Compared to... Canon PowerShot G7

We'll start by seeing how the G9 compares to its predecessor, the PowerShot G7. The only significant difference here is the sensor - the lens certainly appears to be identical, so what we're looking at is an extra two million pixels on a marginally larger CCD.

In this section we have included comparisons at ISO 80, ISO 400 and ISO 1600.

Note: the G9 shots were taken from a marginally lower position than the G7 shots.

Studio scene comparison (@ ISO 80)

• Canon PowerShot G9: Aperture Priority mode, ISO 80, Default Image Parameters,
  Manual white balance, +0.33 EV compensation
  
  
• Canon PowerShot G7: Aperture Priority mode, ISO 80, Default Image Parameters,
  Manual white balance, +0.33 EV compensation

• Lighting: Daylight simulation, >98% CRI

Canon PowerShot G9	Canon PowerShot G7
ISO 80, 1/50 sec, F5	ISO 80, 1/60 sec, F5
4,706 KB JPEG	3,883 KB JPEG

In terms of detail and sharpness there's little difference (the move from 10 to 12 megapixels is fairly insignificant) between the G7 and the G9, though there is a slight difference in the color representation, which has slightly more natural reds (the G7, like most Canon compacts, tends to 'overcook' the reds a little). I have to say that for a compact camera these are pretty impressive results, and the DIGIC III is doing a great job with the JPEGs.