The Canon G9 Review, Part Three
Shooting with the G9 in it’s simplest form is as easy as pulling the camera out of the bag, adjust the frame to taste, let it focus and shoot. Shooting hero shots is a cinch, working on fish detail shots are always a little more complicated, having another set of hands to help out makes all the difference. The camera has a full array of shooting modes from full automatic to full manual. Focusing is done through sensors that can be moved around the camera frame or just left in middle.
Some of the other shooting features include color swapping, time lapse, and video in 640 or 1024 HD resolutions in AVI format. The video also has pretty decent audio out put as well, including a wind filter as an option. The video also supports the cinema format, color swap and macro.
Simms Dry Creek Hip Pack, Simms Dry Creek Camera Bag, Canon G9
This is what I haul around in my Simms Dry Creek Hip Pack. The Hip Pack is not waterproof but I have taken a fall or two where the whole works went under for a couple seconds and everything was fine. If the camera would have been in a vest pocket it would have been game over. The bag and camera also spent three weeks buried in a snow bank due to owner stupidity. When the January thaw finally revealed it again, the G9 was moist from a little condensation but alive and well. Needless to say, I am a big fan of Simm’s bags. In the Dry Creek Hip Pack I carry the filter mount for the camera so I can put a polarizing filter on, battery charger, extra battery and memory. That uses less than half the bag so it leaves room for other stuff that needs to stay dry.
I also have a Simms Dry Creek Camera Bag that is actually waterproof. It’s like a dry bag but also has a heavy duty ziploc like seal. If you just carry the G9 and an extra battery with no accessories this bag is perfect. You might drowned but your camera will make it. I will probably move into this little bag entirely till I get an underwater housing and put the filter mount in a vest pocket.
The G9 has it’s own battery, the Lithium Battery Pack NB-2LH and they hold a good enough charge for a couple outings. Very cold weather of course shortens the performance range. These batteries can be bought on ebay for $10 shipped. Camera stores are more like $35. The camera comes with a charger. Charge time from dead as a door nail to full is about 2.5 hours. The camera stores image on SD cards. I have a 4GB card and as yet have not even come close to filling it at any one time. It comes with a 32MB card which is a waste of plastic and micro chips, a half dozen Raw files and you’re done.
Playback and downloading. Canon supplies it’s own software on CD, which is pretty simple to use. If you run Windows you can use the built in downloader if you like, I’m not sure about Mac but I assume it’s similar. Canon’s software allows some editing capabilities but I use Photoshop so I don’t use it. Photoshop CS4 comes with Bridge, a new image management application that you can download images directly into, including RAW file formats. If you are shooting in the Raw/Jpeg mode the files are pretty good size so they add up fast. This is the format I use most of the time. I recently went out and bought a DVD burner for my computer and burn everything on discs to save hard drive space.
The camera is supplied with a set of RCA jacks that you can hook up to any TV that has them and you can view your images, complete with menu’s on the TV. Ditto for the video playback. Playback is controlled by the camera, kind of like a remote. On a computer you download the complete files and them play them back through whatever media player you have. This is great when you are away from home and want to see what you got or play back for others.
Canon G9 and the new Canon G10
G9 vs G10. The Canon G9 now has a successor, the G10. For me, the G10’s biggest features are:
- 14+ MP, a higher pixel count
- A new image processor, the Digic 4
- 28mm lens at the short end, but not as long on the tele
The G10 does not have a couple of features that were on the G9, time lapse photography and 1024×768 HD video capture. Although I haven’t used the time lapse feature yet, the HD video is not something I would give up. The one thing the G10 has that I would really like is the 28mm wide angle. My personal opinion though is that at $500, the Canon G10 is not that big of an upgrade, especially considering that you can still find the G9 new for around $380.
For more detailed reviews:
Canon also recently introduced the Powershot D10. While not as feature packed as the G series it has some credentials that make it a good fishing camera, namely its built in waterproof housing, a 12MP chip, and decent closeup coverage. It has a more plastic feel and a trendy aqua colored suit but at $330 its probably not a bad buy.
Final thoughts:
My only real complaint with the G9 is the focus. While none of the cameras of this genre are really fast, it can be a bit cumbersome and slow. Spending some time with it and learning its focusing quirks will speed things up considerably.
If your are looking for a durable little camera with a lot DSLR features and are serious about capturing images of your time on the water, including video, I really recommend the Canon G9. It is a lot of camera for its size, the basic features give you simple point and shoot photography with the option to break out into some more creative high end features as you get more comfortable with the camera.
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