Opinions on Canon G9?

[zax]

I used an old Canon S50 for four years. I was very happy with it, it gave a useful combination of size (very compact), ease of use, and ability to play about with settings since it had full manual control, RAW mode etc. At the end of last year the LCD died. Cost too much to fix so decided to replace it, and this time went for a smaller Canon compact , Ixus 75. I'm really not getting on very well with the new camera at all. It seems to produce images of much poorer quality than the old S50 when in auto mode, and I'm either too dumb or too ignorant to force it to do the right thing using it's comparatively limited range of manual settings. I actually took both cameras out last month to compare them (S50 still works although the screen doesn't), and with both in "full auto" mode I took shots of the same scenes with each. S50 was to my eyes better every time, Ixus was either out of focus, dull or blurred. This was on a clear day in bright late afternoon sunshine too, so nothing too challenging.

I was still prepared to persevere with the Ixus but after coming back from holiday last week and checking the state of my holiday snaps I've decided it has to go. But what to replace it with?

Looking for something relatively compact (at least smaller than an SLR), with a good quality lense (as much as is possible on a compact camera), with manual controls for when I feel like experimenting. Not too fussed about having a huge zoom range as seems to be the fashion right now, and don't necessarily need a super high megapixel count either.

I noticed the Canon G9 and figured it sounded like just the thing for me. The only thing putting me off is the price, since at €450 it's getting close to the cost of an EOS 400D kit (€599). Any opinions on the G9? Or any similar models I should consider?

Would love to go for a DSLR but funds are tight right now and I know that I just wouldn't use it as much as a more compact camera since I wouldn't want to be carrying it around.

And since the Ixus isn't yet sold, if anyone has any tips to help me get better results from it (so this bad workman doesn't have to blame his tools ) I'm all ears...

[Pappa Lurve]

Just got a powershot S5 in preference to the G9 but mainly as I wanted the larger zoom and prefer ed the way it feels in my hand. Its really a great camera and I picked it up for £160! G9 is also a brilliant camera. Check on ebay. Over here, canon have an ebay outlet store which is awesome value for cameras which are fully refurbed by canon, carry a full warranty and the usual excellent canon customer service.

[Andy M]

I recently bought one, as carrying a 1Ds around everywhere can cramp your style

It's a cracking little camera, but noise can be somewhat problematic over ISO200, so I'd probably recommend investing in Noise Ninja etc if you haven't already done so.

My first shot with it was of a pissed Thai farmer:



There are quite a few reviews of it on the net, so just do a search

[paul.deitch]

pretty good camera, as said noise can be a problem so switch off auto iso, also i find the autofocus too slow for action shots particularly with ettl preflash (can't be switched off)- i missed several good ones of a troupe of scantily clad dance girls at a moscow conference this week!, manual focus view is a bit weak, but overall i think its a pretty good camera for the money, converter lenses are ok quality if a bit pricey.
i think it can best be summed up as if you want an slr, then get one, but if you will never need all the accessories that an slr allows, then this will do most jobs reasonably well.

[paul.deitch]

forgot to add that the built in flash is just not up to the job, get a 580 (costs more than the camera), or two or three with brolleys and you will be surprised at the potential "studio" quality you can achieve with it

[gingerpaul]

I got one of these around christmas time and I'd get it again. For what it is I think it's excellent. As already mentioned, the biggest problem for me is the noise issues. Even ISO 200 is a little noisey, although usable. I can't comment on the flash issue because I almost never use it.

I got it because I'd never take a full size SLR with me so it'd be a waste of time me getting one. The G9 was just within what I'd call compact as it would fit in my jacket pocket.

[zax]

Thanks for the replies, seems I'm not the only on who wanted a halfway house between a compact and a DSLR. After checking out the reviews I went shopping yesterday. Thoroughly tried out the G9 and the almost identically specified A650is, and I'm now the happy owner of a G9

[nick francis]

We just went on holiday and I lugged around my Canon 5D and various lenses. At St Maarten we bought an Ixus 950is for £170 (cheapest tax free place I've ever been)and its a lovely little camera with only one drwaback, no RAW. When we returned I decided that the G9 was in fact the perfect alternative for travelling when you dont want to cart around a heavy DSLR but want to shoot in RAW.

The noise issue is my only real gripe and also I have to say it doesnt fit that nicely in the hand and the supplied strap is awkward. I think I'll maybe try the wrist strap we got with the Ixus.

[zax]

That was one curious thing I noticed when comparing the G9 against the A650is. A650 although very similar in size was a much better shape for holding in the hand so was easier to hold, but the G9 felt nicer to hold to me Probably due to the construction and weight - metal vs plastic...

[Moreymach]

Congrats on the new toy, I got one a few months back and love it.

Re: the handling you might fancy one of these http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php... .

Order from here http://kleptography.com/rf/

I havnt got round to getting one but they look quite good.

[zax]

Thanks. Looks useful, but not sure about glueing it on as suggested even though they do say it's removable Since I'm currently having a long email discussion with somebody who wants to buy my Ixus 75 regarding "how many scratches does it have" I'm a little hesitant...

Just noticed most of the folks who replied to my original question are long time members with low post counts. Must appeal to the quiet, thoughtful type