Finally bought a G9.. first impressions!

[Collin85]

It's been a war for me for awhile now. A650IS vs. S5-IS vs. G9.. something to replace my old A510 for the times I don't want to lug out the dSLR bodies and lenses. I settled on the G9 today and so far I'm quite pleased. Here are a few comments (not in any particular order of relevance, importance or order of discovery):

1) It's most definitely a photographer's camera. The controls are intuitive (although I'm still trying to get used to the control dial) and feels SLR-like to an extent. They feel very similar to a Rebel, with dedicated buttons for functions like AF-points, EC, drive mode etc. and less like a 30D/5D. I'm definitely digging that ISO dial too.. I find that pretty cool and surprisingly useful. With this camera, you never have to annoying dig through many menus to access currently used functions.

2) Finally, the Direct Print button becomes useful! Well, atleast for some. After metering and AF, you can press the DP button (assuming you've got the Auto-ISO shift option enabled) and the camera will shift the ISO should it be required. This prevents the need for me to adjust the ISO dial, which can be good since that particular shot may only be a once-off shot where I need a higher ISO.

3) It's got a beautiful screen. It's large.. and it's certainly a new experience over my old A510's.

4) The size of the camera itself is actually fairly big. Don't get me wrong, I've read the reviews around but for some, it may be difficult to appreciate the size until you hold it in your hands. Also for some, it won't fall under the definition of 'pocketable'.

5) I can tell not being able to change batteries or SD cards whilst planted on a tripod will tick me off in the future. Oh well, no biggie.

6) The build quality is exceptional. The first time I held it, I immediately felt a feeling of security in terms of the build.

7) The AF is very fast. I'm extremely happy and also surprised that the AF in P&S's have progressed this far. It's alot faster than my old A510's and also considerably faster than the S3-IS from my observations.

8) The grip isn't ergonomic, but more ergonomic than what others have been saying. I guess I had been bracing myself for the worst, but it's actually not too bad to hold.

9) The movie mode is a mixed bag. The quality of the movies themselves are actually very good, but the camera can't AF or zoom optically while recording. Fair enough, Canon doesn't want to cannibalize the sales of the S5, but I was hoping it could atleast refocus while shooting. Digital zoom is however possible while recording. The good thing though is that the DOF for cameras like the G9 is relatively high for non-foreground subjects - achieving precise focusing for movies won't be such an issue for most situations I would imagine.

Finally, I acknowledge that I've mentioned pretty much everything but the most important thing: the image quality. Well, I just got home an hour ago and it's currently 10pm so there's not much to shoot. I'll do some shooting with it when the sun comes out tomorrow.

http://collin85.smugmug.com/photos/229296973-M.jpg

Here's with a 580EX attached.. suddenly the camera body doesn't feel so heavy. :lol:

http://collin85.smugmug.com/photos/229301138-M.jpg

[hassiman]

I think you will like it... a lot od Id guys are liking it and I am a Leica guy so I am picky... but I was surprised at the image quality... very nice... finally a camera I can use for serious work...:lol:

Try the RRS L barcket. A great accessory.. I will be interested in what you think of the IQ once you have used it some.

[Raven]

Collin - check out these two forum pages. I think you'll find them valuable in regard to the G9 grip among other things (you'll see my posts there as Raven also). And Don Ellis has posted some great photos of the add-ons.
Be aware that getting in touch with Richard is now done via:
email: tecsol@comcast.net
or at Siegfried's excellent new site http://www.mycanong7.com/html/g7_accessories.html

These accessories created by Richard Franiec have changed my G9 and many others in a very positive way.
Jim

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=25596817

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=25854577

[Raven]

You can also search this forum for some good reviews of the grip. There just happened to be more coverage at dpreview in this case.

[KimmS]

Can somebody do a side by side photograph comparison with the G9 and the 40D?
I need a pro camera but LOVE the portability of the smaller. The G9 kinda sounds perfect in that it's manual, shoots Raw, has a hot shoe and a 35 to 210 lens with capabilities of using a tele converter or a wide angle converter. What's not to love?
I am thinking this is comparable to using a rangefinder 35 mm Leica or a Canon SLR A-1 in the old days.

[Raven]

Can somebody do a side by side photograph comparison with the G9 and the 40D?
I need a pro camera but LOVE the portability of the smaller. The G9 kinda sounds perfect in that it's manual, shoots Raw, has a hot shoe and a 35 to 210 lens with capabilities of using a tele converter or a wide angle converter. What's not to love?
I am thinking this is comparable to using a rangefinder 35 mm Leica or a Canon SLR A-1 in the old days.

I'd be happy to give it an attempt, Kimm, if I wasn't dealing with some bug making me feel like a truck ran me over. However, if you go to this site you'll be able to compare the two. Click on the camera photo for a list of specs. Click on the blue review line for an in-depth review of each. I think you'll find enough information here to make your decision. No way is the G9 a DSLR. But it does make one good bridge camera.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/

Jim

[openspace]

I think you're right on the rangefinder comarison, KimmS.

The G9 is a killer camera capable of producing outstanding images, and because it is so portable, it is unobtrusive and makes for an excellent field tool. It is a camera you can always have on you. The 40D is not. And I am sure someonce could produce a side by side of a great ISO80 image post processed from the G9 RAW that would rival what the 40D can do. No doubt. It's capable.

But it is important to remember that where these cameras intersect in quality is but one small slice of the total range of their capabilities. That's an important and often overlooked fact.

While the G9 is the perfect field camera for THIS photographer, and does what I need very well (great low ISO shots, accepts filters with an adapter, tack sharp macro, excellent in outdoor lighting, accepts an external flash, simply goes where other cameras just may not be able to go - like in an overstuffed mountaineering sack where every ounce counts), it has its clear limits.

If you are the kind of photographer looking for a camera that does everything you can think of, then that's not the G9. That's a dSLR no doubt.

If you need a remote switch, if you need a true TTL viewfinder, if you shoot bulb exposures or any exposure longer than 15 seconds. If ISO 80-200 isn't enough range, and you shoot at & expect low noise at ISO 400 -800, that't the 40D. If you want to be able to change lenses, that's the 40D (though the G9 lens itself is tack sharp, add-on lenses are never as good as dedicated glass).

If you're budget is $600-800 for a setup the G9 is your camera. If you have $3000 to blow on a basic kit, go for the 40D.

Exactly like the rangefinders of old, the G9 has its niche. If that's your niche, the G9 is an awesome machine.

[mot]

580ex with G9 is like an elephant sit on the ant :)

[M2One]

I just bought the Canon G9 as well. I love the real retro look like the film camera in the 80s. That braille effect on the side of the dial is really cool.

The big clear LCD screen is a wonder to look at.

But i do feel angry about the noise. The noise is so obvious at 400 ISO. I have a DSLR, and i know i shouldn't compare it with G9...but still. 400ISO is so noisy!

[cicopo]

Just bought one yesterday, for use as an underwater camera. ISO 400 images are much noisier than from a 20D or 40D right out of the camera, but that's at 100% and until I have a few more samples to choose from I won't condemn it re that. It is a nice size for my needs & underwater that LCD will be a huge improvement over my S1 when trying to match shutter speed & F stops to the output from my 2 strobes. If I get any useful sample shots I will upload them to my lens samples album.

[M2One]

Just bought one yesterday, for use as an underwater camera. ISO 400 images are much noisier than from a 20D or 40D right out of the camera, but that's at 100% and until I have a few more samples to choose from I won't condemn it re that. It is a nice size for my needs & underwater that LCD will be a huge improvement over my S1 when trying to match shutter speed & F stops to the output from my 2 strobes. If I get any useful sample shots I will upload them to my lens samples album.

I have 30D as a dslr. For comparison, i think 400ISO is equiv to about 1000ISO in 30D. That's a big difference.

Here are some shots i took yesterday at night.

http://gallery.miliux.com/img/v3/p147453133-4.jpg
http://gallery.miliux.com/img/v3/p486875841-4.jpg
http://gallery.miliux.com/img/v3/p130531603-4.jpg

The IS in G9 is less effective than the dslr lens. You can see from above photos how grainy the sky looks.

[openspace]

I personally always find this ISO talk to be much ado about nothing. And I guess that's because I come from a slide film background, where if you loaded Velvia you got ISO 50, if you loaded Provia you got ISO 100, and that's what you got used to because that's what you had to work with.

For those who are true digital photographers with no film background, the high noise in high ISO G9 shots seems to be a really big deal. But for old school film photographers who got used to shooting everything at ISO 200 and below for highest quality, its no big deal at all. So while the G9 seems to be disappointing a lot of new generation dSLR users who have come to depend on high ISO, its a film photographer's dream.

BTW the adaptive noise reduction in Canon's own RAW converter for the G9 actually is quite good at removing noise & restoring quality to the ISO 400 & 800 image. Though I'm a Photoshop user too, until Canon releases the SDK for G9 RAW, their own in-house converter just might be the best at dealing with the G9's RAW noise. Afterall its nothing more than mathematical pattern.

M2One - did you shoot RAW or JPG and how did you handle noise? If those are ISO 400, they do seem noisy, even for the G9. Post processing should smooth that out a lot better in an image the size you posted. Of course the web compression can reintroduce noise as well.

[hassiman]

Openspace is correct....

I am a real picky film shooter. I almost always shot with the slowest speed color film available to maximize resolution.. fastest I used for street work was T-Max/Tri-X at 400. The G9's noise at 400 is better than T-MAX was. I use the G9 at ISO 80 and it's a dream... not perfect... but its a hell of a lot cheaper than what I used to use. I really don't see what all the hubbub is about... what we can get now is a miracle compared to what was available just 4 years ago. My big complaint is that at these prices the camera you buy today will have depreciated by 60% within months when the newest detector comes out.
No way the materials and workmanship in a 1Ds MIII is as good as a hand assembled Leica... It's very problematic. The sensor technology will keep improving at an almost exponential rate... Theoretically it should be possible to put the resolving power of an 8X10 into a 35mm sized body... at some point the optics will be the limiting factor.

That said, I think the G9 is a good dollar value for the money and a creative tool with tremendous potential... especially with RAW... it's small enough to be easily deployed and cheap enough to replace each year or so with newer technology.:lol:

[openspace]

Yup yup. Too many guys get caught up in the "my sensor is bigger than yours" game, and while I certainly appreciate the better technology, none if it has made me a better photographer. It's just different set of tools.

[jackchampagne]

I think the grain of film is beautiful, whereas the grain of digital is usually ugly. I want to get a 40D anyway. That looks like a goodun.