I never had a problem with it till now. It is big compared to the sleek models that are coming now but the features are also great. You have to sacrifice something to get something better. Pictures quality is great you get b/w, vintage etc with this camera which not all cameras give. I am very happy with this.

everytime the software stops working cant reload software and stops communicating with camera

buy anything but cannon unless you want to reboot your pc 3 times a year

First of all, I have used this camera most of the last two years of ownership. It had several failures from the first 4 months where the flash unit went on fire and burnt out the unit so it was gone for repairs while under warranty. In January 2006 the same thing happened this time with further operational dsyfunction...the display no longer works. Taking photos is now impossible and I'm sending it back to have this fixed if fixable.

This is the best camera I ever owned. It was purchased with federal funds in the school system. I enjoyed it so much that I personally bought me the upgraded G5. It is very nice; however, I like the G3 better. I accidentally dropped (G3)it during the Hurricane Rita evacuation and no longer have it.

I have encouraged many people in the school district to buy one.
It is(was) wonderful!!!

Although I'm moving on to the canon 20D it's not because the G3 let me down. Great camera, a battery to die for, but I broke the zoom and preview button and assume the cost of repair after 3.5 years will be too great. Biggest disappointment after some 6K developed shots; the on off button sucks. Way too easy to accidentally turn on the camera and not know it. Lens cap gets pushed of automatically and exposes the lens to whatever environment the camera was in when turned on.

We have really enjoyed the camera, and have taken nearly 2,500 photos in the 2 1/2 years we have owned it. Pros: great photo quality, easy to use, very impressive battery life. Cons, heavy, often awkward to carry, slow reset time between photos, often 2 seconds or more, now broken LCD display. Apparently, it is a common problem, and the repair costs are outrageous. If it wasn't for this I would have given it a five star rating.

I purchased the Canon Powershot G3 less than 18 months ago and had been very happy with it. The camera takes very good photos and has a wide array of features. Several weeks ago, however, the LED display suddenly stopped working. This is in spite of the fact that I take very good care of this camera and it has never been subjected to any falls or impacts. It just stopped working in all but 'stitch mode' (for some strange reason, I could turn the mode selector to stitch mode and I had a functioning screen).

After doing some research, it appears that there are a number of Canon customers who have had problems with their LED displays on different PowerShot products. There are even posting on how to fix this problem yourself. I opted to contact Canon's support for help. They informed me that there was a minimum charge of $180 for the repair and that it might cost much more than that. This is a pretty steep charge considering that their products seem to be having this problem for a lot of their customers and must be a known issue to them. Alternatively, Canon offered me the 'upgrade option'. That is, rather than having the camera repaired, I could get a 'reconditioned' PowerShot G5 for $300 more. So, after spending $700 for a PowerShot G3, experiencing a video problem which seems to be all-too-common with Canon digital cameras after less than 18 months, they now want me to spend $300 more for a 'reconditioned' camera!!! I don't think so. After discussing the repair with one of their customer service representatives at the Illinois plant, he reduced the repair charge to $145 (prior to my even sending the camera to them - how is this possible unless they are quite aware of this issue?). I sent my camera in, minus the memory card, battery, and camera strap for repairs. I received an e-mail outlining the fact that Canon had received my camera minus the memory card, the box, the strap and the battery.

The camera was repaired and sent back to me but without the lens cover. I called Canon to have them send me the lens cover; thinking that I would get a quick apology and assurance that it would be sent to me. Instead, my experience was quite different. I spoke with a different customer service rep. at Canon this time who was very unprofessional and rude. He made the assumption that I was lying about the lens cap (I guess he thought that I was hoarding these cheap pieces of plastic which probably cost Canon less than $1). His claim was that I should have mentioned the lost lens cap while my camera was being repaired (how is that for sound logic???). He even proceeded to try to lecture me that "the next time you send something to Canon" I cut him off and said, "Oh, no, there won't be a next time. I'll purchase anything but Canon next time."

In review:
High marks for design and functionality
Low marks for durability and life expectancy
Low marks for customer service

Despite the fact that I have recommended Canon products to friends and colleagues at work based upon the very good results I had with this camera, I now have to discourage folks from buying Canon. The short life expectancy of their products, expensive repair and / or replacement options, the fact that Canon has not acknowledged a known problem and a very rude customer service representative have convinced me to look at other brands for cameras and printers.