Canon's 2004 G-series flagship compact — 7.1MP 1/1.8in CCD, bright 35-140mm f/2.0-3.0 zoom, vari-angle LCD
The PowerShot G6 of August 2004 sat at the top of Canon's enthusiast G-series of compacts, succeeding the G5. It was among the first prosumer compacts built around the then-new 7-megapixel 1/1.8-inch CCD, and it kept the fast lens and articulated screen that distinguished the early G line.
The 7.1-megapixel 1/1.8-inch CCD sat behind a bright 35-140mm-equivalent 4x zoom at f/2.0-3.0. The 2.0-inch vari-angle LCD had around 118,000 dots, storage was CompactFlash Type I or II with FAT32 support for cards over 2GB, and power came from the BP-511A lithium-ion pack, a 1390mAh cell shared with Canon's early EOS DSLRs.
It appeals to enthusiasts wanting full photographic control in a compact: the f/2.0 lens helps in low light and for portraits, and the swivelling screen suits waist-level and awkward angles. It is a deliberate, chunky camera rather than a pocket one.
The BP-511A remains easy to source thanks to its DSLR heritage, and CompactFlash cards are still sold new. Work the vari-angle screen through its full travel to check the ribbon cable, cycle the zoom for smooth extension, and examine sample shots for CCD artefacts given the sensor's age.