I wanted to share some information with you on a great little camera that I recently picked up.  *disclaimer-  I use this camera for a carry around/on the fly/play around/stick it in my pocket camera, so don’t think that this is a camera I am recommending for wedding photography or for starting a photography business. 🙂

I got the Canon G9 just before I went to Florida and got the waterproof housing to go with it.  My main reason for getting this camera was the fact that I don’t always want to take a 5D with a 24-70 lens or with a 24 prime on it with me if I am going to the park with my kids or to just have a camera with me in the car.  Or in case I happen to be out driving around whenever there is a tornado that I might want to take a few shots. (My wife keeps telling me that “you are not doing that”) :)  I am also going to do some experimenting with some underwater bridal trash the dress sessions this summer.  So let me know if you are interested in getting wet. hehehe (yes I am serious for those scratching your heads)

Anyways…on to the camera.  The funny thing is that I had the Canon G3 and I loved that camera when it first came out.  A friend of mine had the G2 and that was an awesome camera too, so when they released the G3 I jumped on it.  I think I paid about $900 or so for it.  So you can see what a difference a few years makes in buying your cameras.  But don’t be one of those people who sits there thinking that if you wait until next year that there will be a G10 or G 11 and that will be even better and probably cheaper.  Just think of all the pictures you will miss taking in the meantime. 🙂

So now on to the camera.  First thing you will probably notice is the huge screen on the back.  It is three inches, so if they plan on making the screen any bigger they will have to enlarge the camera.  The video options for this thing are awesome.  I love the time lapse video and the fact that the quality is so clear.  I remember the video quality of the G3 was before You Tube days, so that is a huge improvement.  I think one of the things that I love about this camera is that it is a great camera for an advanced beginner that isn’t ready to dive into a DSLR just yet.  This camera can do so many things, but at the same time you can still get some pretty cool images if you aren’t quite ready to take it off the green box.  I think most people would also find that it is really a good combination of point and shoot (smaller, video, and big megapixels) and yet at the same time it has a max shutter speed of 1/2500 sec and will shoot RAW files as well.  Another cool little option is that you can “stitch” photos together with the help of the LCD on the back in a panoramic fashion.  This is another play around option that I am sure that as I get some time I will have fun with this!  The only downfall for me is that it uses the SD memory cards and all my other cameras use compact flash.  So I am adding to my collection. 🙂

Photographers Side Note***I thought it was funny because I saw a post the other day on Strobist that involved using the G9 for a shoot.  I laughed because I was sitting there thinking of how many people were probably reading that thinking how cheap and “unprofessional” it was to use the G9, but after shooting with this camera I think it reinforces the fact that tools like this are just that…tools.  The pictures that are achieved are by creative people and the way they see things.  That doesn’t mean though that you should go out and buy a couple of G9 camera and start your own photography business.  My point is that so much more goes into creating incredible pictures than just having a $5000 setup in your hands to produce an awesome image.  If you look at the post below of my shots from my little vacation in Sanibel they were all shot with the Canon G9.