General Electric G3WP Review

General Imaging's GE G3WP digital camera is based around a waterproof body safe for depths of up to ten feet underwater, housing a 12.2 megapixel image sensor coupled to a GE-branded 4x optical zoom lens. The G3WP's lens offers focal length equivalents from a rather tight 38mm wide angle to a 152mm telephoto. Maximum aperture varies from f/3.5 to f/5.15 across the zoom range. The minimum focusing distance is ordinarily 60cm at wide angle, and reduces to just 6cm at wide angle in macro mode. There's no form of mechanical image stabilization, with the General Imaging G3WP instead opting solely for what the company calls an "Electronic Image Stabilizer" which essentially raises the ISO sensitivity (at the expense of image noise / fine detail) so as to offer a higher shutter speed that freezes motion. The GE G3WP's sensitivity ranges from a minimum of ISO 64 to a maximum of ISO 3,200 equivalent. There's no optical viewfinder, with images being framed solely on a 2.7" LCD display with 234,000 dot resolution. The display also offers an Auto Adjust Brightness function which corrects for ambient lighting conditions to try and keep it visible.

As well as a full auto mode, the General Imaging G3WP offers shooting modes including twelve scene modes and an Auto Scene Detection mode which can automatically recognize the scene type and select a relevant scene mode. The GE G3WP's 9-point autofocusing system includes an AF assist lamp to help out in low light conditions. There's also face detection capability, linked to both the autofocus and autoexposure systems. General Imaging has also included both a Blink Detection function which alerts the user when their subject has closed their eyes during an exposure, and a Smile Detection function that automatically triggers the shutter while your subject is smiling. There's also a Pan-Capture Panorama mode that can automatically stitch together a panorama created by simply panning the camera across the scene, as well as a Red-Eye Removal function that can be used to correct for this common defect while reviewing an image.

The GE G3WP stores its images and MPEG4 movies on SD or SDHC cards, or in a generous 116MB of built-in memory. Power comes courtesy of a DS5370 proprietary Lithium Ion rechargeable battery. An integrated proprietary connector provides for both USB 2.0 computer connectivity, as well as an audio/video output.

The General Electric G3WP digital camera is priced at about $200, and is available in black, silver or red body colors.