Accessories

Nice point/shoot but G9 suffers with nasty shutter problem
This is my third Canon PowerShot camera in the past years. Whereas this G9 is clearly more developed and with decent ergonomics/features/picture quality, it still suffers with very serious shutter delays. This is a key operational function and Canon G9 is terribly faulty.

It is very frustrating to try to catch a picture moment,only to have the camera shutter NOT function when pressing the button. Sometimes, it will take over 3 seconds for the picture to be finally taken. This is totally unacceptable and frustrating. I have missed untold number of pictures due to this delay problem. Don't believe the specs about shutter lag, the fact is that the camera is deficient. I long for my older film cameras that were able to fire instantly. Perhaps Canon will finally hear users complaints about this and hopefully fix this major flaw that otherwise ruins a nice portable camera.

G9 wins over this G1 owner
I put off buying the Canon G9 because it lacked both the fast lens and the swivel LCD screen of my Canon G1. But photos on the web persuaded me to buy the camera. Now I love it. For a point-and-shoot, it turns on quickly and is soon ready for an additional shot. The Manual mode controls are easy to use. I am pleased with the photos that I have taken with it.

It works well with the Speedlite 430EX. I use the neck strap with the PSC-5000 case.

I like the feel of it; it makes me want to use it.

The Near Perfect Point and Shoot
I can't add to all the reviews that are out there on the G9. It's a great point and shoot camera with many of the features of a SLR. It feels good, it looks good, and it works good. If your looking for a high-end point a shoot, do the research and there's a real good chance you will end up with a G9

Well Done
I was looking for a compact travel camera with full manual controls and capable of excellent image quality (at least in good light). There are a lot of great P&S's out there but not a lot of compacts with manual controls.

I had been a fan of Canon Powershot models for a while although I've mostly used several Olymous DSLR's and Panasonic Lumix P&S's for the last several years. The G9 seemed to get generally good reviews and had one of the larger sensors in its class, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Its exposure accuracy is better than any other compact (and even some DSLR's) I've used. The LCD viewfinder provides a very accurate representation of the image you will capture (color balance, exposure, DOF etc). The full manual controls allow for a lot of creativity and good shorts in difficult lighting. The image quality at ISO 200 and below is excellent. You can get good shots at 400 and usable shots up to ISO 800 for small prints, but 1600 and 3200 are for emergency use only.

It starts up fast, focuses accurately and quickly, is a reasonable size and weight, and can produce excellent image quality.

The camera seems very well built and I only have the following nits
1) The camera shake warning seems to always be on at low shutter speeds (regardless of zoom, IS being on or off, or the camera being on a tripod). So it seems its not linked to actual shake or shake the IS could compensate for. Its just a little annoying.
2) I'd much prefer a viewfinder with indicators (iso, shutter speed etc) even if it ended up being an Electronic Viewfinder rather than Optical. I considered a similar Nikon with EVF for that very reason.
3) Why no RAW in Auto or Scene modes?

So if you are looking for a compact travel camera with good performance and great image quality, but want manual control for tough lighting conditions or creative reasons, this is well worth looking at.

Canon Powershot G9-Great little camera
I decided to invest in another digital camera a few months ago and started to research cameras. I'm not a camera buff and didn't really want to be but I do want to learn enough to take good pictures. The G9 had consistantly good reviews. I checked it out at a camera store to make sure it felt right. Amazon had the best price. There are some cheaper ones but look out for what they don't put in the box (like batteries and charger) One of the things that put this camera over the top for me was the fact that it offered the ability to take RAW pics.

The camera is easy to use. I am still learning all of its features, of which it has many, many. It will take me awhile. I am very happy with it and look forward to taking even more pictures. It's been a great camera for me and I'm very happy with my purchase.