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Review: Canon PowerShot G9

Reminiscent of a pro-style compact rangefinder, this metal-cased 12.1-megapixel digi-snapper clearly intends to be much more than a simple point and shoot device. Like its stylistic forefathers there’s lots of creative control to be had — a simple dial twist takes you from automatic to fully manual; the perfect learning curve for amateurs wanting to […]
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Rating:

9/10

WIRED
Picture and video quality are outstanding. RAW capture is a boon to the pixel purist. Hot shoe for Canon's 580EX II pro flash increases versatility. Macro function focuses clearly down to 1 centimeter. Panorama mode can stitch together up to 26 frames. $100 less than its predecessor. Super durable -- camera survived multiple drops to the asphalt without so much as a hiccup.
TIRED
LCD is so big, so sharp and so easy to see from any angle, it renders the optical viewfinder superfluous. Sheer breadth of modes, features and options is almost too staggering for a normal person to learn in a reasonable amount of time. Short, skinny strap gives you that doe-eyed tourist-in-the headlights look.
  • Camera Resolution: 12.1 megapixels
  • Optical Zoom: 6x
  • Digital Zoom: 4x

Reminiscent of a pro-style compact rangefinder, this metal-cased 12.1-megapixel digi-snapper clearly intends to be much more than a simple point and shoot device. Like its stylistic forefathers there's lots of creative control to be had – a simple dial twist takes you from automatic to fully manual; the perfect learning curve for amateurs wanting to turn pro. But there's a price to be paid for more than a dozen buttons, dials, and toggles in addition to deep, complex menus. We spent an entire three-day weekend fiddling, tweaking and analyzing every aspect of the G9. It's worth it. Stills and video are razor sharp and color-rich. The fast focus picks up multiple faces easily while image stabilization eliminates all but the most violent jitters. The flash is surprisingly robust and also balances daylight very nicely. Heck, some DSLRs don't pack this much digital prowess.