Canon G9 Review – Conclusion (Part 4)
I’ve said before that it’s a great time to be in the market for buying a camera – technology has advanced to the point that bad choices are starting to get harder when it comes to equipment (although they’re certainly still there). The G9 is a good example of that, but this time it’s not its technology / internals that set it apart, it’s the design of the camera itself. Offering controls that put DSLR style / analogue controls into a compact body, my week of use with the G9 has allowed me to take better pictures more regularly (or more easily) than any compact camera I’ve used thus far.
The G9 doesn’t offer the same zoom range as the ultra-zooms so it’s not possible to compare like for like across the entire range of compact cameras, but if we rate cameras against the things that make DSLR’s so capable as photographic tools, I believe this is the most advanced compact camera on the market today. Minus a few exceptions, the image quality is as good as exists in the current high megapixel / small sensor market, the handling is far better than almost anything out there, and the build quality and number of options are excellent. Couple that with good quality glass and a sensible zoom range that is more useful than some of its 3x zoom rivals and you have a package that quite honestly, would have been able to sell well at a higher price than it currently does on today’s market.
And that’s perhaps my own real gripe – that Canon came so close to something extraordinary here and didn’t go the final mile. Even if it meant letting the price drift upwards I still wish they had added a 28mm wide starting point for the lens. I also wish that someone would find a way to market the other features that actually make a difference in images allowing them to settle on fewer megapixels and therefore better high ISO images. If Canon had done these things then they would have one of the best compact cameras ever made (and a good case for the top spot). Instead, we’ll just have to be satisfied for now with what is an excellent, highly recommended camera that excels at being what it should be – a photographic tool.
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Thanks for the review. I really like your reviewing style and your photographic work is beautiful. I recently purchased a G9 and have been very happy with it.
the day a manufacturer focuses on image quality/low image noise rather than mega-pixel gimmicks is the day i buy a new compact camera :)
Very impressive review! I'm definitely buying a Canon G9 thanks to this very informative review.
Now this is a review!! Thank you for the time and effort you put into this. Real opion based on real world application. That says so much more to me than the reviews by the "professional review" sites. I find them hard to relate too. Yours on the hand, make very good sense. Good job!
Very good and thorough review. Might I ask for your suggestions for an external flash other than the 580ex you mentioned? Would you go with the "compatible" flashes? Generally I shoot people and some landscapes.
Thank you.
Thanks for a concised review on G9..was still contemplating on whether i should buy the camera, since i own a 400D already. G9 is the choice!
Your review is about the 10th G9 review I have read (in addition pouring through many other camera specs for comparison). Your review was by far the most educational, –and the first to answer the most pertinent real-world questions about the G9 directly. Thank you.
I must also add that many of your photographs on this site are quite inspiring (to say the least).
Firstly, your pragmatic reviewing style is both accessible and refreshing making your articles both enjoyable and informative. Thanks.
Secondly, I have just received a G9 and, though photographic conditions haven't been great recently, I have to say I'm a little disappointed with its image quality and focusing abilities. It simply doesn't focus in low light, at least not on the subject I think I'm aiming it at, and, unless I'm doing something very wrong, the image stabilization doesn't seem to produce the advertized effect either. Compared to my five megapixel Sony DSC-V1 the overall image quality isn't significantly better and the Sony can focus when light levels are a bit low.
I hope I'm wrong and further testing will be done but after reading yours, and many other reviews, I thought this was one camera that wouldn't be as flawed as it seems it might be!
thank you for a rational exploration of the G9 as a photographic tool. unlike others, I am not a big fan of SLR's, although I do own and use a number of different units. I learned my photography, many years ago, on an 8×1o view camera and my dad's Argus C3. Today, I regularly use a dying Canon GIIIx. I am a big fan of the classic range finder, as a photographic tool and refuse to consider the best of such tools as a point & shoot.
I continue to seek the best that is available in a digital range finder. The G9 represents the best available, though flawed, candidate. It is a shame that the Leica M8 blew it.
You are right, Canon should raise the bar with a future G10 and forever establish the gold standard for the digital range finder, in all possible aspects.
I'd pay for the privilege.
thank you for a rational exploration of the G9 as a photographic tool. unlike others, I am not a big fan of SLR's, although I do own and use a number of different units. I learned my photography, many years ago, on an 8×1o view camera and my dad's Argus C3. Today, I regularly use a dying Canon GIIIx. I am a big fan of the classic range finder, as a photographic tool and refuse to consider the best of such tools as a point & shoot.
I continue to seek the best that is available in a digital range finder. The G9 represents the best available, though flawed, candidate. It is a shame that the Leica M8 blew it.
You are right, Canon should raise the bar with a future G10 and forever establish the gold standard for the digital range finder, in all possible aspects.
I'd pay for the privilege.
Very informative review, totally agree with your comment on two items: higher ISO and a wider angle. Never the less a very good camera one I am considering for my wife. Thank you
Nice review :) Thanks for sharing.
After toting my gear through too many airports and all over Disney World, i continued my search for the perfect "companion camera". My criteria has always been (wide angle lens, view finder, something well made and looks it). I had a nikon 8400 that possed most of these, except that once dropped it could not be fixed. The G9 looks good and had everything except the wide angle. When i realized it could use the wide angle from my old G3, i gave it another look. It initially felt too small for my big clumsy hands, but i researched and found out about the accessories. I was also quite suprised to see what a cult following it has both on line and from strangers in pro photo shops. It is referred to as "Leica light". And that seems to sum it up. After i added the right hand grip, the thumb rest and found an old fashioned folding side grip for $7.00, i was ready. i will get back to this site after i have shot a few more. Is there a place for posting G9 shots?
You write great reviews! Sadly, only a few writers give useful information on "real world" situations. 100% crops to view noise levels and such would surely convince inexperienced people to buy a camera, yet having been through a lot of cameras from film to digital, both SLRs to P&S, I completely agree with you that handling and ease of access to controls would be a number 1 issue to consider when buying a new camera. Especially point and shoot.
I know this is an old post and there's likely to be a G10 some time this year. Rumored specs to be 14MP seem too much for my use, and then there's the sensor upgrade (if there is one). I'm now thinking of buying a G9 even if G10 would be released soon. A Panasonic LX3 seem great yet I find joysticks uncomfortable to use. And the lack of accessories such as an underwater casing is a big issue.
Anyway, I would like to ask a question regarding this camera. What's the maximum resolution at ISO 400 in both low and high light setting could I get with this camera? Thank you so much for your help.
I have an s70, XT, Fz50, and most recently a g9. My biggest disappointment with the g9 is that its viewfinder points one way, the lens quite another. I strongly prefer viewfinder shooting. Also, according to the manual, at least one major feature is availabe only via LCD shooting. I recently was shooting some close-landscapes in Rocky Mtn Natl Park. I needed certain subjects in the photos, thus shot with the LCD, but it was too dim. Yes, I could have worked thru the manual and/or menu so as to brighten the LCD – but then another problem arises: LCD brightness versus battery time. At a recent conference, I found the g9's flash and face recognition to be quite excellent. I may part with my g9 because of the difference between viewfinder image and recorded image.
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