Jman thanks for the review. Like you mentioned many use a P&S in addition to a DSLR. I wonder if this forum is supposed to be for SLR's only not DSLR's
In either event I'm glad you put it here. I wouldn't have found it in another forum.
Jman13, I'll add my note of appreciation for your efforts to share what you've discovered. On any web forum, there is a small percentage of participants who are oriented toward negativity; over time one notices which ones regularly post criticisms, and can regard them much as an elephant regards a dog that barks at its heels as it walks.
Jman, thanks for your efforts. Given that FM does not have a dedicated P&S forum, this is an appropriate location to post your information. I have been considering getting the G9 for vacations and family events because it makes for a long day at Disney World (or worst yet Hershey Park) carrying my 1DM2 with a 24-70 f 2.8 and flash. Not to mention having to sit out on most of the rides unless someone babysits the camera.
The information you provided helps me (and hopefully others) make an informed decision.
ADL6AH wrote:
I have been considering getting the G9 for vacations and family events because it makes for a long day at Disney World (or worst yet Hershey Park) carrying my 1DM2 with a 24-70 f 2.8 and flash. Not to mention having to sit out on most of the rides unless someone babysits the camera.
Still have a feeling that a small (?) Canon DSLR (perhaps secondhand so less worry about damage/loss etc) plus the 18-55 kit lens would make a reasonable compromise for a P&S and give hugely better results
paulhodson wrote:
Still have a feeling that a small (?) Canon DSLR (perhaps secondhand so less worry about damage/loss etc) plus the 18-55 kit lens would make a reasonable compromise for a P&S and give hugely better results
And yes - I do realise it is still a lot bigger -
I just got the G9 and have used a XT with the 18-55. I printed a shot from the G9 at 11x14 last night and was very impressed. Under the right conditions it would be better than the XT/18-55 IMO, and yes it's much smaller
I've been using a G9 in preference to my 2 f31's for some time, mainly due to RAW (of course) and the vastly superior LCD screen.
The F31fd is a good, basic compact, which does low light quite well but it lacks the versatility to change contrast, sharpness, colour etc, which to me is a big loss.
The G9 on the other hand I think is a great new addition to the G series, even if it doesn't have the mobile LCD and a really fast lens. It is just so pocketable and not needing a bulky lens cap is a big plus too. The 12 meg is a bit of a squeeze but it does mean less enlargement and less 'enlarged' noise
I think the G9 really is the camera the G7 should have been. I just wish it had a wider wide and a better viewfinder, that would make it perfect to me. A semi-pro compact SHOULD have a 28mm wide end
I said here some time ago that at 80 ISO I found the G9 to be almost the equal of my old 10D and an average lens, which I think is high praise
Well, *I* for one really enjoyed seeing the tests. In defense of the post being in this forum.....remember....the Canon ad says "It doesn't KNOW it's NOT an SLR". :-)
I am saving my extra pennies for a G9 now. Will it be used in PLACE of the DLSR's in the bag? No. But it sure will be nice to have in my pocket for when I'm NOT planning a shoot.
I purchased a G9 a few months ago, because of a thread like this on the SLR forum. It is a great back up/extra carry around. My $.002 is that the G9 threads belong here..........
I am using a Voigtlander 35mm external VF which fits into the hotshoe. I shoot a lot at 35mm so this works well for me--and has parallax error lines which help in using a VF for this particular camera. It won't work, of course, with zooming--altho' I have my C1 and C2 settings for 50mm and 70mm and can visualize using the VF. Since I shoot with a DSLR most of the time, I found it hard to break the VF habit--and adding this helped me. This way I use my usual 2 handed technique for shooting.
Diane
Habzsi wrote:
However the point I have the more problem with is how shall I compose the frame. Shall I use the optical VF or the LCD. VF is pretty small and up to now I couldn't even set the right dioptry (big nose, small dial).
If I use LCD and held the camera away it will have a shake between composition
and exposure. So I finally get a shifted image.
Habzsi wrote:
If I use LCD and held the camera away it will have a shake between composition
and exposure. So I finally get a shifted image.
That was my fist thought also. But when using the IS in combination with the LCD I haven't got any "shaken" images so far... it just works (maybe I have steady arms and hands ). Also I find it kind of liberating to use the LCD to compose. This way I am much more in touch with my surroundings than when having a big black box in front of my face. It kind of reminds me of focusing with a Rolleiflex 6008 MF cam
Thanks for your post.
I too am close to getting a G9
I was needing a smaller carry camera and have been bouncing back and forth between a G9 and Nikon's P5100.
Interesting comparison. However, it's a bit of a mismatch as these cameras represent very different classes. I wouldn't really consider the G9 a "pocket camera" at all. The G9 is a higher class camera, so I'd expect more out of it. I would consider it more of a cross between a super-sized P&S and a mini DSLR. On the other hand, the Fuji is definitely a compact camera that can be carried easily in your shirt pocket.
Thanks for your time and your review. Always amazes me at the comments some people make. Maybe the forum should be changed to "Canon Digital Cameras" to keep some people quiet.
Thanks for the test although to me this is more of a how slow can you go with each camera rather than a test of image quality since F31 iso 800 and 1600 shot are shaken and blurred.
"As you can see, the G9 resolves far more detail at the hand holding limit, even with the grainy output at ISO 800. The good news is, even though there is visible noise at 100%, "
How can you test image quality in this case when the F31 shot is shaken and blurred?
I own a G9 and could have told you this without the huge write-up...the only thing we learned here is that you need to update your book collection! 
