Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

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63 customer reviews.  4.5 out of 5 stars.

Given the success of Canon's highly acclaimed G Series, it's no surprise that ambitious photographers have been eagerly anticipating the next model in its evolution. The wait has paid off handsomely with the introduction of the PowerShot G9. In image quality and functionality, the G9 stands above the competition with 12.1 megapixels of resolution, a 6x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer, and RAW mode for the ultimate in creative control. Sophisticated design and high-quality construction complement the technology and make the G9 a camera to be reckoned with.

Best Buy outlets have Canon G9 on clearance for $350, which is about the max I believe you should be paying for it nowadays. The model is quickly becoming obsolete. The next generation of prosumer cameras has already entered the the market (Canon G10, Panasonic LX3, Nikon P6000, etc). So unless you get a really good deal, there are few compelling reasons to buy G9 any more. One caveat, however: if portrait taking is of importance to you, this is the area where G9 still delivers the goods (more on it later).

Other people have already discussed nearly every aspect of the camera in great detail. So I just have a couple of additional comments and observations to share with those who are still considering G9. Hope that some folks will find these useful.

1. A number of Canon G9 users have complained of dust getting into the lens barrel. Apparently this stuff coats the inside of the lens elements and essentially turns the camera into a useless piece of junk. It is a known manufacturing defect, wherein dust is trapped within the bodies of some cameras during the production. Canon will clean it out for free during the warranty period. Obviously, not every camera has been affected, and the lens on my camera has stayed crystal clear. But if you are considering buying G9 on E-bay, it helps to be aware of the issue.

2. At the full extended zoom (6x), Canon G9 blurs the background and takes studio-quality portraits. This is where G9 really shines. There is a beautiful 3-dimensional aspect to the faces, just like what you see on professional photos. In my opinion, this is by far the best feature of this camera. I previously owned Sony V1, which had a large sensor coupled with a high quality Zeiss lens. It produced excellent photos, but it could never match the portraits that come out of G9.

Incidentally, judging from the CameraLab review of G10 (Canon's next generation upgrade to G9), the G10's shorter telephoto lens (5x) loses the capability of shallowing the depth of field, and as a result produces only average portraits. So in my unprofessional opinion, G9 will beat G10 in portrait quality on any given day.

3. I love the photostitch mode. It creates some amazing panoramic pictures; you gotta see them to believe.

4. Low light performance is OK, but not quite as good as some other point and shoot cameras. Pictures with ISO above 400 are only marginally useful.

5. The dynamic range of the photos is frankly mediocre. Hopefully, Canon G10 will perform better in this area, thanks to its new intelligent contrast feature. I-contrast is a new image processing algorithm designed to brighten up dark areas on the picture. Nikon P6000 has a similar function called D-lighting. It is my understanding that you can improve dynamic range of your photos by fiddling with RAW images on the computer, but I have not been so successful using Canon supplied software. I do not own Adobe, which could be my problem to begin with.

6. The G9 lens is not quite as sharp as I expected coming from Canon. I am not talking about the soft-looking image tones, which are a hallmark of all Canon cameras (as opposed to Sony or Panasonic). What I am trying to say is that the detail-resolving power of Canon lens on G9, while by no means poor, does not quite match what you get from Zeiss or Leica. Apparently, Canon has been painfully aware of the fact. As a result, Powershot G10 is reported to have been given a much sharper lens with greater detail resolving power.

7. No matter what settings I use (including custom white balance, different saturation and sharpness levels), my camera is uncapable of correctly rendering the purple color. The color looks violet on final images, which is close enough but no cigar. Sony V1 renders the same color accurately on auto mode.

8. Finally, the camera has a neck strap, but no wrist strap. Most of you don't care, but those who prefer a wrist strap will have to search for an aftermarket option.

I am a professional photographer and this is the only camera I use. When I am exhibiting (usually large works of 1m2), other photographers will come up to me with clunky SLRs around their necks asking what I shoot with. When I pull out the tiny G9 they think I am joking.

Great camera. Works best in manual mode. I was afraid to get it because I had read so much about bad quality control (factory defects), but I haven't had any problems.

I have only had this camera a few months and have not used it very much. There is already so much dust INSIDE the lens that it severely degrades image quality. I take great care of my equipment, so this is not the result of harsh conditions. If you are counting on the built-in lens cover to protect the lens, think again. Any time I shoot slightly into sunlight now, the photos are basically worthless. With only 3 major uses of this camera, that's a crime.

Also, the noise level above ISO 200 is terrible. I would rather have fewer megapixels and less noise. So, my summary is this is a camera you have to "baby". It is severely limited and not worth the money. Read the reviews and find something that keeps dust out better and has less noise above ISO 200. If you only shoot on sunny days with the sun at your back in a very clean environment, this camera might work. But so would something $200 less expensive. I feel totally cheated.

The G9 is a wonderful small format all-in-one camera. I've shot around 12,000 images in the last 4 months, literally living in the western National Parks, and I've been very pleased. The anti-shake is a real speed boost in low light...clarity of images is superb. Yet problems remain. Who could design a camera where BOTH the viewfinder (so important in bright daylight and for reading glasses wearers in various situations where one doesn't have time to put them on and see the LCD clearly), AND the LCD itself BOTH show an image of a different size than what you will eventually download to your computer? It's a horrid flaw. The views in the LCD are ~10% larger than the captured image, and the viewfinder allows one to see only about 75-80% of what will comprise the final image.
Thus one can shoot what the viewfinder shows and later crop the unseen/unwanted edges and discard 20% of the pixels on every shot, but always get a full image of the subject, or one can use the LCD and try to make sure the desired image is close, but not TOO close, to the edges of what the LCD shows, because one will lose tops of steeples, tops of trees, peoples' hair, etc, etc., repeatedly, if one has not developed interpolation skills to overcome these viewing size mismatches. You'd think they'd have made ONE of the two viewing tools produce a WYSIWYG final image (WYSIWYG = Silicon Valley-speak for "what you see is what you get", an Apple innovation from the ancient era of Pac-Man and 128MB microprocessors). This engineering lunacy makes the camera always annoying. One can work around this stupidity with great success; I always try to take extra images while interpolating off the LCD. But despite such attempts to compensate, even the experienced user occasionally gets that clipping off of items one wanted intact at the top edge of the frame...WHY WHY WHY couldn't they have made at least the LCD WYSIWYG? Or, as a less satisfactory solution, have placed demarcation lines around the edge of the LCD screen showing where the real image ends and the stuff you will never record begins? OH...and the provided stich image software always leaves darker tones as lines through the sky where the stitch occurred. Thanks for the 88% engineering job, Canon! Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

I bought the G9 several months ago and planned to use it as an underwater camera. I am leaving on a dive trip in several weeks and checked the new camera. The screen is cracked. I have yet to take the first picture with the camera. A cracked screen of a brand new camera is evidently not covered by warranty to the tune of $170. Well .... maybe it takes good picture.
Signed pissed off

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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