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Canon Powershot G2 driver problem. Help?

M

mikebatho

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 1, 2004
807
2
Greater Manchester UK
I've just been given a Powershot G2 camera.
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I can't load the disc that came with it, as I don't run classic.
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When I try & import my images through iphoto (they show up as thumbnails in the iphoto window), it says it's unable to import as it doesn't recognize the files...
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Does anyone know if there's an OS X driver available? I can't find one anywhere.....
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Thanks.
 
The simpler solution would probably be to just buy a CF card reader to download the photos. You can probably grab one at any big box electronics store for like 10 bucks.

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Thanks. Sorry, but I'm really not very good with cameras..

I'm hoping to take the G2 with me to do a little travellng. Would I need to take the card reader with me? I'll be uploading photos to facebook in internet cafes on PCs....
 
Well you don't have to, but personally I think using the card reader is the easiest solution. What if the computers in the internet cafe don't recognize the G2 just like the problem you're having at home.

It also saves the battery in the camera and is usually faster (depending on the card and reader). Space also isn't really a problem because they make some tiny readers these days, like this one for example:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bytestor-Co...4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1277262732&sr=1-4

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leighonigar said:
I have a feeling that the RAW files from the G2 are not supported by apple, as they aren't on this list http://www.apple.com/aperture/specs/raw.html therefore I would either use some other software or switch the camera to JPEG. Then I suspect it will work, possibly. Worth trying, as it's free!
Click to expand...

Wow, I think you're right and I missed the boat on this one, that is what I get for reading too quickly. The word "driver" in the subject made me assume the issue was that his Mac wouldn't "see" his camera when it was plugged in via the USB cord. Thanks for the catch.

If that is indeed the case, download the free Adobe DNG convertor to take those G2 .CRW files and convert them into something OS X can read.

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4723

Now what this also means is that most computers you use on your trip (internet cafe) also will not be able to read those RAW files no matter how you get them into the computer (direct connect or card reader). As leighonigar said you'll need to switch the camera to JPEG mode for increased compatibility.

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Flash SWT said:
Wow, I think you're right and I missed the boat on this one, that is what I get for reading too quickly.
Click to expand...

No worries, I just remember importing RAW files into iphoto before it supported RAW at all and thumbnails were all you got. I assume Apple have added this 'incompatible file' dialogue box since then, but it sounds like the same idea.

Hopefully the DNG convertor will work. I've never tried it with an unsupported camera. There has been some suggestion that apple read the EXIF or whatever to determine whether it can open the files, I guess therefore you may have to modify a plist or something somewhere to make it happy.
 
Ah, ok, think I follow you. I'll dig through the instruction manual & see about switching to jpeg mode...

The problem I'd have converting the existing pictures on the camera is that I have no way of selecting them to convert them. The camera isn't showing up as a drive, all I get are the thumbnails in iphoto....
 
Couple more questions....

Can't find a section in the manual for switching to JPEG mode. Now in the chapter about resolution, it lists: L, LM, M, S, RAW & MOVIE.

Can I take this to mean that L,LM,M,S would be JPEGS or not? I also noted that L is the same pixel size as RAW

The oher question is, will I still be able to get a CF card for this model? The one it currently has is 128mb & I'd like to go for more storage. Are they universal?

Thanks guys.
 
Yes, L etc would be JPEGS (probably!).

Canon cameras tend not to use 'mass storage' (or whatever it's called) as a transfer mode so they don't show up as a drive. Image capture should do it, as has been said, or a card reader would.

Compact flash cards are easily available, and new ones should work just fine. The only thing you should be aware of is the limits of FAT16 (I would doubt that the G2 supports FAT32). I think the limit of fat16 is 4GB, but I might well be wrong. I would imagine a 1GB card is a safe bet, and a 2GB probably.
 
I've gone for a 2gb card and a card reader. Not an expensive solution, and I shouldn't have any problems now. I won't need the photos I take to be print quality, so I'll get plenty on there at a time, and I'll be uploading them to facebook regularly, so they won't be stored too long.

Thanks for all your help guys.

Mike.
 
Nice choice. FAT16 camera filesystems are limited to 2GB. Larger cards will sometimes work, but you would only be able to access 2GB of the card so the rest would be wasted space.

Yes "L" is the large JPEG mode and will be your easiest choice for compatibility. One thing to note about Facebook is that it does not store photos at full size, only at 720 pixels, so don't plan on using it for your only storage option. While you will be able to "re-download" them from Facebook later, they'll only be at 1/3 of your original resolution.

Here is a link with some technical information about your new camera from when it first came out that might be helpful:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong2/

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