Canon G9

The Canon G9 is a 12.1 megapixel update of the G7 compact camera, with a 6x zoom lens and the return of RAW mode. Other standout features of the Canon G9 include an Optical Image Stabilizer, 3 inch LCD screen and an advanced face detection mode. “By combining RAW Mode with our other key technologies in this camera, we’re providing a high-performing and affordable option to advanced photo enthusiasts who want the creative power of a Digital SLR in a smaller body form.” said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. The Canon G9 will be available in October for $499.99. The Canon G9 will be available in the UK from September 2007 priced £429 / €629 inc. VAT. 

Canon USA Press Release

CANON U.S.A.’S NEW POWERSHOT G9 CAMERA COMBINES CREATIVE CONTROL WITH COMPACT CONVENIENCE

New G-Series Camera Gives Serious Photo Enthusiasts the Power of a Professional Digital SLR in a Point-and-Shoot Package

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., August 20, 2007 – Canon U.S.A., Inc. announced today that its acclaimed G-series has a new top-of-the line model - the PowerShot G9 digital camera. The PowerShot G9 digital camera offers serious shooters and value-minded professionals a feature-packed camera with many of the advanced photographic capabilities of a high-end Digital SLR camera, in a lightweight, compact package at an affordable price.

The PowerShot G9 digital camera features the same matte black, retro-hip design that G-series fans have come to appreciate, with a simplified control layout that is versatile yet easy to understand. This camera is loaded with Canon’s latest and most advanced technologies, while raising the bar with the addition of RAW Mode, usually reserved for larger and more expensive SLR cameras. Advanced photographers also have the option of using RAW+JPEG simultaneous capture functionality, giving photographers the best of both worlds - JPEGs for immediate use and RAW images for faithful image reproduction, and extensive, non-destructive image editing capability.

The PowerShot G9 digital camera features class-leading 12.1-megapixel resolution for stunning, deeply detailed images that allow enlargements up to poster size with cropping. A 6x optical zoom lens brings the photographer right into the action, and by incorporating Canon’s Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS), excellent-quality images are assured in situations prone to camera shake and image blurring. So, whether you are shooting outdoors at dusk or inside without a flash, camera shake is detected and effectively canceled. Photographers will find it quick and easy to review and compare photos for printing with Canon’s Image Inspection Tool. And, because Image Inspection is now linked with Advanced Face Detection technology, they can save considerable time while reviewing, because the main subject is automatically detected and enlarged, eliminating the need to zoom and scroll manually, while at the same time making it simple to determine if facial expressions are pleasing before moving on to the next photo.

“The PowerShot G9 digital camera brings our highest levels of performance and usability to the G-series,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. “By combining RAW Mode with our other key technologies in this camera, we’re providing a high-performing and affordable option to advanced photo enthusiasts who want the creative power of a Digital SLR in a smaller body form.”

The PowerShot G9 digital camera comes equipped with 23 shooting modes, allowing for a myriad of different photo preferences and conditions including Automatic, Manual, Shutter-speed-Priority, Aperture-Priority, and two Custom modes as well as special scene modes such as Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Sports, Indoor, Beach and Snow, offering users Digital SLR-like capability in a compact digital camera. The PowerShot G9 also features Canon’s powerful DIGIC III Image Processor, delivering superior image quality, ultra-responsive performance, extended battery life and advanced Face Detection technology, so users can be confident that the face they want, is the face that they capture. And, with a new large, three-inch PureColor LCD II screen and easy-to-access ISO and manual mode dials, customized shooting, reviewing and menu adjustments are especially convenient. The PowerShot G9 digital camera is also compatible with optional high-quality Canon wide-angle, telephoto and macro supplementary lenses, as well as EOS Speedlite flashes and a waterproof case rated to a depth of 40 meters/130 feet, giving photographers more robust photographic capabilities that are in line with professional and expensive SLRs.

True to Canon’s industry leadership position, the PowerShot G9 digital camera gives consumers interested in the ease of a compact camera many of the technological advancements that are the result of Canon’s 70-year heritage as an imaging innovator, differentiating it from competitive products.

New Canon PowerShot Product Lines’ Standard Advanced Technologies

DIGIC III
The “brain” of this new PowerShot camera is DIGIC III, the gold standard on all new Canon digital cameras. The DIGIC III image processor accounts for the camera’s higher performance levels, including faster start-up, faster autofocus and quicker shutter response times that leave long-lag competitors in the dust. The DIGIC III chip design improves image quality and offers more efficient power consumption, resulting in extended battery life under typical shooting conditions.

ADVANCED FACE DETECTION
With Canon’s new Genuine Face Detection technology, the camera can detect, lock-on and track up to nine forward-looking human faces in a scene. The Face Detection algorithm automatically prioritizes and selects faces and not simply the closest object (based on Canon’s Intelligent Scene Analysis/iSAPS technology). It will then optimize the focus, exposure and flash to ensure the best possible results. Using Canon’s Face Detection, photographers can keep up to nine faces in focus at any one time no matter where they are within the image. The PowerShot G9 camera also introduces an exclusive new function called Face Select and Track. With this feature, when multiple faces are detected, photographers can select any individual face they want the camera to specifically track and be a primary focus. This feature is ideal for many shooting situations such as birthday parties or graduation ceremonies, where many people are present, but the photographer is primarily interested in just one of them. Working in concert with Face Detection, the G9’s “Red-Eye Correction” feature helps to detect and correct red-eye during playback mode. Images can be corrected automatically or manually while viewing photos on the LCD screen. All in all, Canon’s new Face Detection Technology makes for even easier picture-taking moments, helping users ensure in-focus smiles, and assisting in the elimination of over-exposed faces.

OPTICAL IMAGE STABILIZATION (OIS)
The extended zoom range of the PowerShot G9 camera makes optical image stabilization (OIS) essential. Canon’s lens shift OIS provides an effective antidote to camera shake, particularly at longer zoom lengths or during long exposures when even the slightest hand-held shake is magnified to picture-blurring proportions. Superior to electronic image stabilization systems that simply use software to mask movement, OIS actually shifts the lens proportionately to compensate for unwanted motion, making it easier to snap great images. The OIS found in Canon PowerShot digital cameras is based on technology developed for Canon’s renowned high-end professional SLR cameras.

The steady effectiveness is further enhanced when paired with the new “Auto ISO Shift” feature which, at the touch of a button, can automatically increase the ISO speed setting as required to maintain fast shutter speeds when shooting in low light conditions without a flash.

PRINTING MADE EASY
All Canon PowerShot digital cameras work seamlessly with Canon’s compact photo printers to deliver stunning high-quality borderless prints. Consumers simply connect their PowerShot digital camera to a Canon compact photo printer, press the Print/Share button, and moments later a brilliant, borderless 4” x 6” print begins to emerge; it’s that simple. Canon’s compact photo printers are PictBridge compatible, so they work with PictBridge enabled digital cameras to provide users with excellent image quality and ease-of-use, especially when paired with a Canon digital camera.

HIGH-CAPACITY MEMORY CARD CAPABILITY
As an added convenience, Canon PowerShot digital cameras also accommodate MultiMedia MMC memory cards, as well as standard SD memory cards and the new, high-capacity SDHC memory cards. This way, consumers do not have to carry around multiple memory cards in order to be able to continue to save those special moments during extended vacations or high-photo-taking adventures. Canon PowerShot owners can travel in sleek style.

Powerful Software
The PowerShot G9 is bundled with the latest versions of Canon’s powerful digital imaging software, including ZoomBrowser EX 6.0 and ImageBrowser 6.0 for easy downloading, viewing and printing. RAW Image Task software is also supplied to facilitate high-quality processing of the PowerShot G9’s new RAW images.

In stores in October, the PowerShot G9 camera kit includes a lithium-ion rechargeable battery and battery charger, a 32MB MMC plus memory card, a USB interface cable, an AV cable, a neck strap, and Canon’s software suite at an estimated selling price of $499.99*.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies in America and is on the 2006 BusinessWeek list of “Top 100 Brands.” Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), is a top patent holder of technology, ranking third overall in the U.S. in 2006†, with global revenues of $34.9 billion. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting http://www.usa.canon.com/pressroom.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

Specifications and availability are subject to change without notice.

* Pricing subject to change at any time. Actual prices are determined by individual dealers and may vary.
† IFI Patent Intelligence, January 2007.

Published: Monday, August 20, 2007

Reader Comments

1. RAW is good. 35-210 is not so good. If Canon went for wide angle, say 28-168 then I would be much more interested in this camera.

   Bruce McL at 04:32pm on Monday, August 20, 2007

2. Have you read the press release? There is an optional wide-angle add-on lens available.

   Zoltán at 07:52am on Tuesday, August 21, 2007

3. At least the RAW feature is one small step forward.
   I'm waiting for a reasonable priced digital rangefinder camera with interchangeable lenses!!

   Thomas Krueger at 07:53am on Tuesday, August 21, 2007

4. I saw the samples: terrible; forget this piece of junk

   moi at 06:49pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2007

5. @moi: could you enlighten me as to where these samples can be found, which lead you to your opinion?

   Paul at 09:13pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2007

6. John has a really good question... Show us the link to the pictures, moi.
   
   Personally, I find it difficult to take person seriously if (s)he labels a modern camera as a "piece of junk"...
   
   There will always be "top-of-the-line"-nerds to whom the brand of the camera - preferably Leica - is the most important. Are you such a person, moi?

   John at 03:34pm on Wednesday, August 22, 2007

7. Some images can be seen here:
   http://www.dpreview.com/gallery/canong9_samples/
   They look quite OK in my opinion.
   I do not know what "moi" is talking about!

   Pete at 08:54pm on Wednesday, August 22, 2007

8. yeah saw from dpreview, its looks good...

   soohk at 06:37am on Saturday, August 25, 2007

9. the samples look pretty good to me, i'll be interested to see what they come up with when they've had time to put it through it's paces.

   stewart at 01:42am on Saturday, September 01, 2007

10. So frustrating. Ricoh GX100 would be perfect except for the image problems. Canon G9 would be perfect except for the lack of 28mm at the wide end. I agree with Bruce! Samples on dpreview look pretty good to me as well, unless someone's expecting miracle full-frame SLR results from a small sensor compact?!

    RichN at 04:25pm on Sunday, September 02, 2007

11. Wow. That's quite some exchange rate Canon uses. I could fly to the US, buy the camera and still pay less than the UK price.

    MG at 08:50am on Thursday, September 06, 2007

12. Here are more details and samples images from the G9
    http://web.canon.jp/imaging/dcp/psg9/index-sam-e.html
    
    and other discussions about the picts here:
    http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=24436588

    jonalta at 12:34pm on Thursday, September 06, 2007

13. MOSWT of the sample images look great. The real test for P&S;cameras comes when looking at the higher ISO photos. There are a couple of pictures in the DPReview set taken at 400ISO and they are horrible. Why would Canon even allow this camer to go up to 1600? Look at a picture from a Canon 30D at 1600 ISO and compare it to the 400 ISO pics on DPReview.
    
    BTW: I use 1600ISO all the time to get great indoor photos without using the flash. It's the only way I can get good canind and closeup shots indoors without exposure and lighting problems.

    Marsh at 06:39pm on Monday, September 10, 2007

14. MG. Price on amazon uk is £325. US price is $499 = £250. Fly to US for £75? How so?

    alec at 02:12am on Monday, September 17, 2007

15. Has anybody else had problems with not being able to turn the 'assist beam' off, or do I have a defective G9?
    
    I have confirmed numerous times that the assist beam is off and yet it is still operational . . . any ideas?

    NicoRico at 12:35am on Wednesday, September 26, 2007

16. NicoRico, the "AF assist" will always operate in AUTO mode (even if set to off). However, when OFF, it will not work in P, Av, Tv and M.

    jonalta at 12:47pm on Wednesday, September 26, 2007

17. Thank you jonalta, that helps clarify matters. I also realized that the red eye reduction feature seems to use the same beam for its function. Am I correct on this?
    
    The only way I was able to eliminate the green beam all together was to turn off both the assist beam and the red eye reduction.

    NicoRico at 01:41am on Thursday, September 27, 2007

18. interesting comments, but i just wondered which is better - the g7 or g9 taking the cost difference into account too?
    
    im a beginner in terms of photography but want to get a camera that will grow with me (i currently have a ricoh caplio gx and its provided me with some fantastic shots).
    
    your opinions would be most welcome!

    Dan at 12:19am on Tuesday, October 02, 2007

19. This is a fantastic camera for advanced photo enthusiasts, it is not ment to replace a digital SLR, this is the point of this camera. I currently have an EOS but you can not take it every where (for example on the snow fields) with out risk of damage to the camera and yourself. Also, it does not scream come and steal my camera like a EOS does. :D
    
    As for the price, look around you will pick one up for £268.00 in the UK including postage. The only complaint I have with this camera, what is the purpose of a 32MB MMC card its about time Canon gave a 512MB.
    
    My opion, two thumbs up for a great camera.

    Shaun at 10:31am on Monday, November 05, 2007

20. This is really a wonderful compact digital camera, especially I do prefer its optical Image Stabilizer. The results is the best compared to other canon compact digital cameras, but its a little bit expensive but it worth that. Available at amazon.co.uk and microglobe.co.uk

    Ajmal Seddiqi at 06:10am on Tuesday, November 13, 2007

21. Just bought one today and it's fantastic! The features of an SLR but in a compact body, exactly what I was looking for. The picture quality is brilliant, one down side is that it's missing the wide angle that some of the smaller Canon's sport. Having said that you can purchase the wide angle lense for it...

    Stoz at 03:20pm on Saturday, December 08, 2007

22. Hi guys, buying my first digital camera. Was a avid photographer in my students days but now want to take it up again, dont want to buy a full blown SLR but a very good compact - would you say the G9 is it? Thanks

    zap at 11:30pm on Saturday, December 08, 2007

23. Hi zap,
    
    Just bought a G9 yesterday at Jessops, £314, with two discounts. I looked at a fair number of DSLRs in the £500 - £700 bracket, and being a long time film SLR user, was put off by the build quality of low end DSLRs with plastic bodies. Whereas the G9 is a well engineered camera - with full control without the need to lug a huge bag of kit around. It's unique in the market for quality and capability - that fits nicely into your trouser pocket. Take the plunge.

    Pete Menter at 01:17pm on Sunday, December 09, 2007

24. Hi. I traded in my canon 710is for a G9 at RGB Studios, Middlesbrough and I have to say it has taken me 2 months to get the quality of images I was hoping for. I now use P setting for Wide Angle, Raw+Jpeg, C1 for general purpose shots, jpg +raw, and C2 for portraits using face detect. I then convert the raw files to Tiffs, go to cloudy setting, contrast +1, sharpness +6 or 7, and ANC at 5. This way I get rid of all blue fringing, quality is superb, amazing detail and I can shoot at 80 ISO all the time. OK, it's not a DSLR, but it fits in a Tamrac pack on my belt and I don't have to walk around with an SLR over my shoulder all the time. Take time to test out al the variables and this is an amazing piece of kit. I didn't realise how much control I now have cos I use Raw+jpg. I save the TIFFs in a separate folder as "processed raw files" and only print these. JohnH

    JohnH at 06:06pm on Friday, December 21, 2007

25. Thanks peter for that. Just one more thng before i choose between the D300 or the G9. is the G9 an instant snapper - excuse the technical (or lack of it) i have heard that when you press to take a picture it has like a second delay before it take sthe picture - so you loose the actual shot you where after - if that makes sense. thanks guys

    zap at 07:04pm on Friday, December 21, 2007

26. Thanks JohnH for the info. You saved me 2 months of head scratching,just bought mine 2 days ago.
    Any help regarding macro shots would be highly appreciated i.e. taking pics of teeth.

    Faisal at 09:05am on Saturday, December 22, 2007

27. Zap,
    
    I have not noticed any adverse time lag on the G9 - but the camera does need to focus for a new shot - but as the focus can be locked for subsequent shots there is no problem. Pete.

    Pete Menter at 01:17pm on Wednesday, December 26, 2007

28. faisal, macro is superb but you must use a minitripod or full tripod and for max depth of field, et G9 to AV(Aperture priority), and apertre of 7.1 or 8. the shutter speed will set automatically. You will need a portable halogen light, like a bedside light type, cos you can't use flash. Too close. Press the +/- button and turn the outer dial ring to set exposure to -1/3 or -1/2 so that the whites don't burn out. Focus carefuly and you should get amazing shots. Use the Zoombroswer software, Edit, leels and create a mild S shape on the graph curve to increase the contrast. If you use Raw, which I recommend, use the same software and tak the levels. You will be astounded by the sharpness and clarity. John H

    JohnH at 05:57pm on Thursday, December 27, 2007

29. Can't decide between Canon G9 and P5100 from Nikon. Other than having RAW can't seem to justify price difference.
    
    Comments welcome.

    neil r at 06:04pm on Sunday, March 09, 2008

30. Neil - you may not use RAW all the time but when you want superb quality and full control when editing RAW is a must have. And the software required for editing is free - use Gimp and UFraw plugin now handles the G9 RAW format. RAW files are large 12Mb as there is no internal compression taking place - but every bit of detail is retained. Great camera - go for it.

    Pete at 07:55am on Monday, March 10, 2008

31. I just got the G9 in hand. Very nice camera. I intend to use it with an Ikelite box while scuba diving. According to dpreview test it should be able to shoot raw at 0.7 fps in raw-jpeg mode and save a raw file in 2.5 seconds. However, when shooting continous I get a quite different response; First picture is taken instantly, the following pictures are taken after 3, 13, 17, and 27 seconds. I wouldn't particularely call this 0.7 fps., and the shark may be long gone before I get the good shot. Single shot mode also gives very long shot to shot intervals. Can anyone tell me, what I'm doing wrong here?
    
    Cheers - Jakob

    Jakobatsea at 12:32am on Sunday, March 16, 2008

32. I just got the G9 in hand. Very nice camera. I intend to use it with an Ikelite box while scuba diving. According to dpreview test it should be able to shoot raw at 0.7 fps in raw-jpeg mode and save a raw file in 2.5 seconds. However, when shooting continous I get a quite different response; First picture is taken instantly, the following pictures are taken after 3, 13, 17, and 27 seconds. I wouldn't particularely call this 0.7 fps., and the shark may be long gone before I get the good shot. Single shot mode also gives very long shot to shot intervals. Can anyone tell me, what I'm doing wrong here?

    Jakobatsea at 12:48am on Sunday, March 16, 2008

33. Torn between Nikon & Canon first concern minimum shutter delay for candids. Which is better. Raw and long end of lens less important

    stuartgar at 12:34pm on Saturday, May 10, 2008

34. I am also unable to turn off the assist beam. I also found that turning off the red eye is the only way that lets me turn it off.

    Jaime at 03:41am on Thursday, May 29, 2008