Thanks to this, it packs a punch as a point-and-shoot equipment when it comes to image quality.
It can easily beat many lower-end or mid-range smartphone cameras, especially in low light.
It also doesnt come with a viewfinder or 4K video capabilities.
But for a camera thatsmeant to be a point-and-shoot machine, it does a satisfactory job.
Whats more, the Mark II is reasonably priced at $449 on Amazon.
Design-wise, the camera comes in black or a two-tone brown and silver finish.
The black version is traditionally professional, while the brown and silver version looks more vintage and stylish.
Both come with a solid, metal body, making for an overall premium feel in the hands.
Controls & Layout
The Mark II also features a minimalist layout of buttons and dials.
The same is true for the back of the Mark II.
In fact, youll find only four buttons to trigger different options.
Thus, you should expect to operate this camera mostly via the touchscreen LCD.
Its a bright and sharp three-inch display with 1,040k dotsgreat for both indoor and outdoor photography.
Ease of Use & Handling
As weve previously mentioned, the Mark II is a pocket camera.
Hence, its easy to bring around with you wherever you go.
However, being a compact camera does come with a couple of compromises.
Firstly, there is no handgrip on it.
However, this slim construction also sacrifices a bit of functionality.
We see this prominently in the lack of an electronic viewfinder that some of its rivals have.
Thats because its compact design also comes at the expense of manual controls.
Hence, it can be difficult to get used to or navigate for manual photographers.
Lastly, the small size of the Mark II makes it ideal only for small hands.
If you have large hands, youll likely struggle to handle the camera.
Furthermore, while the touchscreen is responsive, it doesnt help if your fingers cant hit the right buttons.
Connectivity
The Mark II provides ample connectivity for a modern camera.
This makes it convenient if you better quickly share photos and videos on social media on the go.
In addition, it’s possible for you to use Wi-Fi to remotely control it with your smartphone.
While its not something everyone would want, its particularly useful when youre traveling or taking photos alone.
The Mark II also has wired connections.
This includes a micro USB and micro HDMI port for charging and visual output respectively.
It also has the traditional SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot near the battery compartment.
Thus, you dont need to worry about quickly transferring files to your system for post-processing.
It also doesnt have headphone and microphone jacks, making it not ideal for video recording.
It is a step up from its predecessor and is more responsive overall.
Controls, boot time, focus, and shots are all much snappier and fluid with very little lag.
However, responsiveness doesnt determine everything when it comes to performance, even for a point-and-shoot camera.
Lets check out the cameras different aspects and see how it fares.
Autofocus
The autofocus system on the Mark II acts similarly to a smartphone.
To autofocus, you simply need to tap on any subject on the LCD.
This will sharpen the subject and bring them into focus.
However, this doesnt mean the rest of the shot is blurry.
It just means that the camera stays locked and keeps the subject well-focused.
You may think that this is standard stuff even for smartphone cameras.
However, the Mark II adds on to this with other features that smartphones dont typically have.
For example, it has more advanced facial recognition and tracking software built-in.
This means that even if your subject moves, the camera will still lock onto them with ease.
With this, all you gotta do is point and shootliterally.
Unfortunately, the Mark IIs autofocus isnt perfect.
It even has a macro mode and a manual focus mode if you need something more hands-on.
Burst Shooting
As for burst shooting, the Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II shows much promise.
It can shoot in bursts for up to 8.2fpsimpressive for a point-and-shoot camera.
Burst shooting can keep up with as many as 21 RAW + JPG photos.
Nonetheless, its pretty capable for a compact camera and is enough for most people.
Hence, youll find that it performs relatively quickly even in between burst shots.
you could stretch this limit to the 300s if you use the built-in eco mode.
However, its a bit discouraging considering how well it performs overall.
Thankfully, it’s possible for you to easily recharge it while on the go.
Thats because it has a built-in micro USB port for charging.
All you need is a portable battery pack and youre good to go.
Picture Quality
The Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II features a decent metering system overall.
It can handle various lighting situations while retaining true-to-life exposure and brightness.
Moreover, it reflects real-world colors pretty accurately even with mixed and non-organic lighting.
Hence, we have few complaints when it comes to white balance, color accuracy, and exposure.
Of course, the image quality of the Mark II isnt 100% perfect.
There are a few times when its slightly off when you shoot in high contrast.
However, you could easily correct these minor quirks with post-processing because of the cameras RAW shooting capabilities.
Moreover, it depicts ample detail even at higher ISOs.
Its only when you get to ISO 3200 and beyond that it starts to add immediately noticeable noise.
As for shooting in RAW, the Mark II handles noise and retains detail much better.
Even at higher ISO sensitivities, RAW shooting delivers quality images with low grain.
Of course, there is a limit to this, but its much better than JPEG overall.
This is why we recommend shooting in RAW while using the Mark II.
It can handle low-light situations much better and also gives you the option toedit photospost-shoot.
Of course, it’s possible for you to still use JPEGs if its more convenient.
However, shooting in RAW is ideal if you want the best picture quality.
Its a short lens with 3x optical zoom, image stabilization, and a maximum aperture of f/2.
Moreover, if you use optical zoom, you only get an f/4.9 aperture.
As for video quality, the Mark II can only shoot up to Full HD (1080p).
That gives it a large drawback because many other compact cameras can already shoot in 4K.
Hence, if youre looking for something to use for professional videos, its best to look elsewhere.
Price
Being a compact camera, the Mark II is competitively priced.
It only goes for$449.00 on Amazonbrand-newabout the price of a mid-range smartphone.
If youre coming from a low-end or mid-range phone, this might be worth the upgrade for photography.
Thats because itll most likely offer a better image than many mid-range phones.
Check Price on Amazon
The Final Word
The Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II isnt perfect.
It cuts corners on a few aspects to accommodate its compact size and affordable price.
However, its one of the best point-and-shoot cameras you’re able to find with a one-inch sensor.
It also performs well and delivers high-quality photos in a small form factorcertainly an upgrade from mid-range smartphone photography.
The Mark II also has its downsides, like a limited lens range for wide-angle shots.
It also has very few physical controls, which can make it cumbersome to operate.
Theres also no 4K video, viewfinder, or tilting LCD built-in to make life easier.
However, most of these setbacks are non-essential, especially for the average person.
If you want a photography upgrade from a low-to-mid-end smartphone, then this is a solid choice.
