Electronics : Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera - Black (12.1MP, 6x Optical Zoom) 3.0" LCD

Rating: - Powershot G9
Just about everything has been said about the Canon G9 and there is not much that I can add to the recommendation for this camera especially as I have only had the camera a couple of weeks..and I am still putting it through its paces...I find there is nothing more pointless than a review which says..."I've had the camera for two days and it is brilliant"...only time and usage will tell ...but so far I find it more than satisfactory for my requirements....
This feedback is more about the excellent service provided by Amazon Itself..from whom I purchased the g9....I ordered at approx., 5.30pm one day..and with the express delivery service...my new toy arrived..Intact and well packaged.. before 9.45am the following day....very well done Amazon....thank you.

William

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Rating: - Best compact camera available
Don't buy this camera if you want something small and simple. Do buy it if you want a wide range of features and RAW format functionality.

I love my DSLRs and, like many amateur photographers (I suspect), I'm something of a control freak, which rules out my picking up a compact or point-and-shoot because I'm given little or no say in what I do. I also despise the long, long, long shutter lag and complete inability to shoot fast-moving objects or in low light. The other gripes common to *all* compacts - chromatic aberration, distortion, noise - would normally prevent me from buying a compact at all.

I've owned two: the Nikon Coolpix 5100 and the Canon G9, which I've used when I needed something small. I gave away the Nikon. I've kept the Canon. Below are the reasons why.

The G9 is solid, well-built (some might say `chunky') and only just qualifies (IMO) as a compact. It does have a tiny, but usable, optical viewfinder. If you have small hands, I would imagine the weight and no grip would make shooting one-handed difficult. If you have large paws like mine, the zoom dial is not easy to use. The Nikon is admittedly more ergonomic. I wonder why Canon bothered with an ISO dial on the top (nice touch, I confess), as only 80, 100 and 200 settings are of any use. There is the usual, pointless print button which is thankfully customisable. If you're used to recent Canon models, the interface and buttons are not too complex. Highly useful functions, such as changing the white balance, EV settings and focus modes are all easily accessible. The Nikon interface is quirky, bordering on irritating.

Both cameras feature a 12 million pixel count, resolution presumably being the only number camera manufacturers think we can understand. Noise in low light conditions or at anything above ISO 200 makes the Nikon useless, the Canon just about OK. (I admit I'm spoilt, being used to Canon and Nikon DSLRs.) If you want to take family snaps indoors, don't waste money on the Nikon.

The internal flash on the Nikon is poor and weak; it's only weak on the Canon. Both cameras have a hot-shoe for speedlite flashguns. My Canon 580 Mk II is twice the bulk of the G9, which doesn't improve handling.
I was struck by the sharp and vibrant colours of the Canon. In normal photo formats, chromatic aberration (colour fringing) and distortion were not noticeable - they can be corrected afterwards, if necessary. Neither offers an impressive zoom range, but the Canon's wide angle is a bare 30 mm (full-frame equivalent).

Video quality on the G9, I am told, is excellent.

After image quality and relative speed, the best feature on the G9 for me is the RAW format function. This is a godsend and one not offered by the Nikon, but even without it, the Canon G9 is simply a better camera.
Compacts don't really deserve their bad reputation. Trying to please everybody inevitably lowers overall quality, but the G9 tries hardest to achieve such an impossible goal. Does its wide range of features and improvement in image quality over other compacts justify the high price tag? If you're unfamiliar with the terms `white balance' and `RAW', then the answer is definitely no. If you're looking for the next step down from a DSLR, I would say yes.

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Rating: - Almost Perfect
I have a love/hate relationship with my G9 - well, actually I've had two of them. I noticed shortly after buying the first that there was a small dark dot appearing on the screen when I was previewing and taking video footage. It wan't there on photos, but that's due to Canon's clever dust spot reduction filtering.

Anyway, I deciced that I'd paid for a fully functional camera, even though I didn't plan to use the video capability, so I returned it to Amazon and they sent me a new unit - no questions asked. This time, I have only had the camera for a month, and shot only a few dozen images. It's always kept in a case, and never in dusty environments. However, looking closely into the lens element, I can see that it's already managed to gather particles of dust on the inside or the front lens, and the front of the inner lens.

This dust doesn't show up in pictures at this time, but it has to be noted, and I'm not the first one to do this by any means, that the dust accumultaion problem of the G9 is a real phenomenon. And there's no way to get rid of it once it's there. Could you take out the lens to clean it? Not practically. I've heard that it can be done, but you'd be a braver person than I, and I've taken some fiddly things apart in my time.

My guess is that the usable life of the camera will be greatly reduced because of this fatal flaw. Which is a great shame, because otherwise it's almost perfect.

It takes fantastic shots (especially in macro mode), has all the controls you will ever need in a compact, is solidly built, and a joy to use. Far more convenient to lugging around an SLR on holiday. This is why I bought mine.

Why oh why did Canon build such a great camera only to let it down by not sealing the lens unit properly?

Would I buy the G9 again? Probably, but then I bought this as a second camera, and can afford to replace it when it finally gives up the ghost. If this is your one and only camera, and you're going to be tearing out your hair at the thought of needing to replace it when the lens gets too dusty to use two or three years down the line, think carefully before purchasing.

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Rating: - Great Camera
I have had the camera now for 5 months and can say the pictures are stunning. Quick start up and high auto shutter setting mean I can catch my kids without having to get blurred shots all the time. However, one issue only on build quality which was the ink on the dials coming off with general use and sweat. Sent it back to canon uk for a repair under warranty and waiting for its return. other than that its a real special piece of kit. Watch out for the dials though if you think ink is coming off send it in quick for replacement dials.....

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Rating: - Do NOT buy, save your money - But is a very nice compact camera.
Although the G9 is a wonderful camera, probably one of the best, it has a fatal flaw. I am a G9 owner and a very disappointed one at that. As when the lens opens it sucks in air and DUST, it is NOT a sealed camera. yet you can not open it, to repair it easily. If you google this problem you will find it all over the web. It may take anywhere between 1 week to 3 months, for the image to become ruined by dust and sediment inside the camera. The dust becomes lodged on the sensor and between lenses. If you live on the international space station or in a microchip plant, this is the camera for you. As it has a brilliant build quality. But otherwise do not, it would be a huge disappointment. I hope this gives you the other side of the story.