http://www.shahramshiva.com/photo/CanonG9/Shiva1.jpg

I’ve had the G9 for more than a week now and I feel it’s a good time post some comments and images. Just to give you a little background, In 2007 I shot with Canon 30D, and G7, also Leica D-Lux 3 and Fuji F30, plus a Canon film SLR.

I had the 30D for a full week at Bonneville Salt Flats. I used the G7 for about 4 months, the D-Lux 3 for also a full week and finally the Fujifilm F30 for about a month or so.

The screen on he G9 is simply phenomenal. The focusing speed is perfectly sufficient for a 12MP P&S. Don’t expect 30D focusing speed, but if you are looking for a DSLR rapid-fire experience you’d better get a DSLR, since any digicam will disappoint. The slight grip redesign works well. Colors are just gorgeous. The video is also just terrific.

The G9 has a 24X combined digital zoom. I shot at that range and I got perfectly useable images. It also has a built-in tele mode, in 2 settings. Meaning you can set it on Tele at 2X, as if you had attached a 2X lens converter and it will shoot at 70-420mm. Brilliant!

http://www.shahramshiva.com/photo/CanonG9/Shiva3.jpg

100% crop:
http://www.shahramshiva.com/photo/CanonG9/Shiva3a.jpg

http://www.shahramshiva.com/photo/CanonG9/Shiva2.jpg

It has an overwhelming amount of options, with many buttons and dials to make any gadget freak and photography nut entertained for a long while.

It's very compact. It's not a Sony T series, but it's 1/2 to 1/3 the width of the H9, so it's easily pocketable (jacket and also some shirts).

http://www.shahramshiva.com/photo/CanonG9/Shiva4.jpg

http://www.shahramshiva.com/photo/CanonG9/Shiva5.jpg

100% crop:
http://www.shahramshiva.com/photo/CanonG9/Shiva5a.jpg

The wide part of the zoom on the G9 seems very wide indeed. Canon claims 35mm, it probably is, but seems very wide to me. I am not a fan of twist and flip screens, they are annoying. I know they come in handy, and some like them, but they often add bulk. The screen on the G9 seems to be wide viewing and it's very, very nice. The fully articulated screens also work good as a screen protector, when you turn the screen to the inside, but I don't miss it, lastly they don’t come in 3” and I love the large screen.

I took a closer look at the G9 grip, I don't think Canon changed the front plate, what they did was they moved the small rubber grip closer to the edge of the camera by a few mm. Making it feel like it has a better grip on the front, the back is certainly changed, since they had to change it for the screen size anyway and it now sports a nice thumb rest. But the beauty of this camera is its small size, the grip doesn't extend beyond the lens, why change this? Also, the lens fully retracts into the camera and lacks the annoying lens cap.

Sony H9:
I really wanted to like the Sony H9 and almost got one, I'm glad I waited. I liked the H9, because it's the fastest focusing digicam out there and has a nice 3" screen. But that's not a serious camera, I hate to say, as the JPG compression setting is not adjustable and the image quality is questionable. G9 may not shoot as fast as the H9, but it's got all the other angles covered at half the width.

http://www.shahramshiva.com/photo/CanonG9/Shiva6.jpg

Compare with G7:
I would say the VF is superior. The G7 VF was imo not usable; they improved it on the G9. Canon or Sony may not like to hear this, but I don't believe people should upgrade their photo gear every 6 months. G7 is a fine camera, but the G9 is a near-perfect compact camera. The difference between 2.5” and 3" screen is very noticeable. Actually 4" would be even better. This is one place where size does matter. Early reviews are suggesting that the image quality is better and the noise is actually lower on the G9. I don't have the G7 anymore to compare, but the G9's VF seems to be workable now. So, it has been changed. Also now I can shoot at 4000X3000, at 180DPI in Superfine JPG (of course RAW is also available). I can do fine magazine covers with the JPG alone. The 1Ds, shot at 11MP, the 5D also shoots at 12MP. And at 100 ISO, which is what I shoot, the image quality on the G9 is just beautiful.

Canon A650:
I think the Canon A650, is basically the G9, stripped down of bunch of features but with a 2.5” flip and AA batteries. It has the same sensor and the same lens, so it should have similar image quality. It's cheaper and has a deeper grip. It doesn’t have the solid feel of the G9, but what does? I think those who may have issues with G9's small size, should look into the new A650.

http://www.bmw-k.com/Images/G7-LX2-1.jpg

Panasonic LX2, Leica D-Lux 3:
Keep all of the above in mind and add to it the very slim profile of the camera. Now that's just icing on the cake. Even the LX2 (D-Lux 3) is thicker than the G9. Readers don't realize how small the G9 really is, and how solid it feels in the hand. I disliked the Leica D-Lux 3 (Panny LX-2), because it felt like a toy and made me feel like I was taking snap shots. With the G9 or G7 for that matter, you feel like you're taking photographs. That may not matter to the average cat shooter, but to a photographer who likes to shoot with good gear it does.

So, imo, the G9 is the benchmark for the digicam market today, especially for the serious shooter. It's a winner! IMO it's simply the best digicam out there bar none.

http://www.shahramshiva.com/photo/CanonG9/Shiva7.jpg

PS: All the above shots were taken today at a local street fair (except for the G7/Panny size compare). My focus today was on G9's handling of complex mix of bright colors. Shot in "P" at 5MP, with no flash, ISO at Auto (80-200), very little post-processing in Photoshop.
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http://www.shahramshiva.com