Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera - Black (12.1MP, 6x Optical Zoom) 3.0 inch LCD

I previously had a G5 as a back up/alternative to my DSLR and would have bought a G7 but, as it didn't do RAW, it was of no use to me. I picked up this camera last Friday and it is totally stunning, metal construction, lovely screen on the back (gorgeous !) and the menu system is good and very logical which is as well because there is no printed user manual. Just a "Quick Start" and a PDF file on the CD which is my only gripe about the 'package',it doesn't save the planet if you have to print it out at home on A4 does it ?

I always shoot raw on manual so, I just love the way that the screen lightens and darkens as you change settings, that is really good and gets your attention. If you shoot RAW and use Adobe Photoshop, Bridge and Lightroom, you do need to download the latest Raw update for the first two and update Lightroom to v1.2 to be able to work with the RAW files which would also be true if you bought a Canon D40. Obviously Canon's own software that is supplied with the camera will allow you to see and process the RAW files but its not as capable as Adobe.

If you want a small pocket camera for nights out with your mates and/or you prefer to shoot mainly on auto, try an Ixus or equivalent, this is probably not the camera for you. If you are fairly serious about photography and want a high quality camera that is small(ish) so that you can leave the SLR and all the kit at home sometimes, this is for you.

I've had my G9 for 2 months now and have had no quality problems whatsoever. Love that it's the perfect size. Stunned by the wonderfully robust metal build and the amazing screen, which performs very well even in bright sunlight.

The G9 switches on quickly, focuses fast and takes the photo the instant you press the button.
The image stabilisation is effective, which I've found especially helpful for taking pics indoors in poor light without the flash.
The macro couldn't be better.

The auto setting works well, but it is very quick and easy to make manual adjustments. Buttons for focus mode, shutter speed, macro, manual focus, flash and shot mode (self timer, burst mode etc) all fall under the right thumb. Jab the button then cycle round to the desired option using the selector wheel. It is much simpler than it sounds, only takes a few seconds and you see the effect immediately on the screen. Other less frequently used options are accessed through the menu, but this is logical and easily understood.

The dial on the top for switching between photo/ video etc has two spare positions for the user to set up their own custom settings.

Maximum picture size is 12MP 4000x3000. Maximum video size is 1024x768 @ 15f/s. Picture quality is amazing with the exception of a bit of motion blur if something moves quickly. Sound quality is good but a slight hum is noticeable if there isn't much sound on the recording. Videos can continue recording until the memory is full. Time-lapse movie mode is 640x480 which is recorded at either 1 or 2f/s and played back at 15f/s.

Minor downers:
The battery is some weird camcorder style thing, takes an hour and a half to charge, but it does last ages.
No DC input socket - you have to buy a specific adapter from Canon.
Record time for time-lapse mode is maximum 2 hours irrespective of memory card size.
No remote control option.

Stuff other reviewers wouldn't tell you:
The focus system fires a borgish green light - it can though be disabled if you want to take a sneaky shot. You can replace all the camera sounds with your own. It's matt black so you can cover the labels with electrical tape.

I'm a strictly amateur photographer who, for the last two years, has relied on a tiny Nikon Coolpix S1 compact. I loved the camera, but was frustrated by the lack of manual control. Furthermore, in recent months it developed a minor, intermittent issue with reading SD cards (switching off and on normally solves the problem). So, I decided to upgrade.

After reading lots of reviews, I narrowed my choice down to two cameras - Nikon's P5100, and the Canon PowerShot G9. In the end, I chose the latter, as it seemed to have the edge on features and performance, particularly where shutter lag was concerned. Amazon do the G9 at a great price, so I placed my order.

When the package arrived and I unpacked it, I was very impressed - this is a beautifully-manufactured camera, very solid and extremely well finished. Way, *way* better than any other compact or semi-compact I've seen.

However...

After loading the battery and switching it on, I noticed two or three areas around the edge of the big LCD screen which had a green glow or "blooming". I rang Canon's technical support line, explained the problem, and they said this was not normal for the camera. They recommended I return the camera to Amazon for replacement, which I did...

A few days later (Amazon's returns process is very efficient these days!!), my second G9 arrived. I loaded the battery, switched it on, and - yippee, no green glow around the LCD edges! But OH NO - what's this? A bright white stuck pixel on the screen, just right of centre!! It turns out that this is only visible when previewing the shot I'm about to take, and doesn't make it onto the picture - it isn't even visible during playback, so it means the stuck pixel problem is with the viewfinder CCD sensor.

I've read somewhere on a photography forum that another buyer had exactly the same problem with his G9. Oh dear...

So, I've printed off my return labels and this second G9 is going back - this time for a refund. I'm so frustrated with the G9 that I can't bring myself to try a third (or fourth... or fifth...) - plus, I've since read that many people have had problems with dead or stuck pixels on the G9, both on the viewfinder sensor and LCD screen. I know this technology isn't perfect, but on a near-£300 camera, this is unacceptable in my view, and I'm not prepared to work my way through several examples to find one that works as it should.

As a result, I've gone and bought a Nikon D40X DSLR. With Nikon's current cash-back offer, it was only £60 more than the G9, and it should give me a lot more room to grow my photography skills. OK, it's not as compact and convenient as the G9, but it works perfectly - no stuck pixels, no LCD screen problems. Perfect.

In conclusion - *if* you can find a G9 without any problems, I'm sure you'll be happy with it - it's well made and feels like a professional tool in every respect. It's just a shame that Canon's quality control allows defective examples like this to reach the shops.

I've rated this 2 stars because of the problems I experienced. Had the first camera been OK - or even the second one - I'd have rated it 4 or 5 stars.

I can only add my voice to the chorus. I liked this camera already reading the specs, and I loved it the moment I got it in my hands. It is solid, fast, elegant, easy to use, flexible (going from completely manual to automatic). The pictures it takes are really good quality. I cannot spend enough time talking about the results with the macro, since I got this camera I took pictures of every flower I could find on my path (even in Manchester city centre!). I could shoot my friend performances in semi darkness with higher level of ISO and/or regulating the intensity of the flash light to a minimum to minimize disturbance. The camera movement correction is really good, infact shooting free hand with long times still gives good results but the camera warns you that you are risking it. For the non purist there are color controls that allow you to shoot in B&W, sepia or accentuating different primary colors and light controls that allow to remove overtones introduced by surrounding lights. There are 3 different ways of focusing from face-recognition to manual focus. It can shoot an indefinite number of pictures....

I think that the description "even if you are an amateur you'll want to take better pictures with this camera" is absolutely centred. It did it for me.

I finally decided it was time to upgrade my old faithful 4 mega-pixel Minolta and took some time in choosing its replacement. Buying this camera is one of the best decisions I've ever made.

It is the ideal camera for those people who want considerably more than a point-and-shoot camera but occasionally want to do just that. Its various preset modes are excellent - in particular I've found the indoor and snow modes so good that there really isn't a need to manually set shutter speed, focus and so on. However if you like playing around with these or taking unusual shots, everything can be manually adjusted and better still, several user combinations can be stored and recalled when necessary. The picture clarity is excellent and the camera is instantly responsive.

I've only found two slight problems with the camera. Firstly it seems to struggle a little, unusually, in bright sunshine. It takes a fair bit of fiddling around to stop it taking shadows so dark that all detail is obscured. Secondly even in portrait mode, it seems to have fun red-eyeing everyone! However this can easily be corrected with the online editing mode.

A final thing worth mentioning - this is not a small or light camera. It will fit in a jacket pocket but not a trouser pocket. However if that isn't a problem for you, I can't recommend this camera highly enough at this price.