G9 wo/ Pivot Screen or A650IS with?

[HenrikBP]

I'm finally going to jump into UW photography - keeping it basic for now with camera and Canon WP case. But I'm debating whether to get the G9 or the A650IS. I'm thinking I'll mostly do basic "ohh, look at the pretty fishes" pictures to show the family

The two reasons I'm not sure about the G9 is
1) the lack of a pivot screen. I realize it makes no difference for UW photography, but I really like it for topside shooting.

2) proprietary battery. Requires at least one extra battery and may leave you without power in a pinch, where the AAs for the A650IS are easily available.

The A650IS has the pivot screen and uses AA batteries, and with the CDHK hack it looks like the A650 gains some, if not all, of the software features of the G9 - most notably RAW. The A650IS lacks a hot-shoe. From the specs it looks like both lens and sensor of the two are very similar, if not identical. For continuous shooting and general speed the G9 has the upper hand.

Any thoughts on one over the other, other than what I've mentioned so far for my very basic shooting needs?

Thanks

Henrik

 

[Busdiver]

It sounds like you have made your decision and want some one to say get the A650IS. So go for it.

I love my G9. It is easy to use and the manual mode gives me a lot of freedom.

 

[HenrikBP]

Thanks Busdiver; yes and no. I have used a G5 for work for years. In my work the pivot screen is a must and I've grown to like it a lot for all kinds of shooting.

I'm an admitted gadget freak and would much prefer the G9 for speed, buffer, hot shoe etc. But since the camera I choose needs to do double duty, both above and below water, I'm wondering if I'll miss the pivot screen above water (I realize only I can answer that question) or if there were any other technical differences that I hadn't considered.

For instance, I also looked at the A590 IS which seems to be a great camera and would get me set up with a Canon case for just over $300, but the 20 fps video was a no-go for me. Of course, now I'm wondering if the hack might take care of that ...?

Thanks again

Henrik

 

[BrianDiver]

Found the answer to my initial question.

 

[BrianDiver]

The G9 takes some great pictures and the video mode is awesome. It may be something to consider being able to switch to video and show some high resolution action films.

The side view angle of the G9 is pretty good and the 3" LCD is very nice.

 

[jeraldjcook]

I believe build quality is the only difference not mentioned. The G9 is the better built camera.

I'm upgrading from an A620 and I'm in the same boat myself except I'm also considering the A570is (I'm not considering the new A590is since for some stupid reason they dropped the fps in movie mode from 30 to 20). Big difference in price:
$137 for the 570is
$290 for the 650is
$465 for the G9

I like the fact that the G9 has a hotshoe. I have a 580EXII I use with my 40D, so that's a consideration, but I figure I'd never use this combination when I could just use my 40D. Plus, a G9 with a huge flash like the 580 on top would just look ridiculous.

The A650 has a lot going to it. AA batteries and basically the same insides as the G9 (sensor, lens, etc). Add in CDHK and to me the A650 is the better value. You lose the hotshoe but you gain the swivel lcd and AA batteries.

But then there's the A570. Cheapest of the lot, so I could buy a backup. Then when if breaks like my A620, I can keep the same housing. Plus, this Canon housing is compatible with Inon AD series wide-angle lenses. But here you give up the larger sensor, no swivel lcd, and you need to wait longer for the flash to recharge since there are only 2 AAs instead of 4. But it's significantly smaller and almost half the weight of the A650.

I thought maybe my thought process might help you out. For me, the G9 is a fantastic camera put not worth the premium over the A650. I've ruled out the G9 since I have a 40D but if this going to be your only camera I'd give it a lot of consideration. Having a hotshoe and the ability to bounce a flash of the ceiling is worth the extra $100 IMHO. But if you don't take indoor shots it's a moot point.

 

[Zeeman]

I'd go the A650 - the hotshoe probably will be useless. To take advantage of it underwater, I think you need an Ike housing, and the price of the Ike housing for a G9 is damn close to that of a DSLR - so you may as well have bought a 400D instead.

Z...

 

[Geoff_H]

How many underwater shots with internal flash can you get with the batteries in a G9 and A650?

I know I can clock up 250+ with my Canon Ixy 80, and I love this... so when I upgrade (to the G9 or A650) I would be keen to know if there are any differences?

 

[jeraldjcook]

I'd go the A650 - the hotshoe probably will be useless. To take advantage of it underwater, I think you need an Ike housing, and the price of the Ike housing for a G9 is damn close to that of a DSLR - so you may as well have bought a 400D instead.

Z...

This is just my opinion, but I disagree with just about everything said.

First the hotshoe definitely is not useless, both on land and underwater. A very common reason for choosing the G9 underwater is the ability to have ttl with the ikelite housing because it has a hotshoe. With the A650, in either the Canon or Ikelite housing, the best you can do is s-ttl. On land, anyone who takes photography even semi-seriously will tell you the onboard flash is for emergency use only and to use a Speedlite whenever possible. The difference it makes in photos is truly amazing.

Second, because the A650 does not have a hotshoe, in my opinion there is very little reason to buy the Ikelite housing for it. Especially since you said "I'm thinking I'll mostly do basic "ohh, look at the pretty fishes" pictures to show the family". The only other major benefit of the Ikelite housing is the ability to use a wide-angle attachment which I'd highly doubt you'd use for casual underwater photos. I personally find the smaller Canon housing to be a benefit most of the time.

As for the the cost of the G9 with Ikelite housing costing as much as a dslr, it couldn't be further from the truth.
G9 + Ikelite housing(with ttl for future upgrade) = $1050
Housing alone for an Canon XTi is $1400, plus $600 for an Xti = $2000 (and this is with the kit lens which you wouldn't want to use)
Plus, with the G9 and Ikelite housing you can still use the internal flash, so you would not have to buy a external strobe right away. A dslr on the other hand must have a strobe since the internal flash is blocked by the housing. By the time you bought a decent strobe, tray, arms, sync cords, etc, you've spent another $1000. Add in a macro or wide angle lens and that's another $600. And don't forget the ports for the housing, another $200. $1050 does not equal $3850.

 

[HenrikBP]

Thanks for all the very good points for and against.

- build quality/feel; very good point for the G9. I've "fondled" all the cameras mentioned, and the G9 gave me that "old fashioned" heavy duty quality feel. That's not to say that the other cameras aren't great quality - they are - just a question of feel.

- price; yeah there's that for an entry set-up for UW photography the A570 is a lot of bang for the buck, and it's a considerable jump to the G9. For the price of the A650 you could get 2 A570s

- hot shoe; the Ikelite housing is out of my price range by a long shot, and since I'm a "for fun" photographer, the size of the Ike housing is a deal breaker for me. I most likely won't be using external flash above water either, so it's less important for me.

- Housing/lenses; while I currently have no plans to start playing with lenses, as Nemrod showed with his set-up, the A570 housing with it's round port work well with add-on lenses.

- video; it really is too bad about the 20fps video of the A590. I looked for any info that the CDHK would bump up the frame rate but didn't find anything specific. So if I go with the A5xx series it'll likely be the A570. Of course both the G9 and the A650 IS are fine for video from the get-go ...

Batteries/shots per charge; I don't have any specific information, but the Canon G9 battery is 720 mAh, whereas the A650 IS uses 4 x AA batteries, which if you use newer NiMh rechargeables can be 2700 mAh each. Here are test results from dpreview.com:

Canon PowerShot G9 Review: 2. Body & Design: Digital Photography Review

they got 240 shots from a charge on the G9 - CIPA standard.

For comparison, Canon claims 500 shots, CIPA standard with LCD on, for the A640.

Well, I' no closer to a decision, but appreciate you all taking the time to give your input.

Henrik