Photographers pay a premium for compact cameras with 1-inch image sensors—Sony's most expensive pocket model, the RX100 IV ($898.00 at Dell) , sells for close to $1,000. Canon is attempting to slash the price of entry with the $529.99 G9 X, but it's still a significant purchase, and its performance is likely to disappoint serious photographers who prefer to shoot in Raw. If you're a JPG shooter or a casual shutterbug with deep pockets it's worth a look, but spending more on a camera like the Canon G7 X is a better use of your paycheck. Our Editors' Choice for premium compacts is still the RX100 III, but its price tag makes it a tough sell for budget-minded photographers.
Design
The G9 X ($1,500.00 at Amazon) is surprisingly small given its 1-inch image sensor. It measures just 2.3 by 3.9 by 1.2 inches (HWD) and weighs 7.4 ounces. The Sony RX100 II, which shares the same 20-megapixel BSI sensor, is just a little larger and heavier (2.3 by 4 by 1.5 inches, 9.9 ounces). We received a black G9 X model for review, but it's also available in a stylish silver version with a brown leatherette grip.
The camera sacrifices some zoom range when compared with the higher-end Canon G7 X. Its lens has a 3x zoom ratio, covering a 28-84mm (full-frame equivalent) field of view with a variable f/2-4.9 aperture. That means you'll have plenty of light-gathering capability when zoomed all the way out for a wide shot, but zooming in quickly limits how much light reaches the sensor, requiring you to push the ISO when zoomed in and shooting in dim light. The G7 X doesn't have this problem—it covers a 24-100mm field of view, both a wider angle and further telephoto—with an f/1.8-2.8 variable aperture.
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There aren't a lot of physical controls. There is a control ring around the lens, which can be used to adjust the aperture, shutter speed, or exposure value compensation, depending on the shooting mode. The pop-up flash is located on the top plate—it's recessed into the body, but a mechanical catch raises it. Buttons to activate image playback and turn the camera on or off sit on either side of the internal microphone. The zoom rocker/shutter release and mode dial round out the top-mounted controls.
There are a handful of rear buttons. A modest thumb rest sits at the top right corner of the plate, with a Record button for video, the Q/Set button, and Menu and Info buttons running in a column below it. The Q button launches an on-screen menu that allows you to change the focus and drive modes, adjust image quality, set the self-timer, control the flash output, adjust white balance, set the metering pattern, toggle the in-lens ND filter, change the color output, and activate macro shooting. It's an overlay design that runs across the left and right column of the Live View feed, so you can continue to track action and find a shot while changing settings. It's really necessary here, due to the dearth of physical controls on the body itself.
A camera needn't be loaded with controls to be practical, and the control ring does make the G9 X more useable in aperture priority, shutter priority, and program modes. But I find that the touch screen is a bit clunky when it comes to adjusting other settings, especially in terms of menu navigation. It's another reason for more demanding photographers to go for the G7 X ($1,198.00 at Amazon) —it has a control ring around the lens, another rear command dial, and a dedicated top dial for EV compensation.
The display itself is very crisp. It's a 3-inch LCD with a 1,040k-dot resolution—you'll have no issues framing shots or checking them to confirm proper focus after the exposure. It is fixed, though, and I found myself missing the tilting display on other 1-inch models like the RX100 III ($748.00 at Amazon) and the G7 X.
Canon includes its Creative Shot mode, which saves five filtered and cropped images along with your original, with Instragram-like filters applied to each image. As with the G5 X ($849.95 at Amazon) , you can limit the filters to Natural, Retro, Monochrome, or Special if desired—or leave it set to Auto to allow the G9 X to choose from the full range. You're limited to shooting in JPG mode when using Creative Shot. Setting the camera to Hyrbid Auto or Auto also restricts it to JPG only.
Wi-Fi is built-in, and there's a dedicated button to activate it on the left side panel. As with other recent Canon cameras, you need to download the free Canon Camera Connect app for Android or iOS in order to take advantage of this feature. You can use the app to transfer JPG images and video clips to your phone or tablet—some other cameras will convert a Raw file to JPG on the fly for transfer, but the G5 X does not. The app also supports geotagging—just make sure you activate its location log and ensure that the G9 X clock is synchronized with your phone.
There are only two connection ports—the G9 X doesn't have a hot shoe or a connection for a wired remote like the G5 X does. Instead, it sports a standard micro USB connector (to plug into a computer if you opt not to use a card reader for image downloads) and a micro HDMI connector, which can plug into an HDTV. The memory card slot—SD, SDHC, and SDXC media are supported—is located in the battery compartment. Canon includes an external wall charger; in-camera charging is not supported.
Performance and Image Quality
The G9 X starts, focuses, and fires in about 2 seconds, which is a fine result for a compact camera. Its autofocus is a step behind other premium models—it consistently requires 0.1-second to lock focus and fire, while speedier options like the larger Sony RX100 IV do the same in 0.05-second.
If you're shooting in JPG format, you won't have any problems with speed. The G9 X can shoot at a speedy 6.6fps in continuous drive mode. Switching to Raw slows that rate to 0.8fps. The real issue with Raw shooting speed actually comes in when you're not shooting in continuous mode. The camera is unavailable for use for 2.4 seconds after taking a photo, which can seem like an eternity. Compare that with JPG capture, which allows you to take another photo within 0.9-second of the previous capture.
Image quality is in line with other 1-inch compacts. Imatest shows that the lens and 20-megapixel image sensor do a fine job resolving detail. At 28mm f/2 the camera scores 2,088 lines per picture height, which is in excess of the 1,800 lines we look for in an image. Edges and corners are a little soft at the widest angle, however, and narrowing the aperture does little to improve that. The G7 X shows better results at 24mm f/1.8—2,508 lines—although it also has some issues at the edges of the frame at that angle of coverage.
See How We Test Digital Cameras
The aperture narrows quickly—it's f/2.8 at the 35mm equivalent and f/4 at 47mm. My next resolution test was performed at the 2x zoom mark, 56mm f/4.5. The lens maintains its overall quality here, notching 2,036 lines on the center-weighted test. But edge performance is improved—the outer third of the frame resolves about 1,900 lines. Stopping down to f/5.6 improves the overall performance to 2,174 lines, with a modest improvement at the edges as well. The score is steady at f/8, but diffraction cuts it to 1,999 lines at f/11.
At the maximum zoom, 84mm f/4.9, the G9 X performs similarly to its 56mm position. The center-weighted score is 2,057 lines, and edges cross the 1,800-line mark. Edges are better at f/5.6 (1,900 lines), but you'll need to stop down to f/8 to see a significant improvement across the frame—the G9 X resolves 2,262 lines there. At f/11 the score drops to 2,141 lines, still a solid result.
Imatest also checks photos for noise, which can detract from detail and add an unwanted grainy look to photos when shooting at the high ISO settings required for low-light image capture. When shooting JPGs, noise is kept under 1.5 percent through ISO 1600, with images shot at ISO 3200 showing 1.7 percent. I took a close look at the crops from our ISO test scene (pixel-level crops are included in the slideshow that accompanies this review) on a calibrated NEC MultiSync PA271W($999.00 at Amazon) display. Images hold up well through ISO 400. Very fine details give way to smudging at ISO 800, and at ISO 1600 images start to have a blurry quality. Pushing the camera to ISO 3200 increases the blur, and you should avoid ISO 6400 and ISO 12800 when shooting in JPG mode.
If you opt to shoot in Raw—don't forget that doing so slows the shot-to-shot time considerably—image quality at high ISOs is much better. Detail is strong through ISO 1600, without an unuseable amount of grain. At ISO 3200 photos are certainly noisier, but detail is still there in all but the most intricate areas of the frame. Grain is more problematic at ISO 6400, but images are still strong for a camera of this size. At ISO 12800 grain kills most of the detail—but you'll need to move up to a camera with a larger image sensor to see significant improvement.
The G9 X isn't the most full-featured video camera in this class—pricier models like the Panasonic LX100 ($739.99 at eBay) and the Sony RX100 IV shoot in 4K, and even the older Sony RX100 II shoots 1080p footage at 60fps. The G9 X tops out at 30fps, regardless of whether you shoot at 1080p, 720p, or 480p. You can opt to shoot 24fps at 1080p if you prefer a cinematic look. Video is crisp, and the camera does a good job changing focus along with the scene (you can also tap on the screen to choose a focus point), but there is some evidence of the rolling shutter effect. This gives footage a bit of a jelly-like look, with the bottom of the frame moving more quickly than the top when panning left or right, or when recording a subject that is moving quickly through the frame. The internal mic does an adequate job picking up voices, but also captures background noise.
Conclusions
With the PowerShot G9 X, Canon is doing its best to bring the image quality advantage of a 1-inch compact to the consumer market. But even though it's no slouch when it comes to image quality, it really slows you down if you opt to shoot in Raw, and its video functions are not as robust as more expensive models. If you plan on shooting in Raw, it's best to avoid the G9 X, and opt for a more expensive model.
Canon's own G7 X has a superior lens—in terms of coverage, aperture, and crispness—but is priced around $700. Sony still sells the original RX100 ($994.00 at Amazon) —which has a slightly longer zoom lens, but also one that closes down to f/4.9 at 100mm. It's a few years old now, but still a formidable option if you're willing to buy a model that omits Wi-Fi. The RX100 II, which adds Wi-Fi and has a more modern image sensor (the same one that's in the G9 X), sits in between the G9 X and the G7 X in price, but if you're willing to shell out $650 for the RX100 II, it's worth it to go the extra distance for the G7 X.
But not everyone shoots in Raw format, and for snap-happy JPG shooters, the delay between exposures is not as significant an issue as it is for Raw photographers. And as long as you don't opt to shoot in manual exposure mode, the lens control ring provides enough control for quick adjustments to aperture, exposure, and shutter speed If you fall into this category, and want a pocket camera that's capable of delivering high-quality images in difficult lighting, the G9 X is a solid choice.
The Canon PowerShot G9 X is the smallest camera you can get with a 1-inch image sensor, but it has a limited zoom range and is very slow when shooting in Raw format.
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