No, you're not having deja vu -- the Canon PowerShot G9 is virtually physically identical to its predecessor, the
The sole differences are an optical viewfinder shrunk to make way for a larger 76mm (3-inch) LCD and the lens ring and release button darkened from silver to black. Its price tag is also quite a bit higher, at around £430.
Design
Many of the components are identical as well. It incorporates the same f/2.8-4.8, 35 by 210mm-equivalent, optically stabilised 6x zoom lens and uses the same Digic III image processor. In fact, the only significant updates are a bump to a 12-megapixel CCD from a 10-megapixel version, and the much-wished-for return of raw format support.
Weighing about 6g more than its predecessor -- probably the result of the larger LCD -- the G9 nevertheless still comes in at just around 370g.
Controls are scattered around the areas of the top and back of the camera not covered by the LCD or the optical viewfinder, leaving just enough space for a decent handhold. It's still true that those with large hands may find it difficult to firmly grip the G9 without accidentally covering one button or another. We also wished that the shutter button and zoom switches were just a little larger.
Features
Though most of the G9's menu interface and navigation is consistent and easy to follow, there is the occasional bewildering design choice. For instance, the high-resolution -- 1,024x768-pixel, 15 frames per second -- movie mode isn't a resolution option under the Func menu, where you'd expect to find it. It's considered a different movie mode, and you must cycle via the scroll wheel through mode selections of Colour Accent, Colour Swap, Time Lapse, Compact and Standard to find it. Sensible from an engineering standpoint, but not so good for users.
Like its predecessor, the G9 offers all of the exposure, focus and shooting controls any enthusiast would want. They include a spot meter, user-selectable focus zones, two custom settings modes, continuous or shot-only IS settings, manual ISO settings up to 1,600 -- plus a High mode that reaches up to 3,200, voice annotation and a hot shoe.
Performance
Performance remains essentially unchanged from
the G7. Time to first shot is a quick 1.7 seconds, though not quite as
fast as the G7's 1.5-second start. In bright light, a relatively quick
focus helps keep the shutter lag to a manageable 0.5 seconds. In dim
light, that increases to a second.
Two shots in a row have a decent two-second gap between, and adding flash recycle bumps that to only 2.3 seconds. Continuous shooting is down from 36 in the G7 to somewhere between 17 and 19 frames but it's faster -- 2.3fps at a low resolution but more typically 1.7fps.
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User reviews5
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wobbo 27 February 2009
Good: Image quality, range of options, Ease of use, option to use hood and filter attachments
Bad: Not the best looking gadget in the toy box
Comment: Outstanding quality images, build like a brick, easy to use, Puts some DSL’s to shame
mcppowe57 6 September 2008
Good: Retro syle and three inch LCD
Bad: No swivel LCD
Comment: The images are mind blowing, if you can better this camera then you must spend thousands
John Kelly 5 January 2008
Good: PSPP - Point Shoot Perfect Picture
Bad: Viewing screen doesn't detach & rotate
Comment: I run a high end luxury goods company in London & when we have events or pictures to take sometimes I hire a professional photographer. My backup solution for perfect pictures is the G9.
It is built like a tank, fast as hell & can be considered your trusted companion when you are in a live must perfectly capture moment. Set on automatic & you only need to concentrate on what you want to shoot. Then, push the button and have confidence the G9 will take care of the rest to give you that perfectly recorded moment.
I just returned from a skiing/snowboarding New Years trip to Verbier Switzerland with 40 Italians, the women were so excited by the quality of the photographs & replaying them on the bright viewing screen I didn't even need to take the pictures myself. They were snapping away at everything for almost a week capturing perfect facebook shots from the trip of all of us. The G9 was surely the most superior camera in the group I was with & its physical presence only reinforces the quality of its output.
I also shot a 2min snowboarding video while I was riding which was almost 300mb, so make sure you get a high gb card if you want to shoot any video. I have the SD 4gb extreme III. I will now also get the 8GB Extreme III as I have some more snow movies I want to shoot in the coming weeks in St Moritz.
If you own the G9 it will have been one of the best purchases you've ever made.
PS My Dad is still using my passed down G5 & loving it, if he only knew about the G9...
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