Canon PowerShot G12 Installation guide

Source: Canon PowerShot G12 Camera User’s Guide
1
Canon PowerShot G12 Digital Camera Basics
Turn on the Camera
Press the power button on the top of the camera to turn it on. The
lens will open, the startup screen will appear in the viewfinder, and
the camera will automatically go into shooting mode. If prompted to
enter the date and time, choose cancel.
Insert Memory Card
If no memory card is installed in the camera, you will be prompted
on screen to insert one. Slide open the cover on the bottom of the
camera to access the battery and memory card slots. Insert a standard
size SD memory card as shown until it locks in place with a click.
Close the cover. Press down while sliding it back into place with a
click.
Playback/Shooting Mode
Shooting mode allows you to take pictures while playback mode
allows you to review images already acquired and saved to the
memory card. Press the playback button to alternate between
shooting mode and playback mode.
Display Button
•Press once for Normal view in LCD viewfinder
•Press twice to turn on Rule of Thirds grid lines
•Press three times to turn off LCD display
•Press and hold 1 sec. to decrease/increase LCD brightness
Resolution and Compression Settings
Press the FUNC SET button on the Control Dial to open up the
function settings menu. Navigate to the resolution settings and
select L (3648x2736 pixels). Next, press the DISP button to access
the JPEG compression settings. Set the compression to FINE
(highest quality).

Source: Canon PowerShot G12 Camera User’s Guide
2
Shooting Modes
The shooting mode can be changed by rotating the Mode Dial located on top of the camera.
Auto (fully
automatic)
In this mode, the camera takes control of all of the
exposure settings and many other functions as well
such as white balance, ISO, exposure compensation,
flash settings, etc.
P
Program AE
(semi-
automatic)
Set the Mode Dial to P for Program Auto Exposure.
In this mode, the camera sets both the aperture value
and shutter speed automatically while allowing the
user to manually adjust other settings such as:
•ISO
•Exposure Compensation -2 to +2 to
decrease/increase image brightness
•Flash Settings
•Auto Exposure Bracketing (Flash must be
turned off)
Tv
Time Value
(semi-
automatic)
Set the Mode Dial to Tv. This mode allows the user
to manually set the shutter speed by turning the front
dial. The camera will automatically set the aperture
value based on the user’s shutter speed selection.

Source: Canon PowerShot G12 Camera User’s Guide
3
Av
Aperture Value
(semi-
automatic)
Set the Mode Dial to Av. This mode allows the user
to manually set the aperture value by turning the
front dial. The camera will automatically select the
shutter speed base on the user’s aperture value
selection.
M
Manual Mode
Set the Mode Dial to M. This mode allows the user
to manually set both the aperture value and shutter
speed.
C1/C2
Custom
These are used to retain commonly used custom
settings defined by the user.
Scene Mode
A variety of additional shooting modes can be accessed by setting the mode dial to SCN.
Portrait Mode
Ideal for portrait photography and for acquiring shallow depth
of field behind the subject.
Landscape Mode
Ideal for wide shots with great depth of field.
Kids & Pets
Capture moving subjects that are 1 meter (3.3’) or more away
from the end of the lens.
Sports
Shoot continuous images while focusing automatically.
Beach
Capture subjects in brightly lit areas with lots of reflective
sunlight.
Underwater
Requires a waterproof case
Foliage
Shoot leaves, trees, and flower blosoms in vivid colors.
Snow
Shoot subjects against white background.
Fireworks
Capture fireworks in vivid colors.

Source: Canon PowerShot G12 Camera User’s Guide
4
Control Dial
The outer ring of the control dial rotates allowing the user
to choose menu items or select images. The inner dial has
four buttons positioned along the top, bottom, left, and right
side of the control dial. The primary function of these
buttons is indicated by the visible icon on the face of the
dial.
Manual Focus/UP Button - changes the focus mode to
manual focus (MF). After selecting this button, the user can
adjust focus using the outer ring of the control dial. When
navigating menu screens, this button also serves as the UP
button.
Flash Mode/RIGHT Button – changes the flash mode. The flash mode options change
depending on which shooting mode is currently set. For example, in AUTO mode, there are only
two options (Auto and Off). When navigating menu screens, this button also serves as the
RIGHT button.
Self-Timer/DOWN Button – changes activates the camera’s self-timer, allowing the
photographer to delay taking a picture for up to 30 seconds after depressing the shutter button.
After pressing on the self-timer button, the front dial can be used to adjust the time delay (1-30
secs.) while the Left/Right buttons on the control dial can be used to change the number of
images that will be automatically taken (1-10). When navigating menu screens, this button also
serves as the DOWN button.
Macro Mode/LEFT Button – changes the lens from Normal to Macro mode. In normal mode,
the subject must be at least 3.3 feet from the front of the camera lens in order to acquire focus.
In macro mode, the focusing range is limited to 0.4 in. - 1.6 ft. Macro mode is intended for
shooting extreme close-ups a subject at a close distance. When navigating menu options, this
button also serves as the LEFT button.
FUNCTION SET Button – This button is located in the center of the Control Dial. When
depressed, this button opens up an internal menu giving the user access a variety of camera
function settings that can be manually adjusted. The list of available functions is quite limited
when the shooting mode is set to AUTO. Some of the more popular functions include:
oWhite Balance (auto, day light, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, manual, etc.)
oAutomatic Exposure and Focus Bracketing
oSingle Shot or Continuous Shooting modes
oFlash Power – decrease or increase the intensity of the flash
oNeutral Density Filter - Apply a neutral density filter when shooting in bright
outdoors to reduce the amount of light without affecting white balance (color
temperature).
oAspect Ratio – 16:9; 3:2; 4:3; 1:1; 4:5
oImage Type – JPEG; RAW
oResolution – L (3648x2048); M1 (2816x1584); M2 (1920x1080); S (640x360)
JPEG Compression (select DISP Button) – Fine (best quality/largest file
size); Normal (lowest quality/smallest file size)

Source: Canon PowerShot G12 Camera User’s Guide
5
Menu Button
A number of additional settings and tools are accessible via the
MENU button. Many of these settings are related to general
operational items (such as servo, focus, flash, print, and playback
controls) that may not require changing as often as the camera
function settings. These settings are organized under tabs as
shown below. A few example settings from each category are
shown for reference.
Shooting Menu (accessible in camera mode only)
oAuto Focus Assist settings
oDigital Zoom (on/off)
oFlash Control
Playback Menu (accessible in playback mode only)
oSlideshow – play back images automatically
oErase – permanently erase images from the memory card
oRotate images
oRed-Eye correction
oResize
Setup Menu
oLCD Brightness
oFormat – used for formatting SD memory cards
oPower Saving Options
oDate/Time
oRest All
Print Menu (accessible in playback mode only)
oPrint – outputs image to a printer when connected via a USB
cable
ISO Speed
Rotate the ISO speed dial to automatically or manually select an
ISO speed setting. The higher the ISO setting, the more sensitive
the image sensor will be to light but also, the more grainy the
image will appear. Use a low ISO setting in bright light and a
higher setting in dim light situations.

Source: Canon PowerShot G12 Camera User’s Guide
6
Automatic Exposure (AE) Lock
The camera’s exposure settings can be temporarily locked by depressing
the AE Lock button. Once locked, the AE Lock symbol will appear in
the LCD viewfinder and will remain visible while you compose the shot.
Once the image is shot, the AE Lock is released, and the symbol
disappears from the viewfinder.
Auto Focus Frame Position and Size Button
In semi-automatic or manual shooting modes, press this button to move
or resize the focus frame. To move the frame, rotate the control dial or
press the up, down, left, or right positioning buttons. Press the DISP
button to make the frame smaller or larger.
In playback mode, press this button to erase the displayed image from the
memory card.
Light Metering Button
In semi-automatic or manual shooting modes, press this button to cycle
through one of three light metering methods:
•Evaluative metering – automatically adjusts exposure base on an
evaluation of the entire frame. Suitable for normal shooting
conditions.
•Center-weighted metering – averages the light metered from the
entire frame but gives greater weight to the center.
•Spot metering – only measures the AE point frame (typically set to
the center of the frame)
In playback mode, press this button to jump to images based on a chosen
filtering method.
Exposure Compensation Dial
In shooting modes where exposure compensation is allowed, this dial
can be set to decrease or increase the brightness of the image in 1/3-stop
increments across a range of -2 to 2. The photographer can use this
control to effectively override the camera’s automatic exposure setting
to achieve a slightly darker or lighter image. Unless you intentionally
want to override the AE settings, its best to leave this set to 0.