Canon G9 X: Features Misunderstood in Many Reviews

Backstory: My wife is going on a trip with her sister and needed a smaller camera. We looked at the RX100 IV ($950), RX100 III ($800), ZS100 ($700), G9 X (was $530, apparently now $430, and Memorial Day sale of $400). He also looked at using an A6300, A6000, A5100, and D3300. Our existing point and shoot is a 2010 Samsung TL350...which takes excellent images but doesn't take SDXC cards, has a bit dated interface and a nearly smartphone sized 1/2.3" sensor. It competed with the Canon S90 when we bought it.
We chose the G9 X for size and price. At a sale price of $400, it was significantly cheaper.

Reviews had said the lens ring didn't adjust manual focus, that RAW shooting wasn't available in Auto mode, etc.

Well...the first isn't true. When you press the AF/MF button/indicator on the touch screen it shifts to manual focus, displays a focus distance bar with distance indicated in meters, and the bar does adjust with the ring. The focus peaking is displayed prominently and a touch of the info button on the touch screen lets you shift between 4x zoom of the focus area, 2x zoom, or no zoom.

Yes, you can't shoot RAW in "Auto" mode. But you can shoot RAW in "Program" mode. Anyone shooting RAW on a Canon probably thinks of automatic mode as Program mode where the camera sets aperture, shutter speed and optionally ISO automatically. Additionally, after the exposure lock is activated by pressing an on screen button, the lens ring or the touch screen can be used to adjust shutter speed, aperture, or ISO manually.

There are also menu options to stretch the shadows and a builtin 3-stop ND filter, effectively providing an ISO 12 setting.

The ease of using the touch screen is significant. There is a touch screen shutter option that lets picking a screen point for both focus and shutter. most "Q" options including metering mode, AF mode (single or tracking), etc. There is a menu selected mode that couples single point exposure with single point focusing.

Most of all, these features are very quickly accessed. It makes me wonder if built in screen hood might be a better feature than an EVF. It is easy to get focus on my 7" HDMI screen on my 7D then it is on any of the on camera facilities.

That said, the thumb and forefinger wheels, joystick, and 3 back thumb and 4 top forefinger buttons on my 7D are faster when you know them. For most people or an occasional shooter, the touch screen will be better. Even on the 7D, manual focus and exposure evaluation are better on an external monitor than on either the viewfinder or back screen.

Biggest annoyance is the slow RAW recycle time, over a second. This is the same as the more expensive G7X and G5X. On the G7X they made the cycle time faster (.8 s vs 1.3 s) but it fills the buffer in with 4 RAW shots. On the G5X and G9X the buffer is 20 frames. Basically, the underlying processing rate is 1.5 sec for a RAW image. High res JPEGs can 2 10 frames at 6.5 fps, but the underlying rates is slower, about .35 sec per frame. This will probably be better with the G7X II and other 1" sensor Digic 7 cameras, but my wife is leaving in 2 weeks.

Net: The G9X is a perfectly usable camera at a size and price point that no other 1" sensor pocket camera can match.

All of the Sony's are screaming for a touch screen interface.

The RX100 IV is only a few dollars less than an A6300, more expensive than an A6000, and not that much smaller (the kit lens is very small and light, and on the APS-C sensor has the same low-light and DOF as the F1.8 aperture on a 1" sensor). The non-touch screen interface would be harder for a casual user to master.

The ZS100 became the second choice...but it was $300 more expensive, the lens not as fast wide open (F1.8 vs F2.8), over 50% heavier (about the difference between ZS100 and an A5100 with lens), and it was 1/2 inch thicker...nearly 50% more than the G9X which was already 30% thicker than the TL350. If the difference in price was $100 or maybe $200, we could have ended up with the ZS100.

In the end, the G9X is a pocket camera, the ZS100 was more point and shoot.

nice comment, thanks!

A good informative review; useful.

There are a few cases out there, and we weren't happy with the one listed first on the B&H site. After looking at a few we chose the Lowepro Santiago 20 II. It has semi-rigid outside and a big piece of foam on the inside. It fits the camera snugly and seems to over good production. The two zipper pulls open it to either side and it clamshell opens with a little folding fabric holding the camera. The neck strap is centered on the case and holds it straight.

Then we bought the Joby Gorillapod Video. It is only 3oz and most 1" sensor point and shoots would be at its 325g limit. However, the 208g G9 X has room to spare. Like other Gorillapods, the legs fold around stuff and have little magnets to hold to objects. Unlike most of the models with a ball head, this head has a ball pivot to align it vertically, and then separate pan and tilt rotation. And a arm to make smooth pans. 
I have a Manfrotto 541 ART carbon leg tripod with 503 head...it isn't quite as stable. However it is pretty good for something only weighs 80g and is 7" tall.

Finally, we got a small Ruggard case to hold SD cards and batteries. We got the camera for a trip my wife is making with her sister. She is going armed with 4 128GB Lexar Pro 1000x SD cards (watch for sales at B&H, we paid less than $60 each) and 3 extra batteries for a total of 4 (we spend the approximately $60 extra for Canon batteries to avoid to annoying its not a Canon battery messages). We expect she will take 2 extra batteries with her each day. For charging she has a USB powered double charger from Amazon and the camera itself can charge a battery from USB. We will mark the batteries with a Sharpie to identify them.
'

If using an RX100 IV/III, ZS100, or G7 X II the larger LowePro Santiago 30 II would be needed.

DavidNJ100

if you paid $430 or less you got the g9x. The mark II is $530. While the same lens and I think sensor, the g9x MarkII uses Digic 7 and will up the raw time from once a second ( unacceptable) to between 7 and 9 fps. I'm very pleased with mine, but unless it says Mark II on the top panel, it's the first model.

Diego. If in manual focus on the Mark Ii, not that many portions of a turn needed. Not smooth, but silent detents When you rotate the ring.  A distance scale appears mainly for between 2 and 5 ft but goes to infinity.  Also you can touch up/down arrows but mine is set to beep, where the ring changes don't .