HELP! New G9 owner needs some advice!....

Hi,

Just got my G9 and I am a bit lost. A lot more to set than on the SD series.

I am leaving for the holidays tommorow and I have not got the time yet to read the huge manual that came with this thing. I was hoping some fellow G9 owner would advise me...


Initially I would like to learn how to set the camera up so that it operates much the same way as I am used to using my trusty SD550. I set the ISO at 80 I pick the focus and metering area and freez it to re-compose and the camera picks the aperture and shutter speed... the ISO never changes. (Unless I change it)

I would like to set the G9 to operate the same way... IE... I want my ISO to always stay at 80. What setting do I need to use on the G9 and where are they located?

Also , how do I review the pics just taken... and magnify then to check focus.?


On the SD series there were a few things that you never wanted to turn on.. like the ASIF focus... You always wanted to be able to focus on the center spot to freeze settings and re-compose. How do I set that up?

As soon as I get back I will have some time to really use this camera the way it should be used...

Thanks

Big change from the SD550!

I am just going to answer a few questions ( I am not a G9 owner, but know the menus etc):

I would like to set the G9 to operate the same way... IE... I want my ISO to always stay at 80. What setting do I need to use on the G9 and where are they located?

This is just an assumption: The ISO should stay at 80 when you are in the 'creative' modes (P, Av, Tv, etc). Auto ISO will kick in when you are on the 'Auto' mode (Green 'Auto' symbol) Keep the dial on iso 80, and keep to the 'creative modes' and it should be ok. Please can any other G9 users correct me if wrong...

Also , how do I review the pics just taken... and magnify then to check focus.?

On play back, use the 'Zoom rocker lever' to zoom in. It is the lever around the shutter button. (It is the same lever you use to zoom when you are taking a photo)

I hope you learn the rest of the system on your journey to your destination. Don't forget the battery charger

"wanted to be able to focus on the center spot to freeze settings and re-compose. How do I set that up?"

I just managed to download a PDF of the manual for the G9. If it is the same one that you have, see pages 115 and 116 about the AutoFocus Modes.

In summary: press 'menu' > down to 'AF mode' > press 'left' or 'right' until 'Centre' is selected, Press 'menu' again to exit the menu. This is for AUTO mode only it seems..

from what I read, this option is not available for P/Av/Tv or M modes which seems a bit strange...

Sorry, I know this will sound harsh...but a quick glance at the camera and 10 seconds with the manual will explain that big-assed ISO dial on the top deck.

Actually the camera seems to be want to **** ISO setting no matter what the ISO dial is set to depending what mode the camera is in...

Since it seems that the ability to hold and freeze exposure setting on the G9 amay only be possible with the Camera set to Auto it remains to be seen if the ISO can be locked no matter what the "big-assed" ISO dial is set to.

And this is the information which I am trying to ascertain... it is not crystal clear even to many who have been using the camera for some time...

bobtodrick wrote in post #4320804
Sorry, I know this will sound harsh...but a quick glance at the camera and 10 seconds with the manual will explain that big-assed ISO dial on the top deck.

ISO dial is over.riden in AUTO

I am still waiting for my G9 to arrive through the post, been waiting all week. When I was trying one in a shop last weekend, i noticed that there is an ISO SHIFT feature which will move the iso automatically if the exposure can't deal with it. You need to disable that feature, have a look at www.steves-digicams.com/2007_revi​ews/canon_g9.html to see if it helps.

Try this link, it explains what ISO shift is.

http://web.canon.jp/im​aging/dcp/psg9/fea-8-e.html

And where do you find that the ISO shifts in Auto?
According to Canon USA service dept...when set to an ISO (meaning NOT 'auto' or 'hi') the ISO does not change no matter what exposure mode you are in...barring going into the menu and perhaps setting a custom shift.
Again according to CANON...if I set ISO 80...it stays there.
Why would they even give you a settable ISO if it was going to shift on its own?

If you shoot in auto, the camera takes control of all the settings, if you switch to AV, TV or M (perhaps others but I only use those) you can set the ISO to 80 and have it stay there.

When you are in auto, you are telling the camera to choose all the settings you need to get the shot, so the camera takes control of everything.

See this is a real problem with auto..especially given that really only ISO 80 & 100 are top quality on the G series... (I always shot ISO 50 on my SD550 anyway) Using the SD550 I used manual... but manual on the SD550 kept the ISO constatnt and varied the shutter and perture to get the shot... there really no other manual setting on the SD550 other than ISO...

It would have been nice if you could set ISO in Auto mode...

Bob... this is a non-trivial camera.

If it had an aperture dial I would be tempted to use it on Manual... I may do that and vary the shutter speed... use my Minolta Flash meter 4 for incident readings

I'm not trying to be difficult...I want to know if the ISO shifts myself.
But...
I can't find anywhere in the manual that it specifically states that when you set the ISO to the the numbered settings (not AUTO or HI) it is over-ridden when you go to program.
I was concerned enough that I did this morning call Canon USA Service and the seemingly knowledgable service tech said 'No, it does not change in any of the modes when you set it to a specific ISO'...at the moment I'll go with Canon's 'official' word.
As well I have a few thousand frames on a G7. I used it on program, set to 100ISO and boy, if the light got to low it sure opened the shutter for a long time...appropriate for the 100ISO I had set.
Please...if you can point me to page in the manual where it states this happens I'd appreciate it.

bobtodrick wrote in post #4321858
I'm not trying to be difficult...I want to know if the ISO shifts myself.
But...
I can't find anywhere in the manual that it specifically states that when you set the ISO to the the numbered settings (not AUTO or HI) it is over-ridden when you go to program.
I was concerned enough that I did this morning call Canon USA Service and the seemingly knowledgable service tech said 'No, it does not change in any of the modes when you set it to a specific ISO'...at the moment I'll go with Canon's 'official' word.
As well I have a few thousand frames on a G7. I used it on program, set to 100ISO and boy, if the light got to low it sure opened the shutter for a long time...appropriate for the 100ISO I had set.
Please...if you can point me to page in the manual where it states this happens I'd appreciate it.

I was talking about green box mode which is fully automatic. It doesn't do it in P. I just pulled out the G9 and checked. If you turn it to green box mode, turn your iso to 80 and stand in a dark room and try to take a photo, it will say on the screen ISO (in my case 200) just before you take a shot.

hassiman wrote in post #4321674
See this is a real problem with auto..especially given that really only ISO 80 & 100 are top quality on the G series... (I always shot ISO 50 on my SD550 anyway) Using the SD550 I used manual... but manual on the SD550 kept the ISO constatnt and varied the shutter and perture to get the shot... there really no other manual setting on the SD550 other than ISO...

It would have been nice if you could set ISO in Auto mode...

Bob... this is a non-trivial camera.

If it had an aperture dial I would be tempted to use it on Manual... I may do that and vary the shutter speed... use my Minolta Flash meter 4 for incident readings

You really need to take a peak in the manual because you may be surprised to learn that your G9 does have an aperture dial its on the back. It also has a built in light meter so no need for your Minolta flash meter.

Thanks for clearing that up.
Admittedly I would have never run into the the issue...I have an inbuilt aversion to using any 'green' mode on any camera I've ever owned.

Hi,

So if I understand correctly... if I choose P mode it will keep me at ISO 80 no matter what the lighting and adjsut the shutter and Aperture to get the correct exposure... and when the aperture is as wide as it can get... and the shupper speed gets slow the IS will kick in to save the day?