 30 day no-questions-asked type return policy. Plus if anything went wrong I could have the camera serviced at any of the local Ritz Camera dealers in my area. Righteous.

She worked beautifully straight out of the box. One dead pixel on the little LCD screen (which is expected, apparently), but otherwise no problems to report. Most impressive was the overall construction of the piece - heavy, but not too bulky. Built like a tank - doesn't feel at all like cheap plastic (Nikon 880, I'm looking in your direction). The swiveling LCD screen clicks heavily into a variety of positions with satisfying purpose, allowing you to flip it into the camera and protect the screen when not in use (or when in pocket). The manual that ships with her is a quick and easy read, and while it could've gone into a little more detail in some areas, the instruction it does offer will get a fella up and running confidently in a matter of hours. Overall impressions:

The Good

• Absurd battery life. Just keeps going and going. I understand this is the same rechargeable deal that Canon uses in their camcorders.
• Swivel LCD screen, allowing for self-portraits or over-the-head shots. Very bright, perfectly viewable even in sunny conditions.
• Supports Compact Flash Type II. Can't wait to toss a microdrive into this puppy...
• Intuitive, aesthetically pleasing menu system. All the important stuff is a just a click or two away. The "joystick" used for navigation is mighty slick to boot - very well built.
• Offers a noise-reducing ISO of 50 (for those well-lit situations).
• Large top LCD, providing a deluge of information (perfect way to conserve battery power).
• RAW mode - for those non-compressed images (at a fraction of the TIFF-standard file size).
• Beautiful manual white balance settings.
• A surplus of automatic modes for a variety of conditions, including a stitch-assist and movies.

The Bad

• Features almost overwhelming for a novice punk such as my bad self.
• Would've preferred a wrist strap over a neck strap (minor detail).
• Pretty wussy hand grip...
• No image/lens stabilization for those low-light no-flash no-tripod pictures where camera shake is an issue.

The Ugly

• The little plastic door that covers the USB port and battery recharger is more than a little flimsy - not easy to pop open either. Magic 8-Ball says this will break off in the not-too-distant future.
• Manual focus doesn't have a very good distance marker (where is the numerical read-out?). Pretty worthless.
• Camera will be outdated by next week (ah, technology).

Thus far any problems I've had with the pictures or picture quality stem from the photographer, not the camera. Even after several weeks of heavy use I still feel as though I haven't fully exploited every aspect she has to offer. The short of it is, these digital cameras are really a blast to play with, and the G1 is going to be more than enough camera for the common user. If you can truck with the hefty price-tag, the G1 won't disappoint (o'course that price tag will be less and less hefty as the months go by). Can't wait to take 'er on the road...

Scope a couple test shots of Doctor Strange. These are straight outta the camera in fairly weak light. Captured some glorious details and colors - despite the fact that I had the white balance setting all wrong ("Tungsten" instead of "Cloudy" - d'oh!).

Master of the Mystic Arts (shooting in Program AE)
ISO 100, Tv 1/150, Av 2.0
Resolution: 1024 x 768 (cropped), Compression: SuperFly (or is it SuperFine?), Format: JPEG

Click here for the official Canon G1 website, which lays out the full specs.

If you're in the digital camera market, skip over to DPReview.com - an astonishing resource of reviews and information. Other recommended camera sites include: Steve's Digicams, DC Resource, and Imagine Resource.