Cameron
500+ Posts
Yes, dpreview is a good resource. I used it for my research.
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Yes, dpreview is a good resource. I used it for my research.
carolync
10+ Posts
I love taking photos on vacation and have yet to really master taking ones with my iphone, plus I like to have the option of printing out my photos large. I used a Canon pro-consumer (I think it was the SX10), but splurged when I found a great bundle on the Sony Alpha 6000, it's a mirrorless camera. It's smaller than my canon and has interchangeable lenses. I love it. If I'm going on a short jaunt, I will only use my phone, longer trips, or places that are full of great shots, like my 3.5 day trip to Iceland, I take the larger one.
Pauline
Forums Admin
My Canon G16 does shoot RAW (I finally found where you set that) but I have never used it. I probably just need a point and shoot camera. @Susan (Girasoli) that Canon PowerShot G9 looks good. It is smaller than my G16. Let us know how you liked it when you get back from your trip.
RAW is a wonderful feature, but I use it very infrequently. Not sure why.
I have use it more on my big camera, but normally that camera just set to Hi Res JPEG.
I love my G15 and just found a brand new one online that I buy and keep in the box until the one I have now dies. Yeah it is a little bit larger than the avg point and shoot (size of pack of cigarettes), but the glass makes up for that.
I have use it more on my big camera, but normally that camera just set to Hi Res JPEG.
I love my G15 and just found a brand new one online that I buy and keep in the box until the one I have now dies. Yeah it is a little bit larger than the avg point and shoot (size of pack of cigarettes), but the glass makes up for that.
Roz
500+ Posts
Pauline, I am far from an expert on cameras. So I am wondering why the G9 ($429) is so much more expensive than the Canon Elph 360 ($199) that I just got. Here is a link to a website that compares the two. To someone like me, who just wants a simple-to-use camera that takes decent photos, the technical specs shown seem pretty similar.
As Susan said, the Elph does not shoot raw, but if that isn't important to you (it's not to me), is there anything else that makes the G9 worth more? Maybe it can take pictures with higher image quality, but I rarely do anything with my photos except display them online, and I've been very satisfied with the pictures that little Elph gives me. What I especially like is the ability to zoom in. The Elph has a maximum 12x zoom, compared to the 3x for the G9 and is slightly smaller and 2 oz. lighter. Plus, for me a clinching factor was the silly reason that it comes in purple, my favorite color.
Colo, you seem to know a lot about cameras. Can you explain why the G9 costs so much more?
Not sure I am the guy, but at the highest level and quick review of specs
Albeit like wine and labels - a purple camera can out weigh any decision based on quality
In real simple terms (because that is what I understand)
- The G9 shoots in RAW, which allows you to control you final product much better
- The G9 has a larger sensor, which is the film in older cameras - the larger sensor the more information can be saved when you click the shot.
- The G9's bit depth is what gives your tones and richness of a shot more accurately representing the picture
- G9s has a larger Aperture setting - the lower the number the wider the lens can open to let light in, and the more light the better the detail. (it also gives a better blurred background on portraits or nature shots.
- G9 as ISO up to 6400 which allows one take pictures and extremely low light (however they would be grainy)
- And of course the piece of glass is larger in the G9
I am impressed with the optical z00m of the ELPH, but would be real curios of the quality when fully zoomed
Digital zoom - just stay away from. If you cannot zoom optically, move closer.
I did not bring up megapixels - over 8 megapixels (some say 12) is not really noticeable to most photographs
It all boils down to what do you want to do with pictures. If posting on Slow Europe is the goal - the ELPH is fine. If blowing up the size of the pictures to frame or to correct flaws to have the perfect shot - I would go with the G9.
The other factor to consider is durability and I have not held either one of them so I cannot comment, but my bet is the G9 is a much more rugged enclosure. Most Point and Shoots when you drop them the sensor is not very happy from that day forward.
Albeit like wine and labels - a purple camera can out weigh any decision based on quality
In real simple terms (because that is what I understand)
- The G9 shoots in RAW, which allows you to control you final product much better
- The G9 has a larger sensor, which is the film in older cameras - the larger sensor the more information can be saved when you click the shot.
- The G9's bit depth is what gives your tones and richness of a shot more accurately representing the picture
- G9s has a larger Aperture setting - the lower the number the wider the lens can open to let light in, and the more light the better the detail. (it also gives a better blurred background on portraits or nature shots.
- G9 as ISO up to 6400 which allows one take pictures and extremely low light (however they would be grainy)
- And of course the piece of glass is larger in the G9
I am impressed with the optical z00m of the ELPH, but would be real curios of the quality when fully zoomed
Digital zoom - just stay away from. If you cannot zoom optically, move closer.
I did not bring up megapixels - over 8 megapixels (some say 12) is not really noticeable to most photographs
It all boils down to what do you want to do with pictures. If posting on Slow Europe is the goal - the ELPH is fine. If blowing up the size of the pictures to frame or to correct flaws to have the perfect shot - I would go with the G9.
The other factor to consider is durability and I have not held either one of them so I cannot comment, but my bet is the G9 is a much more rugged enclosure. Most Point and Shoots when you drop them the sensor is not very happy from that day forward.
Colo pretty much covered it : the main reasons for the price difference are the larger sensor (about 4X bigger in the G9), and the ability to manually control some of the shooting in the G9, whereas the Elph is "only" a point-and-shoot.
The sensor size difference adds up to photos with more "pop" (micro-contrast, sharpness, detail), which, as Colo mentioned, is not always very obvious on casual web viewing, but can still be important if you want photos to be a significant memento of your trip, and don't want to settle for the somewhat lesser image quality of small-sensored photos.
If you want to see an example of this, take a look at the Photo Hunt that related to "Colors". Check out Pauline's photo (the shot with the flowers and the view), and my shot of the beehives. The difference you might see in the sharpness of the forests in the backgrounds is because of the difference in sensor size between Pauline's camera and mine (I suppose Pauline used a camera with a smaller sensor than mine). Two people might have the same abilities as photographers - but the tool we use can produce photos of a different quality with respect to detail and sharpness. The same can be seen if you scroll down to the photo of the red mail box - I'm pretty sure that the G9 would have made the words on the white background at the bottom readable.
The manual shooting modes of the G9 are a bit redundant for people who rely on a camera's automatic abilities (which have become very good) - but they can still be useful in certain situations where the camera is not "smart" enough. This sometimes happens in the more difficult photographing situations, such as low light, moving objects, or when you want the focus on something specific - not necessarily what the camera wants to focus on.
And of course having RAW, while not hugely important, can add a bit of fun for those who like to "improve" their shots in post-processing.
Roz
500+ Posts
Colo and joe, thanks for your insights. I guess I could get somewhat better photos with the more expensive camera, but for my use, it isn't really that important. I almost never print my pictures, and other than occasional posting in this forum or similar, the main thing I do with them is to add them to the travel slideshow we have running every day on the large screen TV in our living room.
We don't watch much TV, but we really enjoy having our photos running in the background much of the time. For display, we put them on a computer which is connected to the TV, and it's fun to relive so many memories of our travels. And often we sort of have our own "guess this photo" moments, since sometimes we have no idea where the picture of that church, or wherever, came from. For that kind of use, the Elph is fine.
Colo, re the quality of the optical zoom -- I think it's reasonably good, although I think the long-distance zoom magnifies any blurriness from not holding the camera perfectly steady. I want to try it sometime on a tripod just to see if it makes a big difference.
We don't watch much TV, but we really enjoy having our photos running in the background much of the time. For display, we put them on a computer which is connected to the TV, and it's fun to relive so many memories of our travels. And often we sort of have our own "guess this photo" moments, since sometimes we have no idea where the picture of that church, or wherever, came from. For that kind of use, the Elph is fine.
Colo, re the quality of the optical zoom -- I think it's reasonably good, although I think the long-distance zoom magnifies any blurriness from not holding the camera perfectly steady. I want to try it sometime on a tripod just to see if it makes a big difference.
Pauline
Forums Admin
I thought the G9 looked smaller than my G16. That was why it interested me. I have Photoshop and will try taking some photos in RAW to see what I can do with them.
I took some photography courses at university but back then it was all about developing your film and working on photos in the darkroom! Now I just point and shoot.
I took some photography courses at university but back then it was all about developing your film and working on photos in the darkroom! Now I just point and shoot.
susan
100+ Posts
I won't know until I return home how my photos turn out but I can tell you that the G9 I have is smaller than the G15/G16 cameras. I have an older G9 (not this newer one but from the same series as the G15/G16 cameras). This new G9 camera is so much more compact compared to the G15/G16. The Elph Roz has is definitely thinner. My guess is half as thick, but since I did not bring my DSLR with me, I wanted a camera with a larger sensor/better glass/and as I mentioned earlier, that shoots raw. I may want to print a photo or two. I miss having my DSLR with me but it really is nice walking around with a tiny camera in my hand.
I set the max ISO to 2500 but I can change it if I really want to get a shot that is too dark. So far, I have had no problems in churches & museums with the flash off.
For years and years I was too chicken to shoot raw but l finally gave it a try last summer and there really is a difference! It was not too difficult to learn, although I certainly have not mastered developing/editing my raw photos yet. It does take up more space (larger files). I started by using the DPP program that comes with Canon and have also been using Affinity (Mac program) although they are supposed to come out with a PC version soon. Affinity had a lot flaws at first but their new update has been an improvement. They also have videos you can watch, with much of the tutorials being basic raw developin/editing skills.
I set the max ISO to 2500 but I can change it if I really want to get a shot that is too dark. So far, I have had no problems in churches & museums with the flash off.
For years and years I was too chicken to shoot raw but l finally gave it a try last summer and there really is a difference! It was not too difficult to learn, although I certainly have not mastered developing/editing my raw photos yet. It does take up more space (larger files). I started by using the DPP program that comes with Canon and have also been using Affinity (Mac program) although they are supposed to come out with a PC version soon. Affinity had a lot flaws at first but their new update has been an improvement. They also have videos you can watch, with much of the tutorials being basic raw developin/editing skills.
Sojourner
10+ Posts
Taking photos when travelling is something that has certainly changed with the digital age. My interest in taking photos has also changed with MY age. At one time I fancied myself as a bit of an 'amateur photographer' rather than just a tourist taking 'snapshots'. Let's face it, most of us have always been and will always be the latter.
For those who are really into photography of course, that is not the case. But for those who are, the camera used really doesn't make a whole lot of difference. I look at Pauline's two pictures above and either will trigger the memory hopefully when you finally look at it again 10 years from now.
So nowadays, I tend to take the few pictures I ever bother to take any more, with the smallest, lightest camera I can find. I change it every 5 years or so as technology advances. Truth be told, probably the best answer today is the smartphone. It gives you a phone, camera and internet access all in one small device. I just hate smartphones (also probably age related) and so have resisted taking a phone with me when I travel.
For those who are really into photography of course, that is not the case. But for those who are, the camera used really doesn't make a whole lot of difference. I look at Pauline's two pictures above and either will trigger the memory hopefully when you finally look at it again 10 years from now.
So nowadays, I tend to take the few pictures I ever bother to take any more, with the smallest, lightest camera I can find. I change it every 5 years or so as technology advances. Truth be told, probably the best answer today is the smartphone. It gives you a phone, camera and internet access all in one small device. I just hate smartphones (also probably age related) and so have resisted taking a phone with me when I travel.
Roz
500+ Posts
This morning I took a couple of pictures to show the quality of the zoom that Colo asked about, with my Canon Elph 360. The first picture was taken from the riverbank directly behind our house with the camera set at normal, non-zoom mode. Look at the little spots between the two leftmost bridge pillars, since the following shot will show the photo taken from the same spot, focusing on them with maximum optical zoom.
As you can see below, those little dots are actually geese. I didn't use a tripod, but I did brace myself on a post to try to hold the camera as steady as possible. I think the quality is pretty good for a relatively inexpensive camera -- and it is definitely not a shot I could have gotten with my iPhone!
As you can see below, those little dots are actually geese. I didn't use a tripod, but I did brace myself on a post to try to hold the camera as steady as possible. I think the quality is pretty good for a relatively inexpensive camera -- and it is definitely not a shot I could have gotten with my iPhone!
Sophia Delago
10+ Posts
I have a Canon 500D. It's a little bit old and I have to carry it around on a backpack - but the photos it takes are sharp and crisp so I really don't mind
susan
100+ Posts
Reporting back on how my new Canon G9X Mark II worked out on my trip.
I really had no idea how my photos were turning out until I returned home since I did not bring my laptop with me during my trip. Sometimes when inside churches or museums, I would see the shakey red hand displayed (that's what I call it) on my G9X screen. I lost a little confidence on how my photos would turn out even though they seemed to be pretty sharp when I zoomed in on the little screen and at times only used my iPhone to take photos during these situations. I did happen to take photos in the very dark Duomo in Modena using my G9X and they came out much sharper than my iPhone photos did in that same situation.
I found that the times when I did take photos both with my iPhone 6s and my new Canon G9X that the Canon photos almost always came out better. At the time though when looking at them on my iPhone screen or my Canon screen, the iPhone photos looked nicer. It was only when I returned home that I realized the difference. The iPhone photos are "warmer" with a yellowish tint to them. I am guessing the white balance is set a little different as well as the fact that the iPhone is programmed to over saturate the colors in a photo. It's not that I don't like most of the photos I took with my iPhone, it's just that when you compare the photos from the two cameras, in my opinion, the photos from the Canon G9X, shooting raw come out nicer. The seem to be cleaner, sharper and the colors appear to be more accurate and less saturated. I did shoot raw 99% of the time when using my G9x so I am not comparing jpegs to jpegs.
There were a couple of times though when the iPhone won the contest, with my G9X shooting a blurry photo inside a museum and the iPhone photo taking a much sharper photo in that situation.
Here are a couple of examples of photos I took within minutes of each other.
The first example is a little church in Modena. The first photos is from my iPhone. The 2nd photos is from my Canon G9X Mark II. I had to convert the 2nd photo from raw to a jpeg to post it here but I did not do any editing.
The 2nd example is of a swan taken a few minutes apart. The first photos is from my iPhone. The 2nd photos is from my Canon G9X Mark. I did do a little editing with the G9X photo (since I already finished editing that batch) but I did not touch the color at all.
I think they are both nice photos, but you can see that the white feathers are much whiter when taken with the G9X. I also zoomed in equally on my computer and took screen shots of each photo to show the clarity. (1st again is the iPhone).
The G9x was easy to carry. I kept it in my hand most of the time. I did fit in a pants pocket that was not too tight and easily slipped into my purse. I occasionally put my finger partially over the lens when using my iPhone without realizing it until after I took the photo. I felt pretty comfortable though otherwise taking photos with my iPhone except when near water. I did not feel comfortable at all using my iPhone near the water (e.g. on the vaporetto) imagining my phone dropping into the canal! My camera has a wrist strap that is pretty tight around my wrist and felt much more secure during these situations.
I have found that I really like the end result with my photos since I have started to shoot raw, even though it is very time consuming editing/developing each photo. You have so much more control over fixing a photo if taken in a bad lighting situation as well as other editing abilities without blowing out the highlights, etc. I can see a difference in the end result even with same photos I took in 2011 while in Modena using my DSLR Canon t2i but shooting only jpegs. Of course I can't really compare the two as they were taken during different lighting situations, times of the day, etc. I will have to go out and do another test taking 2 photos same shot/one right after the other - one with my iPhone and one with my G9x camera set to take jpegs to see the difference that would make with this camera.
All in all, I still prefer to use my DSLR over both my new camera and my iPhone. I have a newer SL1 that is more compact than most DSLRs BUT it sure was nice carrying only a tiny camera with me everywhere I went. Of course the option of different lenses is a bonus with the SL1 but I prefer using the eye piece with my SL1 instead of using the screen as a viewer and I just prefer the feel of the SL1 camera in my hands. I also feel more comfortable shooting using the aperture mode with my SL1. Everything is pretty much touchscreen with the G9X and I need more time to figure out the settings such as what the shutter speed is set at when I choose an aperture on that tiny screen. It is much easier with my DSLR. I will have to go out and do a test shooting raw taking 2 exact photos - one with my SL1 DSLR camera and one with my compact G9x camera - same shot/one right after the other to see the difference that would make with the two cameras.
I found out that you need to be very careful with the G9X touchscreen! Thankfully, I only messed up and took photos with the flash white balance setting during one daytrip to Faenza. Somehow my finger must have touched something on the touchscreen and switched the white balance setting to flash! WARNING! Do not do this! Thankfully, I took almost every photo inside the amazing ceramic museum with my iPhone and realized the next morning that the setting was switched! It was a lot of work trying to fix all of my photos that were very yellow in post production. They are not my best photos :{
Regarding videos, I took all but 2 videos using my iPhone. I just didn't even think about using my camera to take videos until the end of my trip. The 2 videos I took with my G9x came out great. I have not sat down to compare the phone/camera videos but my 1st impression was that the G9X videos seemed to be a little crisper. I will do more testing with this also.
I hope this helps if anyone is ever considering purchasing the Canon G9X MarkII.
I really had no idea how my photos were turning out until I returned home since I did not bring my laptop with me during my trip. Sometimes when inside churches or museums, I would see the shakey red hand displayed (that's what I call it) on my G9X screen. I lost a little confidence on how my photos would turn out even though they seemed to be pretty sharp when I zoomed in on the little screen and at times only used my iPhone to take photos during these situations. I did happen to take photos in the very dark Duomo in Modena using my G9X and they came out much sharper than my iPhone photos did in that same situation.
I found that the times when I did take photos both with my iPhone 6s and my new Canon G9X that the Canon photos almost always came out better. At the time though when looking at them on my iPhone screen or my Canon screen, the iPhone photos looked nicer. It was only when I returned home that I realized the difference. The iPhone photos are "warmer" with a yellowish tint to them. I am guessing the white balance is set a little different as well as the fact that the iPhone is programmed to over saturate the colors in a photo. It's not that I don't like most of the photos I took with my iPhone, it's just that when you compare the photos from the two cameras, in my opinion, the photos from the Canon G9X, shooting raw come out nicer. The seem to be cleaner, sharper and the colors appear to be more accurate and less saturated. I did shoot raw 99% of the time when using my G9x so I am not comparing jpegs to jpegs.
There were a couple of times though when the iPhone won the contest, with my G9X shooting a blurry photo inside a museum and the iPhone photo taking a much sharper photo in that situation.
Here are a couple of examples of photos I took within minutes of each other.
The first example is a little church in Modena. The first photos is from my iPhone. The 2nd photos is from my Canon G9X Mark II. I had to convert the 2nd photo from raw to a jpeg to post it here but I did not do any editing.
The 2nd example is of a swan taken a few minutes apart. The first photos is from my iPhone. The 2nd photos is from my Canon G9X Mark. I did do a little editing with the G9X photo (since I already finished editing that batch) but I did not touch the color at all.
I think they are both nice photos, but you can see that the white feathers are much whiter when taken with the G9X. I also zoomed in equally on my computer and took screen shots of each photo to show the clarity. (1st again is the iPhone).
The G9x was easy to carry. I kept it in my hand most of the time. I did fit in a pants pocket that was not too tight and easily slipped into my purse. I occasionally put my finger partially over the lens when using my iPhone without realizing it until after I took the photo. I felt pretty comfortable though otherwise taking photos with my iPhone except when near water. I did not feel comfortable at all using my iPhone near the water (e.g. on the vaporetto) imagining my phone dropping into the canal! My camera has a wrist strap that is pretty tight around my wrist and felt much more secure during these situations.
I have found that I really like the end result with my photos since I have started to shoot raw, even though it is very time consuming editing/developing each photo. You have so much more control over fixing a photo if taken in a bad lighting situation as well as other editing abilities without blowing out the highlights, etc. I can see a difference in the end result even with same photos I took in 2011 while in Modena using my DSLR Canon t2i but shooting only jpegs. Of course I can't really compare the two as they were taken during different lighting situations, times of the day, etc. I will have to go out and do another test taking 2 photos same shot/one right after the other - one with my iPhone and one with my G9x camera set to take jpegs to see the difference that would make with this camera.
All in all, I still prefer to use my DSLR over both my new camera and my iPhone. I have a newer SL1 that is more compact than most DSLRs BUT it sure was nice carrying only a tiny camera with me everywhere I went. Of course the option of different lenses is a bonus with the SL1 but I prefer using the eye piece with my SL1 instead of using the screen as a viewer and I just prefer the feel of the SL1 camera in my hands. I also feel more comfortable shooting using the aperture mode with my SL1. Everything is pretty much touchscreen with the G9X and I need more time to figure out the settings such as what the shutter speed is set at when I choose an aperture on that tiny screen. It is much easier with my DSLR. I will have to go out and do a test shooting raw taking 2 exact photos - one with my SL1 DSLR camera and one with my compact G9x camera - same shot/one right after the other to see the difference that would make with the two cameras.
I found out that you need to be very careful with the G9X touchscreen! Thankfully, I only messed up and took photos with the flash white balance setting during one daytrip to Faenza. Somehow my finger must have touched something on the touchscreen and switched the white balance setting to flash! WARNING! Do not do this! Thankfully, I took almost every photo inside the amazing ceramic museum with my iPhone and realized the next morning that the setting was switched! It was a lot of work trying to fix all of my photos that were very yellow in post production. They are not my best photos :{
Regarding videos, I took all but 2 videos using my iPhone. I just didn't even think about using my camera to take videos until the end of my trip. The 2 videos I took with my G9x came out great. I have not sat down to compare the phone/camera videos but my 1st impression was that the G9X videos seemed to be a little crisper. I will do more testing with this also.
I hope this helps if anyone is ever considering purchasing the Canon G9X MarkII.
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Susan,
Excellent review! Thank you so much for your insight, lessons learned, and taking the time to document. The visuals should truly help those trying to decided if a phone is all they need to travel. Sure wish you had a Canon 5D Mark III with you to add to the mix Shoot I wish I had a Canon 5D Mark III. Once again thank you for a great job!
Excellent review! Thank you so much for your insight, lessons learned, and taking the time to document. The visuals should truly help those trying to decided if a phone is all they need to travel. Sure wish you had a Canon 5D Mark III with you to add to the mix
Shoot I wish I had a Canon 5D Mark III. Once again thank you for a great job!
Tim W
100+ Posts
I missed this discussion earlier - it would have been most useful.
Most of my travels are within Europe on budget airlines. I tend to travel with hand luggage only. Until recently may main camera was a Canon SX40 "bridge camera" - with a 36x optical zoom. Much as I love it, it does take up a fair amount of room, and is too big to fit into a pocket.
Last year, I bought my beloved a Panasonic TZ60 to replace her rather old and battered Canon A700, I was very impressed with its features - it is compact but has a 30x optical zoom, and it takes pretty decent pictures (although it suffers in low light). Based on this, I spoilt myself with the Panasonic TZ100 - which has less zoom (10x) but shoots RAW, is very adjustable, and has a much larger sensor.
So far I've been very impressed with it - it fits all my main criteria - portable enough to carry in a pocket, has a real viewfinder (I dislike taking shots at arms length), takes decent low light and night shots.
Most of my travels are within Europe on budget airlines. I tend to travel with hand luggage only. Until recently may main camera was a Canon SX40 "bridge camera" - with a 36x optical zoom. Much as I love it, it does take up a fair amount of room, and is too big to fit into a pocket.
Last year, I bought my beloved a Panasonic TZ60 to replace her rather old and battered Canon A700, I was very impressed with its features - it is compact but has a 30x optical zoom, and it takes pretty decent pictures (although it suffers in low light). Based on this, I spoilt myself with the Panasonic TZ100 - which has less zoom (10x) but shoots RAW, is very adjustable, and has a much larger sensor.
So far I've been very impressed with it - it fits all my main criteria - portable enough to carry in a pocket, has a real viewfinder (I dislike taking shots at arms length), takes decent low light and night shots.