October 21st, 2007
Camera Comparison - Canon Powershot G9 vs Canon 5D
Being somewhat of a photography nut, I recently set out to buy a second camera to carry around for those times when my Canon 5D and slew of lenses would be overkill. After doing a bit of research I settled on the Canon Powershot G9, and last week I finally picked one up. So far I’ve been very impressed with the camera, but I wanted to see how it would hold up against the 5D in an unscientific yet unbiased comparison. And the results were pretty surprising. Sample photos and descriptions for the über photo geeks are below…
Comparison Details
All photos used in the comparison were shot in RAW mode and taken as-is from the camera. The only image adjustments were some slight color temperature adjusting in Lightroom and a little uniform sharpening in Photoshop. For resizing, all the photos were downscaled only, not upscaled, to guarantee maximum image quality. Only natural light was used - no flash.
Wide Angle - Far Focus
My first test was to compare the G9 with the 5D / EF 17-40mm 4.0L lens. As seen below, the photos are very similar. The G9 had slightly more barrel distortion and chromatic aberration by the edges than the 5D, but overall the similarity is impressive.
Wide Angle - Near Focus
Although the G9’s photos look great in-focus, I wanted to test the out-of-focus qualities of the camera. As you can see below, the G9 just can’t compete with the 5D’s background blur. This is most likely the result of the 5D’s larger image sensor. The background blur of the G9 looks blown out and flat, while the 5D’s background blur is oh so creamy. I hate that word though. Creamy.
Macro
The macro capabilities of this camera really impressed me. Besides some chromatic aberration by the edges, the image quality was very similar to the Canon 5D paired with a 100mm F2.8 lens. Note the Powershot G9’s wider depth-of-field than the 5D, which by comparison is razor thin.
Telephoto
Before this test, I would have sworn that my Canon 5D, combined with the 70-200 F2.8L IS lens, would have blown the G9 out of the water. But I was wrong. The G9 held up to the 5D with aplomb. The G9 isn’t quite as sharp as the 5D, but that’s about it. It’s amazing that I can fit this thing in my pocket without being arrested for lewd behavior. I wish I could say the same for the 70-200.
Telephoto - Indoors
Here’s where the differences begin to show themselves. In order to get a proper handheld indoor exposure with the G9 (without using a flash), you need to crank the ISO past the 400 mark. Images on the G9 above ISO 400 get very grainy, and images at ISO 1600 are basically unusable. But if you’re shooting for the web and won’t ever need to enlarge your photos, indoor telephoto on the G9 isn’t that bad. The only bonus is that you do get a wider depth-of-field than on the 5D/70-200 @ F2.8. But with a fastest usable shutter speed of 1/25th of a second, you’re not going to be able to stop too much action with that shutter speed.
Indoors - Wide Angle
Nothing beats a good fast prime lens on the 5D, and while the G9 was able to adequately capture the image, it doesn’t have the beautiful depth of field of the 5D and the 24mm F1.4L. Take a look at the 5D’s photo and marvel at the beautiful the out-of-focus highlights by the sink. Us photographers get off on this shit.
Outdoor, Night - Distant Focus
I was surprised how nicely the G9 held up to my favorite combo - the 5D and 50mm F1.4 lens. The high noise of the G9 is still a little disconcerting, but overall the images look similar when viewed small. Notice the 100% crop of the car interior and how much subtle detail the 5D captured compared with the G9.
Conclusion
Although many of these comparison photographs look similar, it doesn’t mean the cameras are similar. These photos represent the very best photos the G9 is capable of taking, while the 5D hardly broke a sweat. In extreme photographic situations requiring low-light shooting, subject tracking, narrow depth-of-field, and fast shutter speeds, the 5D will surely best the G9. But for situations where you simply need to capture a moment, the G9 is a very impressive option - especially if you’ve been spoiled by the amazing images the 5D produces.
Hey, I was surprised too!…
Just bought a Nikon D80… I’m overwhelmed by the comtrol options and such. Never been a photograph.
Now, will it look better than my Lumix?…
Guess it depends on me - but I did thought before reading your article that the differences would be bigger!…
Thanks.
10.23.07 at 4:47 am
thanks, this is a very interesting, “down to earth” comparison from the user’s perspective.
looking forward to receiving the g9 i ordered and see how it will complete my nikon d80.
10.23.07 at 5:19 am
Incorrect comparision, iso 400 vs iso 800, iso 80 vs iso 320, f2.8 vs f 1.8. Dislike the article.
10.23.07 at 2:29 pm
10.23.07 at 2:49 pm
I have 5 mpx Rekam for the same purposes but shoot with Canon 400d, when need good quality. Seems Canon G9 much better than my Rekam. Thanks for publishing comparison!
10.24.07 at 7:18 am
5D - видно, что лучше, хотя и ПовэрШот не здаёт позиции, ожидал от малютки меньшего, просто таки G9 превзошёл мои ожидания. Американцы, привет))
10.26.07 at 2:15 am
Они сейчас напишут что ты албанец )
А вообще думал брать Canon EOS 350-400D, но думаю Powershot будет лучшим решением. В свете последних-то обстоятельств )
10.26.07 at 6:40 am
Сосите хуй пидорасы
10.28.07 at 11:42 am
Сравнили “Божий дар” с яичницой )))
10.29.07 at 3:42 am
A useful comparisom showing that luxury compacts like the G9 can compliment a DSLR very nicely. Except for high ISO shots and background separation bokeh it has performed well.
I did a similar unscientific comparison with a K-M 5D and a Fuji 9100 (see my website link).
10.29.07 at 1:12 pm
Ok guys, just disregard most of the Russian language comments… because it is either plain crap or outrageous crap.
Thanks for the comparison! Now I’ll have to project the value to their price :-)
10.30.07 at 7:25 am
btw how do u guess about Russian comments? u speak that language?
10.30.07 at 10:17 am
НУ блин :) Ч Т Д :))
10.30.07 at 6:08 pm
интересно, что за нехороший человек так ругается..
Смешные тесты, однако. Ну, похожие снимки маленького размера :), и что? Для сравнения достаточно посмотреть снимки формата A3, сделаные этими камерами.
10.31.07 at 2:58 am
No surprise to me.
I am the happy owner of two G-serie Canon, and I was never disappointed.
Of course, nothing to compare with professional cameras. But G-series are buy far the best products on the market for daily amateur pictures.
10.31.07 at 6:20 am
интересно, человек, который покапает мыльницу типа G9 будет делать формат A3? оно ему надо?
А вообще результаты удивили. Canon - молодцы. Про 5D, собственно, ничего нового и удивительного - все вполне закономерно. А вот G9 действительно вещь (конечно же для своей ценовой категории)
10.31.07 at 6:32 am
Ну и что удивительного? на снимках где на 5Д размыт задний фон ОН И ДОЛЖЕН БЫТЬ РАЗМЫТ..просто это качественная камера и правильно ставит экспозицию и фокусы, реально видно что у g9 шумов больше…ГОРАЗДО больше…и вообще есть ли смысл сравнивать профессиональную зеркалку с цифрокомпактом…у меня лично Olimpus e-330
10.31.07 at 7:56 am
результатом подобных тестов-сравнений должно стать убеждение заходящих сюда в том, что не нужно покупать цифро-зеркалки с эльками, а достаточно заиметь G9, и будет фотографическое счастье. я доступно объяснил, чем “Это” всё-таки лучше, чем “То”. а размытый фон не зависит от качества камеры, а достигается в большинстве случаев максимально открытой диафрагмой, например, начиная от 2,8. при больших фокусных расстояниях - от 3,5.
11.01.07 at 2:25 am
Здесь сравнили снимки. Видно, что G9 хуже и намного. Почему сравнили на минимальных ISO? Давайте сравним хотя-бы на ISO 400. Увы результат для G9 будет плачевным. Но если уж решили сравнить “хрен с морковкой”(мыльницу и зеркалку), то надо сравнивать технические данные. Ну например: скорость съёмки, скорость фокусировки, возможность смены объектива, хроматические и геометрические искажения и т.д. и т.п.
Хотя, G9 как и G7 лучшие аппараты в своём классе. А срвнивать зеркало и мыло - как минимум не корректно.
11.01.07 at 11:07 am
Very interesting - I have been trying to decide whether to replace my Nikon D100 with a 5D as the price had dropped quite a pick (replacement on the way, I am sure). Definately doing it now. The G9? Not so much. For me the quality just isn’t there. Too much noise and chromatic aberrations. I guess I am too picky.
:-)
11.01.07 at 12:48 pm
И что из всего вышеизложенного следует?
11.08.07 at 5:23 am
Looks very great guys. Need to hurry to get one G9. I am not PRO in photo, but for personal use its one of the best.
И для наших, америкосы атцтой епта..
G9 номано. ПУсть в жопу себе камеры вставят и фоткают, надо хоть при равных условиях тесты проводить
11.09.07 at 2:21 am
Ni Hao. Wo jiao ya lin shan da. Xiong mao wey ho.
11.09.07 at 7:28 am
I’m not entirely convinced you know how aperture is related to focal length, sensor size and depth-of-field:
“… can’t compete with the 5D’s background blur. This is most likely the result of the 5D’s larger image sensor…”
Ah, that’s a big no. It’s because of the aperture and focal length/format size.
“…while the G9 was able to adequately capture the image, it doesn’t have the beautiful depth of field of the 5D…”
I’m guessing you meant to say, “…shallow depth of field”, where beauty is subjective you could say that the G9 has a beautiful DOF, since it’s a lot deeper. Whatever.
And truly, using so many disparate variables like FL, aperture, and even ISOs: makes people wonder about your testing methodology. I owned both cameras, and while the 5D is an amazing SLR, comparing the two is borderline silly.
If you really want creamy blur, amazing clarity and color bit depth, step up to Leica or a Hasselblad.
11.24.07 at 5:47 pm
I had 5d, it’s pretty good, but Mark is better.
I cant’ even think about taking photos with some tiny things like powershot or coolpix.
Привет, землякам. Хоош уже срать в каментах у этих янки. задавим интеллектом;)
11.25.07 at 8:23 am
Looking at the objective of this review: “Being somewhat of a photography nut, I recently set out to buy a second camera to carry around for those times when my Canon 5D and slew of lenses would be overkill.”
The comment above by “~galatea November 25th, 2007 at 8:23 am is missing the whole point.
The best camera in the world is useless if you do not have it with you. A slightly poorer picture from a pocket size camera is much better than no picture at all.
Looking at things in this light makes comparing a pocket camera, like the G9, to the ‘quality cameras’ makes a lot of sense.
11.28.07 at 8:44 am
I felt that just by reading this article I didnt get a just comparison with regard to the fstops, shutter speed etc … If I proper comparision was to be made, why didnt both have the exact same settings. I know the G9 is limited in this regard as opposed to the 5D. The 5D is obviously a far superior camera with regard to it’s versitility, and so proper compasison should have been made with like camera settings of the G9.
11.28.07 at 10:21 pm
This turned out to be a very useful article to me, as I own both a 5D and have recentlly purchased the G9 for exactly the same reason.
I like shooting landscapes/nature. So naturally I have to lug all the heavy gear. But I also need to take snapshots of my kids at school all the time. G9 would be the perfecct camera for it.
On the point of attaining equivalent comparison of these 2 cameras, naturally thte f stops/shutter speed/iso settings cannot be the same because of the different sensor sizes. If these settings were set the same, then the apparent exposure and total amoutn of light would be different.
I think the “Cleverest” has shown a good point of G9’s best IQ capability which is what’s important here.
11.29.07 at 11:32 am
Excellent article - I would like to point out that the differences are apparent when making a direct comparison. I have takes shots with the G9 in controlled studio situations and I’ll tell you what… most people that see the photos, other photographers included, have no idea that a compact was used - I manipulate the backgrounds for most of my work so the depth of field is not usually critical and the G9 is permanently in place and slightly hacked for my particular requirements. The photographer is far more important than his tools so for those stuck on nitpicking, get a life and develop some skills.
12.13.07 at 6:03 pm
Thanks for the comparison and I understood what you set out to do from the get-go. I’m looking at getting a G-9 to carry around for everyday situations instead of lugging around all my camer gear and everything I read seems to indicate the G9 does a respectable job.
I also appreciated John’s comments on being able to get respectable pictures in studio settings that even the pros can’t tell was taken with a P&S.
Thanks for taking the time to do the comparison even though some tools can’t appreciate the time it takes to do something like this and can only harp on semantical debates and claiming the test was ‘borderline silly’.
12.15.07 at 3:20 pm
izvenite no nam nado sdelat test
vi ved ne bydete protiv admini
12.18.07 at 12:12 am
I own a similar Canon set of lenses and the G9 as well. Of course the G9 if far away from the “big set” specially with low light, but shotting outdoors at iso 100 or 80 closing at f4 makes difficult to find differences.
The G9 at Macro, with a tripod and external flash is difficult to beat by the 1DsMkII and the 100 2,8 macro…
The main difference is that the G9 is always there to take pictures at any time.
By the way, I find the test quite realistic and un-scientific. Thanks.
12.26.07 at 8:09 pm
The best camera in the world is useless if you do not have it with you. A slightly poorer picture from a pocket size camera is much better than no picture at all.
01.18.08 at 10:51 am
I have a Canon 400D with some nice lenses including the 70-200 f/2.8 IS L but I can’t have all this gear with me all the time. Hence the Panasonic TZ3 which goes wherever I go. And I’ve got some good candid shots with it. And outdoors at 100 ISO its Leica designed lens performs extremely well - hard to pick from a DSLR. Of course low light and action is another matter. About 18 months ago I took my then Canon 300D and 28-135 lens while a friend took his Canon A530 compact. We took identical scenic shots from a tripod, and apart from megapixels the shots were indistinguisable when viewed 100%. As others have said, the camera you have with you is worth more than the one at home, or in the car. Thanks for the review.
01.27.08 at 7:48 am
Great article. I have the 5D and a S40. Was looking to upgrade to G9 as handy backup because S40 IQ even from raw is only ok. Glad to see G9 has excellent IQ for a point and shoot. Might make the plunge now.
01.27.08 at 8:16 pm
i put a wide angle on my g9 and i see a black halo on the screen and picture do i have to zoom past that or is something wrong
02.07.08 at 3:43 am
Nice USER ( not supertech-son-of-tech-supertech) report
So what if some techy details were off, only mad dogs and englishmen and pixel peepers go out with two cameras IRL and use exactly te same set up for every pic
It told ME what I wanted to know - and for that I thank you
02.12.08 at 6:38 pm
Thanks for a good article. Ive had a nikon D70 for a few years and bought a Canon G7 for long hikes and versatility etc. i was completely Blown away by the G7. ALL of the G7 pix were better in the respect of noise and Dynamic range. the D70 always seems to have over and under exposed areas in every pic i take as where the G7 seems to capture this stuff better. perhaps because of the D70’s age? anyway, i just got a G9. also the G9and G7 seem much more versatile and user intuitive than the nikon P5000/P/5100. maybe it’s just me. G9= usefull tool!
03.04.08 at 11:16 pm
The Canon 5D is just an amazing DSLR. I must say the G9 was impressive too.
03.12.08 at 7:55 pm
Thans, useful information
03.26.08 at 4:57 pm