Compared to the Canon PowerShot G2

As always it's difficult to find a camera to use for comparison to a SuperCCD camera. We're fairly comfortable that despite its six megapixel output image size the actual image resolution is nearer to high-end three megapixel or even four megapixel. The nearest camera available (to us) at the time of review is Canon's four megapixel PowerShot G2. This is an interesting test because it will allow us to examine the resolution advantage of the 3.1 megapixel SuperCCD to the 4.0 megapixel 'normal' CCD used in the G2.

As the G2 doesn't have an ISO 160 setting the sample shot was taken at ISO 100 (which turned out a higher shutter speed than the S602Z at ISO 160 anyway). Lower noise levels can be expected from the G2 at its "ISO 50" setting.

Lighting - 2 x 800W studio lights with dichroic daylight filters bounced off a white ceiling reflector. Manual white balance taken from grey patches on the Kodak colour patches in the scene. Crops below are 'blown up' 200%.

Fujifilm FinePix S602 Zoom	Canon PowerShot G2
ISO 160, 1/4 sec, F5.0	ISO 100, 1/6 sec, F5.0

Approaching the comparison from a colour and tonal balance basis both cameras do well. Tone and colour saturation is similar for both cameras, although the S602Z does exhibit its "Orange Reds" syndrome on the Martini label. Obviously the G2 images will look sharper because they haven't been "processed" up in resolution in the same way as the S602Z images have (in camera). Having said that it's clear that the S602Z can't compete with the G2 on a resolution basis, the G2 is cleaner, sharper and carries more resolution.