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

Rating: - Delighted
This is just a confirmation of Amazon's excellent service & price. I ordered the G9 yesterday afternoon (28th July) and received it today. No dead pixels on the LCD or any other "blooming" niggles some have reported.

I was going to buy one in Hong Kong in the very near future, but some research indicated that Hong Kong prices were only fractionally lower than Amazon! Why throw away the box & guarantee card for just 20 quid?

It's too early to comment on performance yet, as I've only shot a few test shots before filling the measly 32MB card supplied. The 4GB SDHC card I ordered at the same time as the camera hasn't arrived yet.

I'm fairly discerning, having owned many Pentax & Nikon SLRs and a DSLR, plus several Olympus & Canon (IXUS) digital compacts. As expected, the G9 has a lovely, weighty, quality feel about it. The buttons are a little small & fiddly, and I wish there was some kind of cover for that shiny 3" LCD screen (like the Nikon D70). But other than that, it's great.

I can't wait to go accessory shopping in HK now :)

I think I'm going to love this camera.

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Rating: - Smashing camera!
I'm not going to bore everyone as its all been said 1000x before in the reviews but it DOES live up to the hype.

* Its very well made - reassuringly heavy.

* Its got a full auto mode as well as offering full control over ISO,
white balance, exposure etc to keep the pro's happy.

* Photos are awesome. The image stabilisation works well.

* Nice bonus is in-camera red eye removal

* The LCD is one of the nicest I've seen on a camera.

In short, if you're looking for a camera that offers more options and features and has a larger sensor & lens than a compact would offer, but you don't want to drag around a big heavy dSLR, this camera is for you! Go get one!

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Rating: - Wow
I love this camera - it has all the serious, grownup things like RAW shooting and manual settings for everything including ISO, focus bracketing and flash intensity, plus all the fun stuff like video (with options like time lapse and black & white) and "scene" settings.

I love the retro styling and matt finish too - it feels nice and solid in the hand. It's no pocket camera, but it's more discreet than a DSLR. All the controls are well positioned and have a solid, positive feel to them. Changes of setting show up on the big, bright screen and it's easy to alter them on the hoof.

The zoom is good, and the image stabilisation works well.

Did I mention I love this camera? I really love this camera.

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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.