Should I buy a G9?

[tedln]

I know the folks on this forum are a little biased towards Canon, but I have never owned one. I've had Sony and Nikon cameras and have enjoyed them. I am looking at a G9 and the reviews I have read so far seem to be good with the exception of noise at high ISO settings.

Please comment on overall picture quality and camera usability. I've located one for $439.00 from a dealer with a good reputation, is that a good price?

Thanks

Ted

[laq]

Im thinking of doing the same thing..ive played with one and i really like it a lot..my search right now is focused right now on what is comparable to the g9 at the same price..not finding much.

[thelightofsound]

i absolutely love my g9. it has everything i want in a p/s. i do with the noise were a little less at >800 ISO but i guess that's where i turn to the dslr. one of my favorite pictures i took on my honeymoon was with the g9 (inside the underwater housing)

http://sabafamily.info/underwater/slides/IMG_0405_saba.jpg

[Padrino]

Answering your question... YES! DO IT! NOW! STOP READING AND GO OUT NOW!:D

[Permagrin]

YES. In the last year I've owned (for P&S) the S3-IS, the panasonic DMC-TZ1 (now there's one that has tons of noise above iso 80) an underwater olympus P&S and the G9. The G9 is the closest thing to a dslr (imo) out there. It does have some noise issues at 400 iso or above but that's really good for a P&S. It's worth the money imo. The next one I'd recommend is the S5-IS but it's still not in the G9's league. And your price is pretty good. Quite a bit less than what I paid.
Oh and my main cam. is the MKIII and I still carry the G9 with me for when I don't want to haul the big one around. I really like the IQ on it.

[condyk]

Overall it's about as good as you'll get IMO but it's not a DSLR and not meant to be and that's worth remembering. I use it as a carry around and for fun shooting. Noise is fine, just stay below 400 ISO, IQ is fine, build is fine. You just point and shoot and that can be quite creative.

[Permagrin]

Overall it's about as good as you'll get IMO but it's not a DSLR and not meant to be

Absolutely...and to clarify, I did not mean that it was as good as a dslr, but that it's the closest thing in a P&S, to a dslr, that is on the market at the moment.

OP, it's worth it. ;)

[Olli]

Yes. I've had G2, G5 and have now G9, and will get Gxx ... ;) I have no reason to change these G's to something else (though have tried).

[laq]

i never thought the G's were that big a deal till i got the g6 im using. they are great cameras for those of us who dont want/ need a DSLR.

[openspace]

Great camera. $439 is a great price.

Don't be dismayed by the talk of noise it is true that ISO 400 - 800 - 1600 are noisy, but these settings are perfectly fine for snapshots & web use - i.e. point & shoot. But at lower ISOs the G9 is a beautiful camera. ISO 80 especially is fantastic.

[Padrino]

Am I wrong or we can fight noise at high ISO with low ISO + IS + Long exposure + tripod?? Hurray! Problem solved!:D:D:D

[Savas K]

G9 is a point and shoot that allows reasonable creativity in your shooting.

[Collin85]

Yeah, get one.

[Sonex305]

I have owned the S2IS, the S3IS, the S5IS, the SD200, the G3, the G6 and multiple Canon dSLRs. I have also used many of my family member's various brands of cameras. I now own the G9 and I can say without question that aside from the Canon dSLRs I had with L lenses, the G9 is the best camera I have had the privilege of using. The colors are spectacular, the IS works great, the 3" screen is just wonderful to look at and with Richard Franiac's(sp) aftermarket grip, the camera is super comfortable and easy to carry around.

I also put on a ProStrap wrist strap (http://www.prostrap.com/DeluxeLoop/DeluxeLoop.html) someone on this forum pointed me to and it's been great to use and I feel as though my camera is extremely safe in my hand. Even if I let go while swinging my hand up to take a quick photo, it won't go flying and smash into the ground(or my subjects face, lol). I think it's so much better than the neck strap that comes with the camera. I wouldn't hesitate one bit to recommend the G9 to anyone looking for a very high quality P&S camera.

ProStrap wrist strap (http://www.prostrap.com/DeluxeLoop/DeluxeLoop.html) <-- clicky

[lukeeesteve]

$436 + 10% off at circuit city if you do an in-store pickup.....sigh.

[andydajo]

$436 + 10% off at circuit city if you do an in-store pickup.....sigh.

Better than $600 in the UK :cry:

[condyk]

Not if you shop around.

[lukeeesteve]

Better than $600 in the UK :cry:

!! We should consider ourselves fortunate.