Canon G9 photo quality in low light?

Question

I'm looking at upgrading my Ricoh R4 to a Canon G9, but I don't want to spend all that money and find I have the same problem. I only bought my R4 a year ago, but I've found that it's HOPELESS in anything less than natural light no matter what the various settings are. All the photos I take (at maximum MP) in artificial or low light are just so noisy/grainy that it takes hours of effort to make them usable but at a vastly smaller size than the full size.

I like the features that the G9 offers and I've heard good things from a lot of people, but I personally have had nothing but trouble with the three previous Canon cameras that I have owned! I'm willing to give them another go, but I want to know I'm not going to buy another camera that's going to annoy me in less than a year.

I like to photograph a bit of everything from outdoor to indoor to concerts, so I need something versatile. I'm looking for opinions and options on how I can find out what the G9 is like to work with

If there was somewhere (Sydney Australia) or some way that I could "test drive" the camera for like a week, I'd really like to know!!!

Please, do not suggest I go to a SLR/DSLR!
#1 - I cannot afford one!
#2 - I want a smaller sized camera that I will be able to take places without the hassle of carrying around a bulky camera and accessories.
#3 - Any large cameras that appear to be professional grade will be confiscated at events - especially concerts!
#4 - At present, I don't have a need for all the additional features etc that come with an SLR/DSLR camera.

Whilst I would very much like to have one, at the moment I cannot justify buying one nor would it get used often enough to justify it.

PLAIN ENGLISH answers greatly appreciated!!! I only know the barest minimum about the technical side of cameras, and whilst I'm learning, it's still tricky to understand all the technical terms.

Answer 1

The Canon G9 uses an image sensor that's virtually identical to the Nikon P5100, and both cameras do a good job at up to ISO 400. Go beyond this, and you'll begin to see more noise/graininess the higher the ISO setting.

The Canon G9 has the ability to shoot images in RAW, however. What this means is that the camera doesn't process the image file -- you do that to your liking on your computer using a program such as Adobe Photoshop. With this, you can minimize some of that graniness, if you have the software to do it.

There's a very extensive review of the G9 here, that includes some detailed image quality tests, including low light/high ISO tests: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong9/ This is a must read for you.

The bottom line: As much as I like Canon cameras in general and the G9 in particular, I'm not sure if this is the right camera for you, based upon your previous dislike of the brand and your shooting requirements.

Unfortunately, you're going to have to compromise someplace. Either budget has to go up, or intolerance for graininess has to go down. There really isn't an alternative camera to recommend to you in this price range.

Answer 2

no small camera is good in low light
no matter what they say
you just have to live with it
that is my opinion

Answer 3

The problems you have experienced with your Ricoh in low-light conditions - "noisy images" - is caused by a very high ISO (800 on your Ricoh) and a small sensor. Your camera is setting a high ISO to get a shutter speed that avoids a blurred image caused by camera shake.

Unfortunately there is no camera that can magically take good images in low-light conditions. Correct exposure is a product of the amount of light admitted by the lens (which is controlled by the f-stop chosen) which then determines the shutter speed, regardless of the ISO used*.

Unless the PHOTOGRAPHER using the camera knows what they are doing the images will be of poor quality. Having the right equipment is also necessary. If your lens has a maximum f-stop of f2.8 and mine has a maximum f-stop of f1.2, under the same conditions you'll be shooting at ISO 3200 while I'm shooting at ISO 800. Care to guess which image will be better?

The Canon G9 with more megapixels might give slightly better results in low-light concert settings but IMO you'll still be disappointed unless you take control of the camera. That means you will be shooting in Manual Mode or in Shutter Preferred. Use the Noise Reduction in the camera.

IMO you should consider the next step up in cameras and look at what is available in a DSLR. Both Sony (A100) and Pentax (K100D Super) offer very good DSLR cameras that are only slightly more expensive than the G9. If I were choosing, my choice would be the A100.

Why? 10mp, Anti-Shake, uses every Minolta Maxxum AF lens made since 1985 and most of the accessories Minolta offered for the Maxxum digital cameras. (FYI, Sony bought the Minolta camera line in 2006 when Konica-Minolta quit the camera business).

With a DSLR you'll have more creative control and better images.

* A higher ISO will allow either a faster shutter speed or a smaller f-stop such as f4 instead of f2.8 but at the expense of image quality.

Answer 4

One of the main reason why pocket camera is grainy/noisy in low light condition is because its small sensor size and high megapixel number. At certain point, the higher the megapixel a camera have, the higher noise it is going to have.

At this point, I won't recommend the G9 if you're taking pictures in low light often because it has 12.1 megapixel with a (relatively) small sensor. Some people have reported that they found noise even at ISO level of 400 which could be contributed from that small sensor/high megapixel thing.

The best solution for low light condition obviously an SLR camera. However, you mention that you take pictures in concerts a lot - which can be a problem. Unless you have a press card/you're one of the officials, the usher in the entrance usually will not allow an SLR or any professional looking camera. Smuggling them won't be a good idea either because it is a big camera by nature.

So, that being said... Fujifilm makes good pocket camera that can handle low light condition like no other camera. I can't tell you any model because I'm not an expert with Fujifilm camera, but I've heard many people swears by them.

Anyway, I'm not saying that the G9 is a bad camera - it is actually a great camera in term of build quality and interface, but in term of noise level... you might want to pass on this one.