Canon G9

I just saw a description on Canon's website for the G9.

It looks like, starting in September, Canon will sell a compact digicam with manual controls, RAW capability, and an underwater housing.

Has anybody else heard about this camera? My biggest concern would be the noise from cramming 12.1 megapixels onto a 1/1.7 inch sensor.

This one surprised me, too. Looks like Canon is trying to reset the top-line for prosumer point-and-shoot cameras. It seems to offer great promise for underwater use, especially if its wide-angle capability can be expanded through add-ons. Noise could be an issue at higher ISOs, but my guess is that Canon's new Digic III processor will substantially address this potential problem. I was quite suprised to see Canon reinstate the RAW capability, which is great for us UW types.

I just saw a description on Canon's website for the G9.

 

It looks like, starting in September, Canon will sell a compact digicam with manual controls, RAW capability, and an underwater housing.

 

Has anybody else heard about this camera? My biggest concern would be the noise from cramming 12.1 megapixels onto a 1/1.7 inch sensor.

There's some chatter on dpreview:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1010

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0708/07082005canong9.asp

The other fly in the ointment is the 35-210mm (equivalent) zoom lens. That's alot of zoom that really isn't much use underwater, and from the looks of things on the dpreview.com preview, its the same lens as the G7, which has vignetting problems with wide angle adapters because of the length of the lens.

To solve the vignetting, you have to zoom in a little bit, which reduces the point of having the wide angle adapter in the first place.... Oh well, at least its got RAW!

I've been using a G7 + Ikelite housing and I must say this is really a great camera. Results were excellent. But I agree that if Raw was requested by many users, for me the most important would have been to rework on the lens: the range of the zoom is of no use. I would really prefer a 24-105 (or at least 28-105) which cover most use for landscape, portrait, nature, and of course underwater. I always considered that extreme teleobjective on small camera is just a marketing gadget and that a x4 with real wide angle would be much better than a x10 starting at 35.

I have one question about the G9: does anyone know if the Ikelite housing for the G7 will be compatible with G9? My G7 had last week a terrible accident to finish my holidays... and now it is sold out in most shops because of the G9 launching. So if G9 fits into my Ikelite housing, there is no problem (beside that I have to buy a new camera), but else I have to find a G7 asap.

It looks like Canon moved some of the buttons around on the back of the camera to make room for the larger LCD on the G9, so I would guess that your Ikelite G7 housing won't work with the G9.

On the plus side, used G7s on ebay and elsewhere should soon come way down in price.

I have one question about the G9: does anyone know if the Ikelite housing for the G7 will be compatible with G9? My G7 had last week a terrible accident to finish my holidays... and now it is sold out in most shops because of the G9 launching. So if G9 fits into my Ikelite housing, there is no problem (beside that I have to buy a new camera), but else I have to find a G7 asap.

It looks like Canon moved some of the buttons around on the back of the camera to make room for the larger LCD on the G9, so I would guess that your Ikelite G7 housing won't work with the G9.

 

On the plus side, used G7s on ebay and elsewhere should soon come way down in price.

Indeed the LCD is larger, but looking at the button in details it seems they are the same position (look the distance between the edge of the LCD and the control wheel). My favorite shop should receive a first sample of G9 this week. I will then try to see if it fit into the housing and let you know.

Indeed the LCD is larger, but looking at the button in details it seems they are the same position (look the distance between the edge of the LCD and the control wheel). My favorite shop should receive a first sample of G9 this week. I will then try to see if it fit into the housing and let you know.

I hope it does fit in the G7 Ikelite case so I don't have to wait for Ikelite to make a new model, but judging by the fact that Canon has a different model number for their own U/W Case, I'm guessing it won't.

I too am preplexed as to why the lens is not wider. A wide angle is more useful than a tele. 35mm is fine for many occasions but at least having 28mm or even 24mm would be better for city shots. Canon must be wanting to entice the sports families who want to take a shot of their kid who is 100m away. Also bumping the pixel count up while decreasing the sensor size was a mistake. 12.1MP on a 1.7" is silly. The 40D has only 10MP. At least they got raw back in.

My question to Ikelite:

>>* When do you expect to have Canon G9 housing available?

>Should be available by first of November, 2007

I'm using a G7. getting new Ike housing n stuffs tom or next week...

Should I wait for G9?... I still have a WP-DC11 to use meanwhile...

??

Hello everybody,

First contact this afternoon with a G9: besides all what was already said about Raw, resolution,... I will just add that it seems that it is a little bit faster (switching on, activation of the menu/option, and also focus). Of course this is just a feeling (but I was using the G7 in the past) and not lab measures.

Then I tried with my Ikelite housing (designed for a G7). No problem to mount the camera, to switch on and to activate zooming or to take pictures, but some controls were not accessible and will not allow to use existing housing (all the buttons on the back have moved from 5mm to the left).

So now I have to find a G7 or to sell my housing...

regards

I wonder if Ikelite will just make and sell the mounting part of the housing to mount the G9 into a G7 housing?

Hello everybody,

 

First contact this afternoon with a G9: besides all what was already said about Raw, resolution,... I will just add that it seems that it is a little bit faster (switching on, activation of the menu/option, and also focus). Of course this is just a feeling (but I was using the G7 in the past) and not lab measures.

 

Then I tried with my Ikelite housing (designed for a G7). No problem to mount the camera, to switch on and to activate zooming or to take pictures, but some controls were not accessible and will not allow to use existing housing (all the buttons on the back have moved from 5mm to the left).

 

So now I have to find a G7 or to sell my housing...

 

regards

I'm in major dilemma... so u think I should not pick up the housing?

I feel bad.. told the girl in the shop I was gonna pick it up...

Do u live in Asia?...