Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Customer Review: Great Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This camera fits a particular niche perfectly. The G9 is designed for serious enthusiasts that want to produce close to pro shots without the added difficulty of SLR. The professional features found on this camera are impressive: image stabilization, lens vibration, raw format, 6x zoom lens w/ 4x digital zoom for a total of 10x... this list goes on and it is a very good list. Do not expect to use this camera to its full capabilities without putting in the time needed to understand its features. I would expect that anyone using this camera is of the type willing to take lessons or read/practice seriously in order to obtain the full benefit of the capabilities of this camera, but if you feel like just pointing and shooting, the G9 works with ease and is intuitive.
The body of the camera feels great and has an excellent weight. The lcd screen is huge and easy to read. The layout of the camera makes a lot of sense and the software is easy to navigate. You'd think every company would design layouts that make sense, but trust me, they don't. The flash works decently, but to upgrade, the camera has a flash extension (puchase seperately) for better quality. You can replace the lens with other lenses including canon's pro-line (forgot the name off-hand) used on their SLR cameras as long as you get the adapter. Of course, the lens won't retract into the body if you do this. That is my favorite part about the camera: high-quality shots but it compacts into a tight package that is easy to bring anywhere. The memory card that comes stock is almost useless. I forget the size, but it's something like 32mb. Good luck trying to find its read/write time. First thing I did was spend another $75 on a 2-gig 20mb read/write extreme 3 card. The difference in response time between captures was obvious. Also there's a hard leather case made specifically for the G7/G9 that's around $20. Trust me, it's worth the money. $20 to keep this camera safe is a good investment. For long excursions, a second battery is necessary. Canon's is more expensive and its specs don't read as well as some third party types, but every third party type I've tried failed to work correctly (huge loss of battery life or just complete failure) within 1-3 months. Canon's battery will last at least a year at full strength or longer, so don't go cheap on that or you will definitely lose in the end.
Customer Review: amazing pictures, great automatic mode, and tremendous flexibility
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife and I upgraded from a Canon G2, which served us well for a number of years. We wanted a camera that could focus and shoot faster than the G2 and would improve upon the G2's excellent image quality. The real trick was to find a camera that was small enough and automatic enough for my wife (basic level camera user) to use without my assistance, and flexible enough to provide me with advanced functionality. The G9 filled our wish list and much more. The videos are high quality and a real nice bonus when you don't have a video camera with you.
I bought the 430 EX flash to go with this, which makes a huge difference even in every day shots (kids birthday parties for example). We got the Canon 2X teleconverter which also made a huge difference on a recent trip to Costa Rica. Thw wildlife shots are great, and we got some incredible, vivid, up close shots of birds, crocodiles, and monkeys. We also purchased the teleconverter and a polarized filter, which really enhanced the many beach and boating shots we took.
Although the battery lasts for about 300 shots (all in 12 MP), I grabbed another one for the trip, just in case. The battery charger that ships with the camera is wonderful -- it's small enough to fit in the camera bag, and in a pinch you can charge the battery for 15 minutes and get about 20-30 more shots out of it.
I do recommend a 4 GB memory card. I purchased an 8 GB card: 500 full resolution photos, and about 20 four minute videos still left me with room for 700 more photos. I suppose it will come in handy for a two-week trip. I even made use of the audio recording feature, which allowed me to capture some reggae music additional to some still shots I took.
The bundled software is really nice for viewing and tagging photos and videos, though I use Corel Photo Album for all printing, and Photoshop Elements for any editing. Someday I'll find one package that will do it all well, but not yet.
Camera, teleconverter lens, flash, conversion lens, spare battery, filter, charger, and a few other items, all fit comfortably in a LowePro Nova Mini AW bag. It's very durable and has a water proof cover.
In all, I'm thrilled with this and amazed by how much functionality Canon put into this camera. My wife is very happy with the great shots taken in Automatic mode too.
Customer Review: The fun starts here . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
This camera has restored the fun in photography for me. Let me explain: I am 80 years old, started out with a Speed Graphic using the Ansel Adams Zone System, graduated to a Linhof Technica V with all the extras, downsized to an Olympus OM-1, then a Canon EOS 35mm with most of the extras, got older and grew tired of toting all that gear and, in 2000, gave it all up for snapshots with a Canon Digital Power Shot 100. Shot lots of 2.1 MP stuff and quickly lost all interest in photography. But the spark was still smouldering so this year (2008)I bought a Canon G9 and started shooting again. Wow! It's like my Linhof days with 2 pounds of equipment (including the tripod) instead of fifty pounds.
There's an abundance of technical reviews on the G9 so I'll skip that and move on to the REAL reason I give it 5 stars: When I put this little digital tank on a tripod and set it on M (manual) it reminds me of my 4x5 days, under a focus cloth composing on a 4x5 screen or peeking though a mirror back and checking parallex, depth of field, and composition. When I scroll through the aperture and exposure settings it reminds me of my spot meter days of evaluation except, with this little jewel, you see the final result BEFORE you press the shutter.
What I missed most was the way 4x5 slowed you down and made you study your subject. You weren't after 10 shots bracketed, you were after 1 shot carefully composed and technically structured. There was something special about getting to know your environment while you took the time to compoose and evaluate or wait for the right sky conditions. 35mm didn't satisfy, it simply motivated me to become a quick shot bracketed shooter. And, like 4x5, it hid its final result until after the darkroom.
So - if you REALLY want to experience the shot and put it in your memory bank, get this camera, put it on a tripod, and ENJOY photography. And, when circumstances dictate, just whip it out, point and shoot on auto, and get the shot. Either way, this camera excels. Then there's always RAW if you miss the darkroom and want to adventure into Adobe's Creative Suite.
Happy Shooting!
Customer Review: Perfect SLR alternative
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned the G7 for about 1 month now and I've really learned to appreciate all its advanced features - but recently I received my G9 and I will be returning the G7. What I like about the G9 over the G7:
1. Bigger screen (3.0" vs 2.5") - with no apparent decrease in battery life.
2. Picture quality is better. I have done many parallel tests using the exact settings on both cameras (with the exception of the 12 vs 10 MP of course) and the results have been clearly more favorable towards the G9 in terms of light metering and sharpness. The G9 has a new metering system as well as a more advanced focusing system too.
3. RAW option is great. Even though most pics will be taken using JPEG (to conserve memory space), you know it when you've got a great landscape with just the perfect lighting conditions that you know may result in a printable pic, in which case you will want to have a raw copy for processing it to the highest potential.
4. Timelapse photo functionality is a very nice to have option which the g7 lacks
5. The physical handling of the camera is better, the front has more grip.
6. Some other design aesthetics have also gone into the g9 which I prefer.
7. Noise levels are exactly the same as in the G7. I tested both up to 400 ISO (I would not use anything higher that that) many times and the speculations found on the internet forums that the higher number of pixels would result in more noise is simply incorrect - at least in my ability to see it in my tests.
* the only thing I dislike in the g9 over the g7 is that new usb connection door mechanism. It feels like it may one day break even with proper use. The "slide out" door (like the battery door) mechanism was so much better in terms of use and possible durability.
If I were a G7 owner (and you could not return it because you've had it longer than 30 days) I would not upgrade as the g7 is a superb camera - but if you were looking to buy a new camera the g9 is a better choice over the g7. The g9 is the perfect camera alternative to a bulky SLR - without the loss of total photographic control or quality. Highly recommended.
Customer Review: Great Option when you don't want to carry your DSLR
Summary: 5 Stars
I've got a nice Canon DSLR setup with L-series lenses, etc... the whole works. But a lot of times you just don't want to lug it all around, or even get it out just to take a couple of quick shots. I really wanted to get a good "point and shoot" but I didn;t want to compromise on images and say, "I wish I got my good camera out".
So I did a lot of searching and playing with various cameras and ultimately I selected the Canon G9 and here's why...
1. It has a huge LCD display so you can hold the camera away from you and still see what you're shooting at, even from odd angles. Checking photos after the shot is easy too without having to zoom in all the time.
2. It's fully automatic if you want to leave it that way or you can fully customize it with shutter-priority, aperture priority, fully manual... basically almost everything you can do with your DSLR. So you can manage depth of field, etc. with ease.
3. The ability to add on the telephoto lens and converter is great... effectively gives it a 400MM optical zoom. I haven't tried the wide lens since the camera lens is wide enough for me.
4. It's image stabilization works well... great for low light shots without a flash without compromising on image quality by using a higher ISO.
5. Finally - the ability to use an external flash is terrific. I already had the 580EX but wanted to get a 430EX as a "slave" - this gave me the reason to do so, as a 430EX looks much better on the G9 and works great. (The 580 works too but it's so much bigger.
Are there compromises with the G9? I suppose so but not too many. It's not the smallest camera out there. It fits in a jacket pocket but not a shirt pocket. Also, it would be if the G9 and it's Raw photos could be managed with Canon's Digital Photo Professional software. But having two sets of software for my Canon cameras isn't that big a deal.
In the end - I think it's a great little camera and with the add-ons of lenses and external flash - it gives you big camera benefits from a little camera package.