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Carry-with-me-always" camera? Reviews/experiences: Is yours also a Canon G9?

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
We all watched in disappointment and even feelings of betrayal as Canon dropped RAW from it's digicams relegating the competent G series of Canon cameras to just another good point and shoot. The introduction of the 12 MP Canon G9 brought back the G series to the professional photographers'good favor.

Uwe and Bettina Steinmueller have been running a G9 diary "inspired by an article "The Canon Powershot G9 in Japan". They share details of their workflow and cover features pointing out the good and what might be done better. Now there appears a rather nice human touch of how one photographer, Paul Nakroshis, has had the G9 with him for the past 5 months and it has perhaps even altered the way he views the world, as pictures to be taken. Maybe we all do that to some extent!

Fourth.jpg

© Paul Nakroshis Outback Photo.com

Paul Nakroshis said:
For starters, I’m simply taking more pictures because it’s easy to carry this camera with me, and its unobtrusive in a manner that a 1D just isn’t. Although I’ve had my 1D for several years now, I’ve only taken around 8000 frames with it, mostly landscapes. In the 5 months I’ve had the G9, I’ve taken almost 1600 photographs. I take the G9 everywhere, when I walk the dog, go to the sledding hill with my kids, when I drive to work, even when I go to the grocery store.

As a result of carrying the camera with me, I end up seeing and thinking photographically much more often (Thinking photographically while driving on snow covered Maine roadways can be a dangerous activity!). As has been said, the only good camera is one that is with you when you need it. The G9 fills this niche very nicely for me.
Source . Diary by Uwe and Bettina here.

So, what is your experience with the G9 and do you have this or another "carry-with-me-always" camera?

Asher
 
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I am considering this G9 for myself after I saw this particulary gallery of Max Lyons here:

http://www.tawbaware.com/maxlyons/cgi-bin/image.pl?gallery=18

Max's panoramas are beautiful, and the G9 certainly looks like a capable camera with the latest technology. However, besides the photographer's skills, part of the beauty of the images is caused by the wonderful landscapes, and the fact that they are panorama's.

Looking at images from the G9 and other small sensel camera's, I do get the impression that dynamic range is limited. Images where the highlights are properly rendered tend to have murky shadows, and properly rendered shadows quickly lead to clipped highlights. Mind you, for the purpose of portability, a very rich feature set, and overall image quality, the G9 is one of the better models, no doubt.

Of course, since recent software developments it has become much easier to combine pano stitching with exposure blending/fusion. That will allow to exceed the camera's inherent dynamic range limitations, with stationary subjects. Max Lyons has released a new version of his own (Windows based) Panorama application, and has also added his own free version of 'Enfuse', called 'TuFuse' which allows to automatically combine focus bracketed and exposure bracketed image stacks.

Bart
 
Even I have got one.. a G9 with underwater housing and based on Diane's enthusiast writing a lensmate adaptor. Took it with me on a family trip tot Disney, without time to read the manual, and results were quite usable (at least to my standards).

Most surprising to me is the effectiveness of the IS

img0592qo5.jpg

Example of IS only, 1/10th @ 60mm handheld

And the responce to filters, the effects seems to come out a lot stronger then on my E-1.

Playing with the underwaterhousing will be another interesting challange..

So far so good, me being the limiting factor for now!
 

Ken Tanaka

pro member
Yes, my G9 would have to be considered my "go anywhere" camera. I've found it to be a superb tool.

A few samples of images taken with my G9.

medium.jpg

Iron workers, Chicago

medium.jpg

LaSalle Street Bridge, Chicago

medium.jpg

Dinnerware

medium.jpg

Rainy night above Lake Shore Drive
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Ken, the last 2 pictures are pretty close to fine for publication.

Martin, is there a disneyland in Holland?

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Of course, since recent software developments it has become much easier to combine pano stitching with exposure blending/fusion. That will allow to exceed the camera's inherent dynamic range limitations, with stationary subjects. Max Lyons has released a new version of his own (Windows based) Panorama application, and has also added his own free version of 'Enfuse', called 'TuFuse' which allows to automatically combine focus bracketed and exposure bracketed image stacks.

Bart

You are quite right Bart. If one can take close pictures or at least develop pictures differently from RAW then the new software aligns the pixels and combine the best exposed ones. As this gets better, we should have the software automatically do it from 1 or two RAW pics.

BTW, how fast does this camera do bracketing and recording 3 shots in RAw format?

Asher
 
>BTW, how fast does this camera do bracketing and recording 3 shots in RAw format?

Better you don't use the term "fast". I would call it ultra slow. A slow 5D is a speed monster compared to the G9. I bracket a lot but not with the G9. Life is too short.

Uwe
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Thanks for the reply Uwe,

So how do you cover ranges of light going beyond the cameras normal capability? Do you just shoot sequential jpgs, especially since you are so interested in tone mapping?

Asher
 

Ken Tanaka

pro member
Voigtlander Perkeo II--a folding 6x6 camera that's smaller than many 35mm rangefinders. I experimented with a few different folders and settled on this one as the best balance of size, film flatness, lens quality, and ergonomics.

If Fuji manufactures their 6x7 folder, though, I may switch.

I had never seen this camera, Perhaps you've not, either. So I looked it up.

Here are some good looks at what appears to be vintage examples of all three models, courtesy of Jurgen Kreckel of "Vintage Folding Cameras"

Here is a bit of lineage and history, courtesy of "UK Camera".
 

nicolas claris

OPF Co-founder/Administrator
Off topic, but as you're talking about old cameras, I wanted to have a look to my very first one, this was in 1959 or 60 (I got the Flash later…):

brflash.jpg

Courtesy of this French site (sorry ;-)
They do have a lot of old ones, maybe you'll find the one from your 'enfance'…

http://www.collection-appareils.fr/
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Voigtlander Perkeo II--a folding 6x6 camera that's smaller than many 35mm rangefinders. I experimented with a few different folders and settled on this one as the best balance of size, film flatness, lens quality, and ergonomics.

If Fuji manufactures their 6x7 folder, though, I may switch.

grant.jpg


Here's one in color--

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=51181&d=1193614634

David,

The camera is wonderful in your hands. I'm so impressed with what you have done. The lens does so well to the Grant's Tomb. What's the church on the left? The one in color, I'd love to see but even though I log into Rangefinder.com it does not allow the image to appear!

What are the dimensions?

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
But, Alain,

Is the 1DsII with you all the time? We're talking about the "Carry-with-me-always" camera and the the 1DsII in my pocket would be uncomfortable, to say the least!

Asher
 
David,

The camera is wonderful in your hands. I'm so impressed with what you have done. The lens does so well to the Grant's Tomb. What's the church on the left? The one in color, I'd love to see but even though I log into Rangefinder.com it does not allow the image to appear!

What are the dimensions?

Asher

Hmmm...not sure why the link to the RFF isn't working. Maybe try this, and then click on the thumbnail--

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=667115&postcount=3

The church is the Riverside Church (formerly led by the peace activist, William Sloane Coffin). The modern slab behind it is The Interchurch Center, which houses administrative offices of various religious organizations, including the national headquarters of Alcoholics Anonymous.

The Perkeo II is approximately 4-7/8 x 1-5/8 (including the bulge for the lens--1-3/16 without) x 3-3/8 inches (LxDxH), when folded. I use it with an uncoupled shoe-mount rangefinder, which adds about another 7/8 inch to the top. I haven't weighed it, but one site I found says it's 1.5 lbs, which is believable.
 

Alain Briot

pro member
But, Alain,

Is the 1DsII with you all the time? We're talking about the "Carry-with-me-always" camera and the the 1DsII in my pocket would be uncomfortable, to say the least!

Asher

Of course not - too big! What I mean is with the G9 I don't do HDR-oriented captures.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Now I see it, David!

attachment.php


Nice color. So this was hand held, as the distant gold arch work is beautiful but closer objects are softer.

How often do you use this? I wonder how big and heavy it is? Also is the 6x9 version much bigger?

Asher
 

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
That, Nicolas, was my mother's Brownie! I had to learn how to load the film in it - too complicated for my Mother to do (ha ha). Oh do I remember the pop! of the flash. It was replaced by the Instamatic I got for my birthday when I was about 9. The Kodak Instamatic had a flash cube!
 

Ken Tanaka

pro member
Off topic, but as you're talking about old cameras, I wanted to have a look to my very first one, this was in 1959 or 60 (I got the Flash later…):

brflash.jpg

Courtesy of this French site (sorry ;-)
They do have a lot of old ones, maybe you'll find the one from your 'enfance'…

http://www.collection-appareils.fr/

Only real cameras were made of Bakelite! I'll bet that body would shatter like glass if it was dropped today.

That Brownie was the most successful line of cameras to-date, due largely to its low cost (the first box Brownie cost only $1) and ease of use. Kodak sold them, in a succession of models, for over 80 years. I believe that it's the camera model that was launched with the marketing slogan, "You press the button, we do the rest."

It's interesting to note that far below the exalted halls of sophisticated photo tech circles Kodak is trying to use the same basic low-cost/simplicity of use formula to recreate the Brownie's success. Today's Brownie line is called "Easy Share" and it's been the largest selling line of digital cameras for at least the past two years.
 
Now I see it, David!

Nice color. So this was hand held, as the distant gold arch work is beautiful but closer objects are softer.

How often do you use this? I wonder how big and heavy it is? Also is the 6x9 version much bigger?

Asher

Thanks. The film was Fuji RMS most likely, which was discontinued when Provia 400F came out.

I didn't have a tripod with me at the time, and I think I braced the camera against a pillar or railing, if I remember correctly. From the motion of the people in the foreground, the exposure was probably 1/10 or 1/5 sec. (the shutter is marked in those speeds).

When I'm not carrying another camera, I usually have this one in my coat pocket or briefcase, so I use it fairly often. It's tiny like a 35mm rangefinder camera, probably a little lighter than a Leica M7.

I've owned the 6x9 Bessa II with the outstanding 105mm Color-Heliar, and it is somewhat larger, but still fits in a coat pocket. In general 6x9 folding cameras are prone to film flatness issues. The Bessa II is one of the best 6x9 folders, having the attraction of a coupled rangefinder, but I found it a bit awkward to hold steady, particularly in the horizontal position. The shutter release is on the left side on the door that closes to cover the lens, which is mechanically very clever, but it made the camera too left-handed for me. The photograph of the decayed pier that you liked on my website was made with that camera.
 
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Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
The Canon G9 is praised a lot. What is your favorite other take-with-me-always camera.

Sony, Fuji, Olympus, Casio, Ricoh or what? GR II is the choice of John Nevill here , worth reading!

What are the rest of us missing?

My eyes are on a Ricoh.

Asher
 

Mike Funnell

New member
Different people seem to have different ideas of what "take anywhere" means. I always have a little Canon Ixus 40 (aka SD300) in my pocket as a "notepad camera". Its beat-up, has a big ding on the bottom plate, once went with me for an unscheduled swim - and can still take a decent-enough photo. Admittedly, it takes more shots of equipment assemblies, whiteboards and business cards than more entertaining subjects. I usually have another camera with me - most often a Leica M3 with collapsible 50 in a small bag/pouch or an Olympus mju:II (aka Stylus Epic) in a belt pouch (sometimes replaced by a Contax T2). Or some other camera if I'm planning something specific. At work, I keep a Konica Auto S3 and some film - just in case I need a "real" camera and don't have anything more suitable with me.

...Mike
 
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