It's Here!

[DWerner]

The G2 is here!

I purchased it from thebestthings.com
They are very nice people to deal with, are authorized Canon USA dealers, consistently have some of the lowest prices around, and based on my experience, I recommend dealing with them. (I have no connection with them other than my status as a web customer.)

This is a very preliminary report. More will follow in the next few days.

Feel, fit and finish are superb. My G1 by comparison looks and feels a bit like the prototype of this camera. (Which, in a sense, I guess it is.)

There are no dead pixels in the ccd or lcd. No hot pixels either. (I will pursue this at greater length at a later date.)

Quick comparison shots (raw mode) show much improved color balance, reduced violet blooming, greater sharpness and detail, and wider dynamic range (probably due to the 10 bits of data) is evident in shadow and highlight detail. None of these improvements are “night and day” (with the possible exception of magenta blooming), but close examination of 11x14 prints (printed on an Epson 1270 at 1440dpi) and careful study on screen reveal actual visible improvement in all categories.

I am thrilled!

[pcresch]

Just got mine from Nichols last night. Had no G1 so no basis for comparison. One question. While fit and finish are great, the lens tube holding the first element can be moved laterally about 1mm with light finger pressure. A Fuji I have shows the same effect. It does not seem to cause any problem and I did not expect the G2 to feel like a Summicron, but it does seem 'sloppier' than I would expect.

[DWerner]

pcresch wrote:
Just got mine from Nichols last night. Had no G1 so no basis for comparison. One question. While fit and finish are great, the lens tube holding the first element can be moved laterally about 1mm with light finger pressure. A Fuji I have shows the same effect. It does not seem to cause any problem and I did not expect the G2 to feel like a Summicron, but it does seem 'sloppier' than I would expect.

I owned an Olympus 2000 digicam before the G1 and G2 (and Leicas and Nikon Fs back in the pre-digital era). That 1mm lateral movement seems to be "normal" in a self-extracting zoom context.

As to Summicrons... take a real close look at the "VARIO-SUMMICRON" lens on the new "Panansonic/Leica".
It should look VERY VERY FAMILIAR. I bet it even has PRECISELY the same 1mm lateral movement!(as does the "Zeiss Vario-Sonnar" version on the Sony, the Epson verson, the Casio version, the Olympus version ... etc.) Canon is manufacturing and selling a lot of these lenses. I like to think that we are getting the "pick of the litter". ;)

[pcresch]

Thanks.
Actually the Summicron to which I was referring to was a 1954 f2.0 50mm. Quite a chunk of glass. Now if it was usable today....Hmmmm.

Maybe I am dating myself.

Actually these new crop of computer designed and manufactured lenses with their aspheric elements put a lot of older and more classic designs to shame.

Amazing quality for the price.