Canon G9 - images & impressions

[alcina]

As per this thread...

This thread is for everyone to post their images from this camera. It will be linked to a master list in the Sticky. Please make sure to include your settings and if you used any extra lenses or strobes. This is also the place for you to add your personal, summarized Pros & Cons. Discussions and questions go in separate threads, please!

Please make sure to attach or better yet embed some images as these threads are intended to be one stop resources. Please do also add links to your full galleries if you wish, so those who want to see more can easily find more images.

 

[Kevster]

Done about 30-40 dives with the G9.
Pros
Large LCD great for viewing(especially using manual focus)
Raw for post editing
Excellent macro ability. For me this is a huge huge improvement on my previous S70 & S80. This is where the G9 excels.
Good quality video.
Separate Iso controller

Cons.
Poor for wide angle without additional add ons.
Housings are not good for add-ons without spending large $$.
Sometimes the LCD display is blank when i turn on, (No live preview) I need to switch on and off several times for camera to wake up.

(I will post photos & details if someone tell me how to do it. I have many G9 photos in my gallery. I have tried attaching to post without success. the yellow landscape icon does not work)

 

[Geoff_H]

Canon housing and no strobe.

Here is a hermit crab I shot last weekend, F8, 1/60 second, internal flash at ISO 80. No post processing apart from cropping.

I really like the way it shows up the detailing in the leg hairs and the plant life attached to the shell.

Here is a different type of shot, no flash used here and no post processing. F2.8, 1/125 second at ISO 80.

Finally this cute little fish, my only regret is I didn't use a greater depth of field (hadn't experimented with the modes too much then!). F2.8, 1/60 second at ISO 80. Cropped down from the original.

 

[Mel Moncrieff]

I've been on 4 dive trips with my G9, dual Ikelite 125 strobes and Ikelite wide angle lens (Bonaire, where I shot all manual) Fiji, Catalina and San Clemente Islands in SoCal where I shot TTL and aperture priority. My pictures are posted @ www.pbase.com/mtmel44. When shooting aperture priority, the camera nearly always chooses a shutter speed of 1/60 even when I used exposure compensation, which limited my ability to create a dark background, especially on the Fiji trip.

Light background from Fiji, 1/60 @ f6.3 TTL aperture priority

dark background from Bonaire 1/160 @ f8, manual

The TTL does not function in manual mode. That is probably my biggest complaint about the camera, but overall, I am very happy with the quality I'm getting, and I'm especially happy with my Ikelite 125 strobes. They charge quickly, and hold a charge much longer than my camera battery, and I leave the diffusers on all the time. I've been very pleased with the even lighting they provide, and the TTL in the Ikelite housing does a nice job of controlling the flash output. Next big trip I will use a lot more shutter priority. I'm sure the camera will then choose a large aperture for most shots, but I'll have to see how this works, as shutter speed seems to be main factor in creating nice, dark backgrounds for a more dramatic effect. The shutter lag was occasionally a problem when trying to capture fish behavior, but I can live with that to get the versatility and live preview the camera offers. I'v gone to iso 80 or 100 for nearly all my shots now.

Mel

 

[paradicio]

Canon G9
Ikelite Housing
2x DS-51 Strobes
Occasionally I use my Ikelite Wide Angle Lens

IMHO the G9 is probably the best point and shoot currently on the market. The more I use it the more I enjoy using it.

I opted to go with the G9 over a DSLR because I wanted to keep my rig relatively small, and the photos I'd seen taken with the G9 rivaled those taken with DSLR's. I also wanted to avoid the cost of additional ports for various lenses.

While the G9 will never be as versatile as a DSLR it is a good compromise and a fun camera to use.

Here are a few shots I've taken with my G9. These were all taken under different conditions, so settings vary. If you have any questions on settings for any specific picture please PM me and I will be more than happy to answer.

 

[deepn0va]

This was my first dive a few months back with my g9. I have played around with the images to fix some coloring issues due to the low light, but overall very happy for a first time taking pictures UW with it.

 

[sarita75]

Deepn0va - what kind of housing and lighting did you use?

 

[deepn0va]

I just used the standard canon housing and onboard flash. it was a clear day, so the images with direct surface light were fine, but the 2nd and third were just the standard flash. I did do some processing with them since the surface light made everything very blue.

I should be taking it on some dives this weekend, I hope to have more pictures soon.

 

[Diver-J]

I dive in Holland. Dark waters, at 10 meters the lights go out .. Often poor visibility. Dives with 50 cm vision are no exeption.

I have the Ikelite house with a Epoque ES-150 strobe. I have a Inon 165 macro lens and the Inon wide angle. I havent used the wide angle because i still have to buy the flat port.

I really really really like the macro lens. These pictures I have taken today in good visability.

Pro's: a lot of settings, options etc. Since I have this camera I do not use my Nikon D70s anymore. This camera is compact and has all the features.

Con's: noise in night foto's and high Iso (why not a new model with big sensor and only 8 megapixel ?) On the Ikelite housing the button for switching between shutter en diafr. in manual mode is hard to push. I really hate it that i have to switch ports for using the wide angle lens.

 

[Mel Moncrieff]

I use the wide angle lens all the time now on my Ike housing with the flat port. It's a pain to change them back and forth, and my flat port is stuck on pretty tightly right now. But I haven't felt the need to use my zoom any farther than what the flat port already allows (about 120 mm 35 mm equivalent).

Diver-J, you should try Bonaire sometime--you'd love it.