Canon PowerShot G9 review

Average user rating

7.4

very good

Average user rating from 5 users

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Canon PowerShot G9 user reviews

October 22, 2007

Posted by: adrianclark

"Pricey but worth every penny"

What I like:

Great portable alternative to a dSLR, very good image quality, full manual control, RAW shooting, face detection, image stabilisation, time lapse videos, low noise at lower ISOs, hotshoe

What I don't like:

Noisy above ISO 400, magenta fringing, f/2.0 lens would be nicer than the f/2.8 supplied, no bulb exposure function, built-in flash is not very powerful

Review:

My Powershot G9 is a portable alternative to my dSLR. I was persuaded to buy the G9 on the basis of RAW shooting capability, full manual control, and image stabilisation. I have not been disappointed on these aspects: manual control is easy with the control wheel (much easier than using regular buttons as on other Powershots with manual controls); the image stabilisation allows you to shoot with about 1.5 stops slower shutter speeds in practice; and it's great to have the flexibility on RAW images from a compact. And of course, the G9 is much easier to carry around than a dSLR plus lenses.

Of course you can't do everything that you would do with a dSLR. It's still very difficult to produce a narrow depth of field (as with any compact), which is why I think it would have been nicer for Canon to have used the f/2.0 lens that some of the old G series cameras had. Having said that, it is possible to achieve a blurred background on portraits taken at close range at the longer focal lengths on the G9. It's also a shame that there is no bulb exposure option.

Image quality is generally very good. Noise is slightly disappointing above ISO 400, but with image stabilisation it should hopefully be possible to keep away from the higher ISOs except in very dark conditions. Colours are good; contrast is OK, sometimes a bit flat but that's easily fixed; there is some magenta fringing at highlight edges.

Overall, I'm impressed with my Powershot G9. It's allowing me to work on compositional skills much more easily - and frequently, in more different environments - than lugging around equipment and lenses for a dSLR. I think the G9 is good for people who want a portable alternative to their dSLR like me, and for people who want to take more control of their camera but don't want the trouble, bulk, and expense of separate lenses.