Canon Powershot G9

Before the advent of affordable digital SLRs, high-end point and shoot digital cameras were the driving force behind the exponential expansion of the digital imaging revolution. Canon digital cameras have been at the forefront of that high tech surge since the introduction of the Powershot G1 in 2000. Canon’s “G” models have always been aimed at photographers who want a responsive and relatively compact general-use digital camera with SLR like performance but without the SLR price.

The new Canon Powershot G9 is loaded with a number of great features such as RAW + JPEG images, an optical view finder, face detection, 6x optical zoom and image stabilization. It also has a number of shooting modes which make it feel more like a digital SLR instead of a point and shoot camera.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Powershot G9:

• Street Price: $499.99
• Resolution: 12.1MP
• Shutter Speed:15 - 1/2500 sec
• ISO range: 80/100/200/400/800/1600
• 1.5 Frames per second
• Optical Viewfinder and 3″ LCD monitor

Things I like
The PowerShot G9 is built like a tank. A lot of point and shoot cameras feel very flimsy when you’re taking pictures with them but that is definitely not the case with the G9. The extra weight doesn’t make it too heavy however, it just makes it feel sturdy enough. I also like the fact that this camera has 12.1MP resolution. You’ll be able to take your pictures and blow them up to whatever size you want without having to worry about pixelation or distortion.

I also like the fact that Canon included an optical viewfinder with the PowerShot G9. Nowadays it seems that smaller cameras leave out the viewfinder and put in a larger LCD screen but this is very annoying if you’re shooting in daylight because the screen becomes virtually useless. While the viewfinder isn’t the best, it’s better than nothing. The G9 also allows you to take movies with the camera so it’s very versatile.

Things I don’t like
The PowerShot G9 is rather expensive when you compare it to other point and shoot cameras like the Kodak Z712 or the Sony W80. I also don’t like the fact that this camera only has a 6x optical zoom. If you’re wanting to shoot anything thats far away you won’t be able to get that close without having to use digital zoom.

I also don’t like that you can’t use optical zoom while taking a movie. You’re limited to digital zoom and this can be frustrating because you do lose picture quality.

Pros:

• Very sturdy
• A number of great features
• High resolution pictures
• Can shoot RAW + JPEG formats
• Optical viewfinder

Cons:

• Expensive
• Only 6x optical zoom
• No optical zoom while taking videos

Final Thoughts
The Canon PowerShot G9 is a solid point and shoot digital camera for those who want something compact to complement a digital SLR. If you don’t have enough money another option would be the Nikon Coolpix P5100, but the Canon PowerShot G9 is a very well built camera.