The Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II offers a 3x optical zoom lens, a 20.2 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, a 3inch touch-screen, and manual controls, whilst being compact and offering built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. The G9 X Mark II updates the G9 X (Mark I), and features the same control ring around the lens, but adds bluetooth, a new image processor and faster continuous shooting.
Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II Features
The Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II features a 3x optical zoom lens that is equivalent to 28mm to 84mm in 35mm equivalent terms, and relatively bright at the wide-angle end with an f/2.0 aperture, which goes does to f/4.9 when using the full zoom. Optical image stabilisation is built into the lens, to help keep images steady in low-light, as well as help keep video stable.
Updated in the G9 X Mark II (over the G9 X):
- Faster continuous shooting (8.2fps)
- Built-in bluetooth
- New image processor
- Slightly improved battery life
The Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II is one of the smallest cameras available with a 1inch BSI CMOS sensor (excluding the Panasonic Lumix CM1), meaning the camera will easily fit into trouser pockets or a small handbag. The metal bodied camera has a premium feel and design, with a metal mode dial, and a metal control ring around the lens.
With full manual controls as well as numerous scene modes (including HDR mode), creative effects, and auto modes the camera is easy to use for beginners as well as more advanced photographers. Raw shooting is included as well, and the camera will shoot at up to 8.2fps when shooting JPEG or raw images.
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC connectivity are built in, letting you control the camera from your smartphone or tablet, with the Canon Camera Connect app. You can also transfer images, and add GPS location information to photos.
FullHD video recording is possible at 50/25fps (60/30fps NTSC), with stereo sound, optical zoom, and manual controls. You can also use the touch screen to set the focus position whilst recording.
Key Features
- 20.1 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor
- 3x optical zoom lens, f/2-4.9 aperture
- Optical image stabilisation
- 3inch touch-screen, 1040K dots
- Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth
- FullHD video recording with stereo sound
- ISO125 to ISO12800
- 5cm macro focus
- Auto ND filter
- 8.2fps continuous shooting
- Available in black or silver
- USB Charging
Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II Handling
The Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II looks almost identical to the previous version, the G9 X, although there are a few minor changes, including an updated mode dial. The "Creative shot" mode has been removed from the mode dial, and this was used to create random effects when shooting images. You can still access digital filters and effects in the Scene mode.
The camera has the same great build quality as the G9 X, with a metal body, and metal dials. There is a leather effect on the grips of the camera, however they are made of tough plastic, which is a shame, as it would have been nice if they had a soft touch. Due to the small size of the camera, and lack or grip, we'd recommend use of the provided strap.
There aren't many buttons on the back of the camera, with just four, including a video button, a Q / set button, a Menu button and an Info button. Most settings are changed using the touch-screen, although you can also use the front control wheel that surrounds the lens.
Using the Q button to bring up the Quick settings on screen makes it easy to change common settings, and to get to more advanced settings, you simply press the menu button and use the touch-screen to make changes. The touch-screen is very clear and bright, as well as being very responsive to touch making it quick and easy to make changes. The layout of the menus and options available will be familiar to anyone who's used other Canon cameras recently, whether you're used to Canon's compact cameras or DSLRs...
Wi-Fi features - With built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC connectivity you can quite quickly and easily setup a connection to a compatible smartphone, with iOS and Android apps available. On the left of the camera is a Wi-Fi / smartphone connect button which activates the Wi-Fi mode. Using Canon's Camera Connect app you can browse photos, shoot remotely, as well as add GPS location information to photos from the smartphone's GPS data. You can also use the Wi-Fi connectivity to backup photos from the camera wirelessly. The NFC logo is on the bottom of the camera, and the app guides you through the connection process.
Battery life - Battery life is rated at 235 shots according to Canon / CIPA test results, which can be extended to 355 shots using the ECO mode. If you're happy to use ECO mode, then battery life is good, and the ability to charge using a MicroUSB cable means it should be easy to find somewhere to charge the camera.
Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Speed - We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.
| Shutter Response | <0.05secs |
| Wide - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.1secs |
| Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.125secs |
| Switch on Time to Taking a Photo | 1.6secs |
| Shot to Shot without Flash | 0.6secs |
| Shot to Shot with Flash | 1.7secs |
| Continuous Shooting - JPEG (shots before slow down) |
8fps (40 shots) |
| Continuous Shooting - Flash | 2.0secs |
| Continuous Shooting - RAW | 8fps (20 shots) |
Continuous shooting is improved over the G9 X, and the number of shots before slowing down is also greatly improved. Playback seemed slow, with the camera often displaying "Busy" when we tried to go from one photo to the next.
Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II Sample Photos
Sample Photos - The Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II gives images with excellent colour, with very pleasing colour saturation on default settings. Exposure is reliable, with exposure compensation only being needed when you deliberately want to under-expose shots (in low-light for example). You can use Auto Lighting Optimiser (ALO) to adjust the dynamic range captured by the camera if you find shadows or highlights to dark or bright. You can also shoot using the HDR mode if needed, and this will take a number of shots at different exposures, combining them to produce an image with higher dynamic range.
Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II Lens test images
Lens Performance - The G9 X Mark II gives good image quality, whether shooting at the wide-angle end of the lens, or the telephoto end of the lens, with good detail into the corners of the frame. The lens is quite resistant to flare, even when shooting with the sun in the frame. Distortion is minimal with the camera automatically correcting images in camera. Vignetting, chromatic aberrations, and purple fringing are well controlled with very little visible. The camera can focus on subjects 5cm away from the front of the lens, when in the wide-angle position, giving reasonably good macro performance. Optical image stabilisation helps keep images sharp, even when shooting at slower shutter speeds.
Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - Noise is low, and detail is good at ISO125 and ISO200. There is a slight drop in detail at ISO400, and again at ISO800, although results are still good. Results are good at ISO1600, with images showing a slight grain. Noise increases at ISO3200, and there is a slight drop in colour saturation, but we would say that images are still usable. Noise becomes quite strong at ISO6400, but results may still be usable if used on the web. ISO12800 is best avoided. There's a slight improvement in noise performance at ISO3200 and ISO6400 compared to the G9 X, with slightly less noise, and slightly sharper images with more detail retained.
Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) gives a warm result under tungsten lighting. The tungsten preset gives a slightly better result, but for accurate colour manual white balance is recommended. AWB performs very well under fluorescent lighting, with the fluorescent preset giving a magenta colour cast. The camera's AWB performs well under mixed lighting.
Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II Digital filters
Digital Filters - There are a number of creative effects available in the Scene mode, including miniature, art bold and high contrast mono. Examples can be seen above. There is no automatic panoramic mode.
Video - There are a number of video modes available, including manual control over aperture and shutter speeds. The camera records stereo sound, and there are wind filter and attenuator options. Video quality is good, although the sound of the lens zooming is audible if you use optical zoom while recording. Image stabilisation helps keep video stable. Additional sample videos can be found on the ePHOTOzine YouTube Channel.
Value For Money
The Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II is available for £449 which makes it a little more expensive than the previous camera's RRP, although we would expect this to drop over time.
The previous version is available for around £100 less, and only missing bluetooth, and has slower continuous shooting, if you can live with this, then you can save a good chunk of money. You could also look at the Canon Powershot G7 X Mark II (with tilting screen), the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II (with tilting screen), RX100 III (with built-in viewfinder) or the Panasonic Lumix LX15 / LX10 with 4K video recording. Have a look at more serious compacts in our Top 10 Best Serious Compact Cameras.
You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II Verdict
The Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II is compact and stylish, and one of the smallest cameras available that delivers high image quality, thanks to the use of a 1inch BSI CMOS sensor. Having to use the 3inch touch-screen to change controls may not be to everyone's liking, but if you're looking for something compact that can deliver great image quality, then it's worth the compromise. The use of a 3x optical zoom lens helps keep the camera small, whilst providing a wide-angle equivalent to 28mm. For those that want more zoom, or wider lens, then you would need to look at the larger G7 X Mark II.
The Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II offers slightly improved battery life with 235 shots instead of 220. This can be extended to over 350 photos using the Eco mode. The camera also offers improved continuous shooting with an improvement in JPEG shooting, as well as a massive improvement in continuous raw shooting speed. Above all, the G9 X Mark II delivers great image quality, making it Highly Recommended.
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The Canon Powershot G9 X II is compact, stylish, and offers high image quality. |