Gear: No Compromises Pocket Camera for Photo Maniacs

Product name: http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=15669

Made by: Canon

Web Site: www.usa.canon.com

I don’t miss film, but I miss my Leica M6. Back in the old emulsion days, I always carried my M6 and two lenses wherever I went. It fit in my jacket pocket, took up no space in my shoulder bag and thus was always at the ready for an unexpected shot, whether I was here in Silicon Valley, or Dubai or Shanghai. Thanks to the M6’s rugged build, simple design and exquisite Leica glass, I captured shots that found their way into publications from Wired to the New York Times. I switched to digital years ago, but despite having gone through several digital SLRs and more pocket cameras than I can count, nothing came close to the no-compromises quality and convenience of my M6 -- until now.

Canon’s G9 is the new M6 for the digital age (and no, nothing Leica sells even comes close). Only slightly larger than a consumer point-and-shoot, the G9 delivers 12 megapixels (think poster-size images), RAW format, full manual settings, hot shoe, viewfinder, 3-inch LCD display, 6X optical image-stabilized zoom and a slew of smart features from face detection to red-eye fix. It won’t fit in my shirt pocket, but it takes up less space in my jacket pocket than my M6 did, and I don’t have to carry multiple lenses. Best of all, the image quality is astounding --indistinguishable from my too-heavy and too-expensive SLR.

Now nothing is perfect, and the G9 is no exception, but there is already an active aftermarket delivering the extras needed to fix the minor imperfections and turn the G9 into the perfect pro travel companion. I recommend a Franiec Grip, and Lensmate Hood (which doubles as an adaptor for optional stacking lenses), and while you are at it, add Franiec’s Thumb Rest, Black Ring and Hot Shoe Cover. Thus tricked out, my G9 is not merely a vastly functional pro camera; it is also a delight to hold, solidly sensual, just like my much-loved M6.

The best camera is the one you actually use, and by this measure, the G9 runs rings around the full-sized SLRs and bags of lenses I can’t carry for lack of space. It is an easy to use no-compromises companion that will deliver spectacular images on full-auto for casual travel snapshoteers, or allow the most finicky of dial-fiddlers to customize it’s myriad settings. I never leave home without it.

Franiec grip: http://kleptography.com/rf/
Lensmate Hood: http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/G7.html