If only the best-looking shots will do and you want the freedom to crop to
your heart’s content, you need a high-quality camera offering lots of creative
control. Enter the Canon PowerShot G5, a digital camera that will both meet your
needs and sharpen your photographic instincts.
The PowerShot G5 is a five-megapixel digicam that builds on Canon’s successful four-megapixel PowerShot G3. In fact, although the G5 sports a stealthier black body, its features and technical specifications are virtually identical to that of the platinum G3.
Optically, the G5 has a fast f/2.0-3.0 zoom lens with a 35mm-equivalent focal range of 35mm to 140mm, which means you can use the camera for everything from landscapes to portraits.
For the exacting photographer, the G5 has five "creative" shooting modes: automatic, program, auto exposure, aperture priority, and shutter priority. It also offers Portrait, Landscape, and Night Scene "image" modes. The G5 can even capture short movies. Shutter speeds range from 15 seconds to 1/2000 of a second. There’s flash exposure compensation, and the G5 is compatible with Canon’s excellent line of EX Speedlight external flashes. In short, the camera offers virtually every feature the advanced amateur would look for in a camera.
From the moment one first hefts the G5 it’s evident that this 14.5-ounce camera is solidly built and well balanced. Although the G5 lacks the tank-like build quality of the high-end EOS digitals, its metal-and-plastic construction feels very sturdy. However, the device is too big to fit in your pocket.
Ergonomically speaking, the G5 is an absolute dream. Long-time users of Canon’s EOS cameras will find it easy to operate. The menus are well designed and easy to navigate on the bright and sharp LCD. Even if you are unfamiliar with Canon cameras, the G5 is intuitive to use, and Canon’s manuals are second to none. The G5’s accessibility is a big selling point.
The images produced by the G5 are very good. The camera captures highlight and shadow detail superbly, and the color balance is very accurate. The images produced at the G5’s ISO 50 film-equivalent sensitivity are virtually noise-free. At IS0 100, however, noise creeps into the images, becoming unbearable by ISO 400. This problem, however, is not unique to the G5.
There are a few faults with the G5 worth mentioning: It includes only a 32MB CompactFlash card that, while larger than cards included with many digital cameras, is rather small for a 5-megapixel camera. This means you will need to purchase a larger card, increasing the overall cost of buying a G5.
The optical viewfinder on the G5 is disappointing. It’s small, not terribly bright, and displays only 83 percent of the image area, which renders it nearly useless for critical composition. Making matters worse, the lens barrel blocks a portion of the viewfinder at wide-angle focal lengths. For careful image composition, you will be using the LCD, which offers a full view of the image.
Prospective buyers should bear in mind that, while the G5 represents a tremendous value in a high-end digital camera, the same money will purchase an excellent 35mm camera. For example, it is possible to obtain a midrange Canon EOS SLR with a good-quality zoom lens or even the high-end Contax T3 point-and-shoot camera. The main advantages of a film camera in this context would be the ability to create larger prints, better performance in low light, the ability to shoot faster, and, in the case of the Contax T3, greater portability (if the camera’s not with you, you are not going to get the shot). It’s important to consider your photographic objectives before jumping to high-end digital.
Despite these minor blemishes, advanced amateurs looking for extensive creative control, lots of features, rugged construction, and great optics will love the PowerShot G5. It empowers you to create your next masterpiece, be it a sweeping landscape or a captivating portrait.
--John B. Stafford
Canon PowerShot G5
Rating: 4 stars (out of five)
Price: $799
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