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

A great camera with some faults I bought this camera in May 2008 and have given it a good testing. I think most people have highlighted the hi's and low's of this camera very well; although I must point out that I haven't had any of the technical problems some people have sadly encountered (touch wood). You can also find a very good review of this camera on the Camera Labs website, which I regularly visit for reviews. Buying this camera ultimately comes down to what you want it for and the type of photography you're into. I own a DSLR but wanted a camera to carry around with me when carrying a DSLR isn't practical; especially when I'm in town or out and about doing other things. I wanted a camera with all the benefits of a DSLR, but in a compact form. The G9 offered this. However, despite all the great positive things about this camera, its shortcomings stopped me from instantly getting out my credit card; - Noise level at ISO 400 and above are pretty awful - The equivalent of 35mm at the wide angle isn't wide enough - The shutter is sluggish Noise has always been an issue with compacts so I wasn't surprised that it was an issue here. As I tend to take landscapes and static objects, I wasn't too concerned about the speed. The big concern for me here was the equivalent 35mm focal length. I realised that this might be frustrating when shooting objects in built up areas, such as buildings. There are plenty of cameras that offer a shorter focal length and the manual control that I wanted. I really did look hard at the alternatives. But one key feature that tipped the balance in favour of the G9 was the Raw facility. At the time no other compact camera was offering it. Besides, I could get round the focal length issue. Anyway after much consideration I ordered the G9. My verdict: All the shortcomings are true. To be honest, I'm more frustrated with the noise level at ISO 400 than the 35mm focal length. I plan on buying the wide angle lens to get round this issue (£120 for lens + converter). But am I disappointed? No. For starters, buy online. At the time I saved myself £100 from the offset thus making the G9 an even more viable option. It's easy to carry around in a coat pocket or in a case attached to my belt. I've got so much control plus I'm shooting in Raw. I found it easy to use and I love the display. One final benefit. When using this camera in town, people are less suspicious. If you carry a DSLR in somewhere like London there's a growing trend from the public, police and over zealous security guards to assume you must be up to no good. But with this camera you blend in with the crowd. Should you buy this camera? As I mentioned before, that comes down to what type of photography you're into. There are some very good compacts out there offering a range of facilities. The Raw facility was a deciding factor but the camera does have problems. But for considered photography like landscape, this is great. (If you do decide to buy the G9, don't forget to order a quality sd memory card. I bought a 2GB ScanDisk Ultra II. Anything less and you'll be screaming at your camera because of how long it takes for the image to appear in the display). It will be interesting to see what the upgrade to this camera will be like, but I'm pleased with this purchase.

Just what I wanted Have had this little beauty for some months now and I have only two frustrations. Firstly it took me so long to make up my mind to buy it and secondly, in retrospect, I wish I could screw on a filter. What I wanted was a camera that would serve as a happy snapper on holiday etc and also deliver quality pics when I had the time to put my mind to it. The G9 does this this with no hassle, crisp and controlled just like any quality SLR. Instruction manual is a bit of a lump. It was useful to print when I first bought it but was not that long before it was discarded to the bookshelf. The screw on filter thing, well I knew what I was doing when I bought it. Its just a shame that for such a great camera it does not have the facility. Being so SLR in every other respect it raises your expectations, its really that good. However I guess it was awkward to design for with a retracting lense. By the way the video function is pretty ok too. I have seen the new G10 with all its tweeks and to be honest it just demonstrates what a bargin the G9 is right now.

Great camera - horrendous pdf manual My trusty old Olympus compact with its 2.5 megapixels was acually still taking very acceptable photos but I decided it was time to replace it with something better and I chose the Canon G9 after reading the many favourable reviews. I wanted the option of manual focusing and being able to set aperture or shutter priority, etc etc. Having now had the camera a few days, I am not disappointed. It has performed well for me in low light and indoor conditions and I've already had fun trying out the various settings etc., especially the 'my colour' and 'colour accenting'. I also like the speed of working. It looks and feels pleasing to use (in spite of the measly optical viewfinder). I can see that it is going to be versatile and convenient for getting quality shots of holidays, events and people in situations where an SLR camera would be `overkill'. The LCD screen is excellent and the controls are fairly intuitive. Where Canon have really let themselves down is by dodging their responsibility to provide a proper manual with the box and offering instead an electronic pdf version. This is made worse by the fact that the manual runs into 274 A4 pages in which every function of the camera is described, justified and explained at length in large print. Frankly I would rather just have had 50-60 A5 pages of concise instructions. I don't want to carry half a ream of paper around with me when I am out and about with my camera. Finally, thanks to Amazon for their usual brilliant service. I ordered the Camera on Monday and it arrived the following day.

"Free" delivery of prtoducts that I always seem to be chrged for. I have odered several items from you and I some how always seem to end up being charged for delivery. I do not like ordering items which I beleive I am ordering from Amazon only to find that they are being sent by someone else.

Poor man's Leica? yes, it's really that good. I'm a news shooter and have done quite a few jobs with this camera. It also shoots pretty good video which is more in demand these days. No flip out screen like the old G5's ? but, Ive never had that. Too big to go clubbing with it is my main leisure camera too.