Update: As of 2008, this page is obsolete. I don’t use the G2 anymore since I’ve got a better camera now.
This little fellow of mine has followed me since my family bought in in early 2002. Originally bought in Hong Kong, it is a four-megapixel camera, residing between the SLR and compact camera in performance and features. For being a compact camera, its performance is adequate even as of 2007.
The most usable feature is, in my opinion, the flip-out display. When shooting in quirky situations you just open up the display, twist it to whatever angle you want, and take the picture. It could be when holding the camera on your straight arm over yourself to see above a concert audience, or it could be when taking a picture with the camera resting on the ground. At the same time it doubles as a very robust display cover when you close it inside out.
Compared to modern cameras, and especially to high-end SLR cameras, the photos appear a bit blurry because of the low pixel count. That aside, the optics are outstanding, giving good and relatively sharp photos in both broad daylight and low-light conditions.
Almost all photographs until December 2008 in the photo gallery are taken with the G2, and it should be a very good resource of sample photographs for anybody interested in the camera.
A used Powershot G2 should be a good entry camera for anybody wanting to develop ther photography and to learn what a more advanced camera can do. The possibility to fine-tune almost all parameters, aperture, shutter speed, manual focus and exposure is a very good and fun way to learn to photograph. Coupled with a good flash, indoor photography is almost too easy.
The G2 is very, very robust. This one has been taking 40-50 000 photos all over the world, been shuffled around in bags and taken a few splashes of water here and there. You can see that at the most worn points, the silvery surface is starting to give way and there are a few dents here and there in the casing, but I can only testify to this being a very well-built and solid camera.
But released in 2001, it is starting to get old. There are a lot of good newer cameras in the Powershot G series. I have tested the G6 as well which basically is an improved G2. All good things of the G2 have been kept and some things have become even better. Most of the annoyances are gone, and its performance is remarkable. I would avoid the G7, since Canon obviously has removed everything that made the Powershot so great and created a small compact camera instead. They even removed the flip-out display, God forbid!
Digital Photo Review, in my opinion the most outstanding place for camera information of all the Internet, has an excellent review and information about the camera in their review.