Truly great cameras are a bit like sports cars, updated only every couple of years and with oodles of tradition pulsing through their veins. Radical changes aren’t appreciated by the cult following they cater for. The Canon Powershot G series of point-and-shoot cameras is one such breed, and with its latest G12 iteration, it’s as important to see what’s new as it is to see how much of the basic DNA of the camera has been preserved. How does Canon fare? Read on…

If you’ve never seen a G series prior to the G12, prepare to be surprised. It’s not a point-and-shoot like the here-today-gone-tomorrow models that are launched every other month. It’s almost old-fashioned in its appeal — no choice of five body colours or ultra-slim fits-in-your-pocket profile.

It’s not a frivolous piece of equipment, nor is it meant to be. With its dSLR-esque trio of top plate control dials and dedicated buttons, the G12 is not for the faint of heart, and is suited for folks interested enough in their photography to get hands-on with their settings.

So you get individual dials for adjusting exposure compensation and sensitivity (ISO) apart from the main mode dial which allows for shooting options like Smart Auto, PASM, two custom settings, low light, high speed, scene and movie. Scene options are varied, including an option to take high-dynamic range images that pop out at you plus a very capable 720p resolution HD video mode with stereo audio recording. The external flash, an optical viewfinder that helps preserve battery life and a robust body further reinforce the fact that corners haven’t been cut with the G12.

But the true strength of this camera is under the hood. A 10-megapixel CCD sensor resolution coupled to the Canon’s legendary DIGIC 4 image processor has been branded as a “HS System,” with the initials standing for “High Sensitivity”. If you’re already baulking at the ‘low’ megapixel count, don’t.

Canon has, like some other manufacturers, gotten off the chase-the-megapixel bandwagon, and should be commended for it. Packing in less (and large) pixels on a sensor results in good colour with less noise at higher sensitivity (ISO) levels, and 10-megapixels are more than enough for large prints. The result? Excellent image quality, though I’d advise you to switch to shooting uncompressed raw images for best results.

No camera, not even this one, is perfect, and the G12 does draw criticism on a few counts. With all the buttons and dials, there are none for movie recording, which is a pity for a point-and-shoot with 720p HD video recording. The image-stabilised lens doesn’t go as far as some of the competition. And it’s pricey — one wonders how long Canon will be content to go without fielding an interchangeable lens compact system camera, and missing out on gaining its own share of a rapidly expanding market.

• Rating: 8/10 lPrice: Rs 31,995

• URL: http://bit.ly/gJiKsw

One for the road

Car speakerphones don’t exactly allow for private conversations but if you drive mostly alone, a visor-mounted Bluetooth speakerphone like the Plantronics K100 is a real boon. It features a large rotating dial that allows you to control the volume, plus there are three large buttons for answer/end, FM and mute which are easy to operate without looking. What I like is that the K100 also packs in an FM transmitter, so you can set it to receive a call and transmit the sound on a pre-selected frequency to your car’s FM radio, or use it to push music from your phone to the car speakers. In use, the dual-microphone setup aids in echo cancellation, and the internal speaker is loud and clear for in-car use.

• Rating: 8/10 lPrice: Rs 4,699

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Cool keys

Where did the laptop screen go? If you didn’t know the Amkette Wi-Key Touch was a wireless keyboard with a built in touchpad, that may well have been your reaction! To start using it, you only have to plug the dongle in to your PC or your Xbox / PS3 and it’s ready to go. The form factor and light weight makes it perfect for browsing the net or playing games while sitting on the couch, and works from as far as 15ft-20ft. At Rs 2,495, it is a bit on the pricey side, especially if you consider that the trackpad lacks pinch-to-zoom and the keys aren’t backlit (for use in darker environments).

• Rating: 8/10 lPrice: Rs 2,495

• URL: http://bit.ly/ePZdz4