Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Excellent buy: it was rated "good" but was in fact almost unused. Much better than I expected.

I bought this camera as a smaller, more compact solution to my DSLR's when traveling out and about with our newborn child, a diaper bag camera so to speak. I had bought the Canon S3 IS ealier and while it was a good camera it was still to big to fit in my pocket and had no ability for external flash if I wanted. I decided to go with the G9 and so far I'm pretty happy. First the feel of the camera is very solid and well built and you defintely get the feeling that this is a nice camera. It is relatively small(campared to the canon S3-S5) and can squeeze into my pocket if it where the only thing in that pocket. Image quality is exceptional at 200 ISO and very managable at 400 ISO, anything above that you will need to have some decent noise reduction software to make the picture relatively usable, that goes for any Point & Shoot though and the G9 actually has better quality than the S3 at comparable ISO's. The G9 has all the auto shooting settings you could want and the capablity for creative & manual controls. The button layout I find very nice and I simply love that the ISO has it's own dial on top of the camera for quick changing when needed, no more fiddling in some menue to change the ISO, I wish my DSLR had that feature. The screen is very large and takes up most of the back of the camera and it is nice and vibrant, too bad it doesn't swivel out like the canon S series, though that would probaly make the camera bulkier. The shutter delay(time from when you push the shutter button to when the camera actually fires) is low and the camera is actually pretty fast with minimal lag especially if you have already focused on what you are shooting. As for focusing it seems to work well with very little search time to lock on to your suject. I really like how you can move the focus point anywhere you want on the screen allowing you a bit more compositonal control while maintaing what you want in focus, this was a pleasant surprise. The focal lenghts of the lens are nice from a wide end all the way to the telephoto end covering just about everything you need and the Image Stabilization feature really helps in low light to avoid from motion blur. The G9 also has a macro function that allows for a nice close shot if you are into flowers, insects or any other thing you may want to fill the frame with and I was very impressed with its performance. As for the onboard flash I must preface that I do not like onboard flash for any camera and I try to avoid having to use it unless I do not have a choice. There is no exception to this flash as it seems harsh and causes red eye frequently even with the redeye reduction on. The nice thing about the G9 is that it has an onboard redeye reduction editing funtion where you review the photo and remove the redeye there on the spot instead of at home on the computer or at your photo printing kiosk, that option is pretty cool I must say. The savior for the onboard flash is an external flash and the G9 has a hotshoe mount so you can attach a canon speedlite. This allows you to diffuse or bounce the flash making for a much nicer picture in my opinion and is one of the main reasons why I got rid of the canon S3 and bought the G9. Though I find it a bit silly you have a camera for the fact of it being small and compact and then have to carry an additional flash, so I rarely do as I might as well take my DSLR. The G9 has a movie mode so you can record video and they are of decent quality and I am please with them. You have to switch the dial to movie mode on top of the camera which is no big deal though on the S3 & S5 there was a quick movie button that I wish this had so you could just start filming with the push of a button regardless of what shooting mode you were in at the time. Battery life is about 200 or so shots, give or take, which I find pretty low, so you will need an additional battery. I could go on about more features and the such but I think I covered the pros and cons that realy caugh my attention.Pros:Somewhat CompactBuild QualityImage quality- up to 400 ISOLarge LCD viewerISO DialButton LayoutLots of shooting options especially creative and manual conrolsMacro capablitiesHotshoe Mount for external flashAbility to move focus point anywhere on the LCD screenRedeye reduction with in camrea editingMovie capabiltitiesConsImage quality -800 and aboveOnboard flashBattery lifePriceSo to close I would recommend this if you are looking for a Point & Shoot as it has almost all the bells and whistles you could desire in a camera and it performs well.

I started long time ago with several film manual 35 mm SLRs and point-and-shoots. Then came a digital era, and I purchased several generations of Minolta DiMAGE pocket cameras. For my downhill skiing trips I wanted a rugged, dependable miniature and intelligent cameras with viewfinder, minimum of controls and ability to shoot movie clips. Back then DiMAGE cameras met my all expectations. I used them at home, daily at work and during vacations. Unfortunately Minolta folded before producing a compact camera with image stabilization. IS is very important for low light shooting from hands. During my September trip to the picturesque Greek Santorini island my DiMAGE X50 had to struggle on it's own with both strong and low lighting of day and night. There thoughts of a better camera with manual controls came to my mind, views were so precious! I carefully studied reviews of DSLRs, looked at them - O boy, they are bulky, and they do not shoot movies! Super-zooms with fixed lenses were not smaller either. Thoughts of falling again during skiing on such camera didn't make me happy - I had few of them. Suddenly I stumbled upon Canon G9 review - it was what I wanted: relatively compact, flat, almost no protruding parts, small Lithium battery, compact but effective optical image stabilization, F2.8 35 mm 6x zoom lens , amazing 3" LCD + viewfinder, ergonomic manual controls, black, takes movies and have newest 12 MP image sensor. I immediately ordered it on Amazon because of better price and assortment of options available; I wanted a decent camera case with it as well. UPS ground parcel came shortly; camera was safely packed and started to work right away. I used camera only for a month so far at home and outside. Quality of the pictures with stunning details exceeded my expectations. Skin tones in portrait shooting came out so good! DiGIC III processor was able to adjust even to strong back light conditions. During night shooting I saw IS kicked in: pictures came out sharp and colorful. I took Halloween pictures in a dimmed light using built in camera flash and got praises from my friends on the web photo album; velvety fabrics came out beautifully. I shot several short movies at standard resolution at 30 fps - they came out crisp and well balanced with good sound from the built-in microphone. I'm wondering: does G9 sensor provides pixel binning for a movie resolution, or is a better sensor? My Minoltas with rise of sensor pixel count would capture exceedingly darker and blockier movies. G9's black paint makes it to look larger and heavier, but it feels just right in hands and don't strain my shoulder on a strap. Lens on power up/down telescopes in and out fast, and hides behind the lens protector - no lens cap needed. Shooting lags for portraits was imperceivable. LCD image is so good, even with sun beaming behind - I didn't glance into viewfinder yet. Shutter release is a feather like comparing to Minolta's; at first I was struggling to find "half way" for the focus check. So far, I charged battery only twice during a month. Soon I will take G9 for a first skiing trip, details to follow.Overall impression about the G9 camera is excellent, it even exceeded my expectations!