Canon PowerShot G9 hits 12

Despite the plethora of cheap dSLRs on the market, there's still room for some all-in-one, relatively compact enthusiast cameras--at least that's what seems to keep Canon's PowerShot G series going year after year. The latest model, the PowerShot G9, replaces the G7; the model naming skips a digit, lest it be confused with the more economically inclined G8 summiteers.

Key specs:

• 12 megapixels
• f/2.8-to-4.8, 35mm-to-210mm-equivalent (6X) optically stabilized lens
• Raw file support
• 3-inch LCD
• Digic III image processor

Still smarting from users' response to its having dropped raw-format support form the G7, Canon reinstates support with the G9. The 12-megapixel sensor is the same as that used by the new A650 IS, as is Digic III image processor. It uses the same lens as its predecessor, which we found had quite a bit of distortion at the 35mm-equivalent end.

Canon expects to ship the PowerShot G9 in late September for $499.