Canon Powershot G9 Review

The screen display for Auto mode. Icons indicate the ISO is set to Auto, Auto flash mode, single frame drive mode, Orientation is horizontal, Auto exposure mode, Battery level is full, Evaluative metering, image size is Large Superfine, OIS is enabled and there's space left on our SD card to take 257 more pictures.

Program AE mode is like Auto in that the camera selects both the shutter speed and aperture values for correct exposure, but you now have access to a multitude of camera settings like ISO speed, White balance, metering, etc.

When you half-press the shutter release, you will see which of the nine AF points (green rectangles) has achieved a focus lock. The green "glow" is from the Focus assist lamp, that doubles as the red-eye reduction lamp (when enabled via the record menu.)

In Tv (Shutter-speed priority) mode you select the shutter speed (from 1/2000 to 15 seconds) and the camera automatically selects the proper aperture value. Faster shutter speeds will "freeze" fast-moving subjects, slower speeds will let you pan with a fast-moving object and blur the background, or hold the camera steady and give moving objects that "motion blur" look.

In Av (Aperture priority AE) mode you select the aperture value (from F2.8 to F8.0) and the camera will automatically select the proper shutter speed. Selecting the aperture allows you to control depth of field (focus range), smaller numbers yield less depth of field, larger numbers yield more.

Program AE, Tv, Av and Manual mode Function options:

White Balance - Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Underwater (when used with the optional housing) and Custom (1/2) one-push WB set
My Colors - Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color
Bracketing - Off, AE bracketing, Focus bracketing
Flash intensity - Adjusts flash power ±2 EV in 1/3 EV steps
Metering - Evaluative, Center weighted Avg., Spot
ND Filter - On/Off
Image Compression Superfine, Fine, Normal
Image Resolution 4000x3000 (Large), 3264x2448 (Medium 1), 2592x1944 (Medium 2), 1600x1200 (Medium 3), 640x480 (Small), 4000x2248 (Widescreen), RAW (4000x3000)

In Manual mode you have complete control, selecting both the shutter speed and the aperture values. All Menu options and camera settings are the same as Program AE, Tv, Av, etc.

Program AE, Tv, Av and Manual mode MENU options:

AF Frame - FlexiZone, Face Detect or AiAF
Flash Control - Adjust Flash Exposure comp., Shutter Sync., Sow Synchro, and Safety FE
Digital Zoom - Off, 1.5x, 2.0x, Standard
Red-eye - Reduction: On or Off
Safety FE - On or Off
Self-timer - Choose delay and number of shots (like interval shooting)
Spot AE Point - Center or AF point
Auto ISO Shift - Off, Print/Share Button or On
MF-Point Zoom - On = Enlarge focus point during manual focus
Safety MF - On or Off
AF Mode - Continuous or Single
AF Assist Beam - On or Off
Review - Off, Hold or 2 - 10 secs
Review Info - Off, Detailed or Focus Check
Record RAW+JPEG - Record RAW and Large Fine images simultaneously
Auto Category - On or Off
IS Mode - Continuous, Shoot only, Panning, Off
Converter - None, WC-DC58B, TC-DC58C
Custom Display - Customize the camera's display (Shooting info, Grid lines, 3:2 Guide, Histogram
Set Shortcut Button - Choose the function of the Shortcut button
Save Settings - Saves current settings to Custom 1 or 2 on the mode dial

When in manual focus mode you'll see this onscreen distance gauge and if selected in the menu, the active focus point is enlarged for critical focusing.

The camera has a very respectable macro focusing mode with coverage from 0.39 in. to 1.6 ft. (1 - 50cm) at wide angle.

The SCN (Scene) position on the Mode Dial gains access to Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Sports, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, Indoor, ISO 3200, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot, Color Accent, Color Swap. These modes are pre-programmed to give you the best possible pictures for particular shooting situations.

The StitchAssist Panorama mode aids you via on-screen prompts to achieve the proper overlap of sequential photos for later "stitching" with the PhotoStitch program. You can capture up to 26 images in either left-to-right or right-to-left orientation. After the first picture is taken the white balance and exposure is locked until you exit the StitchAssist mode.   Use of a tripod is highly recommended. Because the G9 does not output video when using this mode, we used this screen capture from our PowerShot S400 Digital ElPH review.

You can record movie clips with audio at a variety of resolutions and frame rates. The G9 is one of several PowerShot models to feature an XGA (1024x768) 15fps movie mode. Standard movies can be recorded at resolutions of 640x480 or 320x240 with a frame rate of 30fps. Compact movies are recorded at a resolution of 160x120 with a frame rate of 15 fps. You can also choose Color Swap or Color Accent to add a little creativity to your video clips. These clips are captured in Motion JPEG format and saved as AVI files.

Both the video and audio portion of movies can be replayed on the camera thanks to the built-in speaker. Full audio-video playback is also possible when connected to a TV monitor or a compatible PC after downloading.

Movie mode recording options in standard:

White Balance - Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Underwater (when used with the optional housing) Custom (1/2) one-push WB set
My Colors - Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color
ND Filter - On or Off
Movie Size: 640x480 (30fpd), 640x480 LP (30fps) or 320x240 (30fps)

Movie mode Menu options:

Digital Zoom - Standard or Off
Safety MF - On or Off
AF Assist Beam - On or Off
Auto Category - On or Off
IS Mode - Continuous, Shoot only, Panning, Off
Converter - None, WC-DC58B, TC-DC58C
Custom Display - Customize the camera's display (Shooting info, Grid lines, 3:2 Guide, Histogram
Set Shortcut Button - Choose the function of the Shortcut button