Jump start with my new G2

I just upgraded from a SONY Mavica FD-73.
Mainly because of an upcoming visit next month to Banff & Jasper National Parks in Canada.
Can anyone offer advise on any MUST have attachments that I might want to have, such as lenses.
Not looking to spend a lot of money but I also don't want to learn after my trip that I should have had additional items.
I am still a novice but just love the camera the few days I have had it.
Thanks in advance
Tom McG

I would prepare lens protection filters with a Lens adapter. Lensmate, Hakuba, Canon are popular lens adapters and you can decide which one depending on if you want 43mm, 49mm, 52mm (with step-up ring) or bigger thread. I prefer 52mm since many of my EF lenses are 52mm and I already have UV, PL, Close-up, and ND filters.

As for teleconversion lens, I recommend 43mm Tiffen X0.75 for wider angle. it makes your lens closer to 24mm lens while widerst lens of G2 is 34mm. Good luck and look forward to seeing you photos.

You will probably want a polarizer (circular or linear - either one works on the G1/G2). This will reduce glare and deepen colors such as blue sky. Should work well for the type of shooting you will do on your trip. Search the forum and you'll find lots of info on polarizers.

If you plan to do much indoor shooting, I strongly recommend an external flash such as the Canon 420ex. Pardon the pun, but the difference between shots with the built-in flash and shots with an external flash is like night and day...

Happy shooting,

If you had a Sony, it probaly came with whatever weird Sony only memory like their current memory stick. Therfor you need more memory than came with the G2. You need at least 340 meg for a trip like that, unless you have a laptop and means of downloading a smaller capacity flash card/microdrive. As far as flash goes, stick with what you have. My indoor shots are as good as my film camera, Nikon F4S and top of the line Speedlight. I find 99% of most peoples indoor shots are snaps shots anyway. Spend your hard earned money on memory, the flash is in no way a must have at all. Get a Lensmate and sky filter, mainly for protection of the zooming lens, it also gives you something to hold on to like a regular 35 mm camera. I can't recomend a telephoto lens to you, they don't exist for this camera. I have the so called definitive lens, the Olympus B300, not worth the money, you can't use the viewfinder with it, therefor when its sunny out you have to use the then almost impossible to see LCD screen. If you want long telephoto shots, you need a film camera with some big glass on it. I usually take my Nikon along and leave the B300 at home. The G2 is a wonderful camera, I use it exclusively until I need those long shots. Canon has let us all down by not designing a useable telephoto for this fabulous little camera. Banff and Jasper are incredible places to visit, bit commercial these days but what place is'nt now? The natural beauty is out of this world, almost too much to take in. Good luck....

I thank everyone for your response

I thank everyone for your comments. I am having such a great time with this camera. Today I went to Saratoga racetrack, other people went to bet on horses I was more interested in take pictures with my new camera.
I plan on ordering the lensmate and a polarizer filter. I also hope to find a clear filter just to protect my primary lense.
Thanks again
Tom McGuinness from Albany, New York

Hi Tom, yes, the G2 is lots of fun. I don't quite understand what you mean. If I do understand I think you mean to put a filter onto the lensmate correct? that would be just a Sky 1A filter, just for lens protection and to leave on all the time. Same thread so you can put the polarizer over the top. My lensmate is on all the time unless I use the built in flash indoors, then I take it off because it causes a blind spot on pics. Good luck.....Keith....