Canon G9x- nice images, BUT...

UPDATE-- after 300+ images, 2 months of casual use--

I didn't return it, obviously. I still like the images it makes. I can do most of what I can do with my DSLR with this.

On paper I wasn't crazy about the battery life, but realized that the way I use THIS camera, 270 shots is fine. I didn't have to swap it out until after 6 or 7 weeks of use.

Auto-focus is fast and accurate, even in low light. I still LOVE the touch to focus/shoot function.

Even after consulting with Canon tech over the phone, the Wifi doesn't work with Marshmallow on my Nexus 6p, which is my chief complaint. I'll probably pair it with my old phone and keep that around as an interim measure until Canon & Huawei magically start to get along.

My suggestion would be a Canon G5 X. It has a 100% view EVF. I have this and it does a great job. It is not my only camera, but it is my favorite. Purse size with a fully articulated LCD and EVF. I don't plan to buy any more cameras without an electronic view finder or one like my Pentax DSLR. Also no more of those like on other Canon G series cameras (optical view finders) that have parallax problems. If you like to compose in the camera, then in bright sun where most pictures are made, an EVF is just about indespensible. New price on Amazon & Adorama is $749. I bought a used one on Amazon that is perfect for about $100 less. I don't work for Amazon, but I nearly own it from making so many purchases over the years.....Dan

I think it's the best pocket camera yet made.

I was worried about the wimpy battery too, but I found that it is quite adequate. I bought a back-up (OEM) just in case, but it will be largely unnecessary.

The image quality still blows me away.

I think you can shoot raw in semi-auto modes, and considering how little changing the aperture does to limit DoF on this sensor size, that's good enough for me.

Lady, I don't know any camera that saves RAW in auto mode. You have to put them in P (program) mode for RAW capture.  You should know this already.

9and3quarters wrote:

Potential Deal Breakers:

LIMITED RAW FUNCTIONALITY: I can't shoot RAW in Auto modes???? Seriously, Canon? Why the hell not? Granted, I shoot manual about three-quarters of the time, but this is a P&S camera! Ease, convenience, speed! There's ZERO reason to block RAW capture in Auto modes. I'm pinning my hopes on someone at Canon coming to their senses and shooting out a firmware update before I'm forced to hack it myself.

WIFI: Canon Connect won't work with Lollipop 5, and apparently I'm not alone in this. I have a Nexus 6p, but I gather it's not limited to my phone. Read online reviews first to see if this will be an issue for you, too. If I can't get the camera to cooperate with the Nexus, my old HTC, or the Surface Pro 4, this will probably be what pushes me into a return, and returns me to my quest for the perfect purse-cam.

Incidentally, I'm seriously intrigued by the Lumix DMC-ZS100 coming out in March... if I return the G9X, I'll be ordering that.

Just to clarify a bit on the somewhat rude response by David Kohn:

Some of the Auto modes involve biasing the image processing engine in some what or other. Colors, exposure, etc. If you shot raw in those modes, the raw image would just throw out all those biases and the resulting file would be identical to the one from 'P' anyway.

The 'P' Program mode sets your exposure and takes into account exposure compensation, but doesn't bias the raw image in any other way.

So don't let that be a deal-breaker for you, or even a minor Con. Just shoot in 'P' if you want (and have time) for raw capture.

Are you still happy with your G9X? I am. Any reasonable amount of cropping and viewing size doesn't show any real flaws.

Jayzh wrote:

Hi, Jeremy,

I like your comment because it took the size of sensor into account. As a newbie, I have the tendency to think about specs/numbers in isolation. Do you think a mint G9X is still a good choice for about $200 CAD (=$130USD)? Does the newer processor of G9X Mark II make a noticable/meaningful improvement in speed in the field? The Mark II was once sold for $340 CAD (after tax) on Costco.ca last October but that was the last stock. I am debating if the newer processor is worth waiting for a used Mark II or I should grab the original version for $200 CAD available now.

Thanks.

J.

I wouldn't buy another Canon G series camera until I read that their lenses are notably improved. When they went to a 1" sensor at the expense of optical quality, it was a bad call.

I wound up keeping my older Pentax MX-1. Although its sensor is smaller, it's lens is MUCH better, so the images are, too. I also had an Olympus XZ-1, which had the same lens and sensor and was more compact but not as pretty. It's about comparable to a G7X, size-wise.

Prior to getting into Canon G series', I had a Canon S90 as my pocket camera, and I would rather have that. Small sensor, but good lens. Just accept that to shoot good low light photos, you need a tripod and to set the sensitivity lower.