Compact Canon G9 or what else

[John Hallas]

I have decided I am getting a good quality compact. Main criteria is raw (I don't necessarily want to save shots in both Raw and JPG at the same time) and I don't need movie capability.

I am thinking of the Canon G9. Why

1) I have a Canon DSLR
2) Well known landscape photographer Guy Edwardes came to our club and a lot of his shots were taken with his G9 and I was very impressed with the quality and the strong recommendation he gave for the camera.
3) The reviews stack up well for the camera and I don't need to go G10 or G11 route (therefore save a bit of money)

Cost will be about £350

Usage - when fell walking as my DSLR is too big. Forthcoming trip to NYC (DSLR will go as well but compact probably better at night).

Any alternatives that members think are worth investigating

John

[Alex1994]

Canon S90.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/s90.htm

Does raw too. £345 at warehouseexpress.

I'm going to buy one myself soon (I hope!). The control ring and fast lens make me reminisce about older cameras.

[postcardcv]

I've got a G9 and the IQ is extremely good so long as you stay at low ISO, anything over ISO400 is just too noisy. I was tempted to an S90, it is a very nice little camera, but when I tested one I found the IQ not to be as good as the G9 (less fine detail). A used G9 should set you back >£200 which makes it a very good buy, the only downside is that it's not all that compact!

[John Hallas]

Thanks for that input - the S90 certainly fits the bill and the existing doubts in my mind regarding the size of the G9 have now been reinforced. Ally that with a slight concern about getting the G9 when the G10 and G11 are available and I see that more contemplation is needed.

Why on earth do different Canon models require different cards, why not stick to the CF format of my 400D instead of having to buy SD cards a well.

[Birdsnapper]

John, I've just bought a G11 and think that it's a terrific camera. It's bulky for a compact, but still fits in a jacket pocket. The optical viewfinder image is small but perfectly usable. The swivel screen is great for city/landscapes as it's possible to get a low angle. Attached is copy of a low light try-out that I did yesterday evening. A little bit noisy at base ISO, but satisfactory for me.
I carry the camera everywhere and really enjoy using it. It cost £100 more than the S90, but I think that it's worth it.

[Alex1994]

I still think the S90 is a better purchase: lens faster by a stop, more compact, cheaper. The control ring is a big plus--it lets you access the really important settings quickly without having to flip through annoying, time-consuming menus.

I wouldn't worry too much about image quality--you'll never notice the difference. It's all about the bigger picture, not 100% crops.

Regarding card formats, that's the way the tech world rolls. All new cameras and their formats (SD, CF and what the store--RAW) will be obsolete soon. The SD format lets cameras be a lot lot smaller. They're pretty cheap nowadays on 7dayshop anyway.

[John Hallas]

Rather a good shot that Mike. Investigations ongoing but I don't see myself justifying a G11 I am afraid - too much for a compact.

[postcardcv]

Originally Posted by Alex1994

I wouldn't worry too much about image quality--you'll never notice the difference. It's all about the bigger picture, not 100% crops.

That's quite some statement, have you actually tested the S90 against the G series cameras? I was seriously considering getting an S90 so took a memory card to my local shop and took some test shots with the S90 and my G9. The lack of fine detail on shots from the S90 was noticable when viewing images at full size, I didn't need to go into 100% to see it. Don't get me wrong the images from the S90 were very good for a compact but just not as good as the G9 (they didn't have a G11 for me to test but I suspect that would have been at least as good as the G9).

[Alex1994]

Sorry for the misunderstanding. What I meant was that the extra image quality given by a G series, while noticeable, won't improve the whole photo that much when viewed impressionistically.

I really love the G9. This is the perfect camera for street photography. It takes much sharper pictures than the typical point and shoot and it is much easier for me to carry around than my Canon XT. (I keep it in my messenger bag when I walk around the city.)