The 3.3-megapixel CCD captures images at user-selectable resolutions of 2,048 x 1,536, 1,024 x 768, and 640 x 480--which means you can take pictures for making detailed 8-by-10 prints as well as clicking snapshots for the Web and e-mail. The G1 also lets you choose between three varying degrees of JPEG compression, or, when taking pictures at highest resolution, you can store images in the RAW format, which, unlike JPEG compression, is a lossless, and reversible, type of compression. RAW files are roughly one-third the size of equivalent TIFF files. They can only be read by Canon's included software, but they can be losslessly converted and saved as TIFF files by your computer.

For those uninterested or uneducated in the more detailed mechanics of photography, the G1 can function like a point-and-shoot, automatically taking care of virtually every setting. If, however, you're more interested in setting the camera's functions manually, the G1 is perfectly willing to accept your commands, allowing control over every function on the camera. ISO can be set at speeds of 50, 100, 200, and 400, and the G1 also features aperture and shutter priority modes. Manual focus can be used, although Canon only recommends using it in tricky focus situations. AE/AF lock allows you to set exposure and focus setting for a given scene, letting you recompose and shoot without losing time. Other shooting modes include flash-exposure compensation; programmed control zones (portrait, landscape, etc.); movie mode; and slow shutter-speed mo