The story of my world-known Canon PowerShot G9

I posted this on the product review page at amazon.co.uk; on dpreview forums online; and asked to be part of the Canon G9 flickr group to post this too. (this is weird, a flickr group for this camera, and it is invite-only?!...).

Here is the entire and amazing story of what happens to my loving G9. Until today, the camera [bought new, right from the package] has 3 months and this has happened twice: first, one week ago; and yesterday. Amazingly, my camera today is working fine.

My first problem was in fact the lens. Two weeks ago, while I was vacationing around California with my family, I find this perfect round spot on every picture I was taking every single time, during that day. The day before, I checked, every picture was OK with no spots! Since that day, although it really depends on which f-stop I use, normally I can detect the same spot, on the same place of the image. I detect that it does get bigger when I zoom out, and smaller when I zoom in. OK, I have a speck of dust on my camera lens. Nothing that you possibly haven't heard before...

My second problem, and this is a really MAJOR thing... Also happened during my vacation, last week.

One fine day, while I was about to visit the largest tree in the whole world (at Sequoia National Park, if you're wondering ;) ), as soon as I get my G9, it starts acting funny. It starts taking pictures randomly and completely by itself! As soon as I see what it's doing, I just hold it in my hands, without touching any buttons and it just continues taking pictures! Ok, I turn it off for a while, then back on. Same thing happens. As I turn it off, I start thinking that it might be the silver shutter button that might be stuck. Ok, so I examine it for a while and then decide that it really doesn't feel like it's stuck because I can still go half-way with it and then all the way down by pressing it. Seems ok.

I decide to turn it on again, and a new weird feature comes along! So, it still takes pictures by itself, on any given mode except filming, but at this point, whenever it takes one picture, this image freezes on the lcd screen, and I can't really do anything about it because it won't go back to the shooting mode. OK, so I found out that I could press the silver "play" button, press it again, and as soon as it goes back to shoot mode, bam! takes a picture on its own. Cool.

While I try to take advantage of this weird thing, I try to take normal pictures with it, although I didn't have time to zoom in or anything before it took the picture by itself. I soon found out that I was filling up my card with random pictures of walls, the sky, stuff like that. So I wonder, on the "play" mode, probably I can delete these pictures... Wrong! No buttons take any action when pressed. Oooh. Weird.

(this is when I really understand that the problem must be centralized and not a mechanics problem like a button that's stuck)

Next, the camera decides on its own to stop taking pictures. Any button that I press nothing happens; once more, only the wheel works (for ex, on manual mode, I could choose f-stop, etc..). The shutter button didn't work at all.

When I decided to go back and review again the photos that it took by its own, amazingly delete button, menu button, display button, e/v button, the ones inside the wheel and the wheel work! Wow.

So, in conclusion... And it really depends on what "The Camera" feels like doing:

- either it can start taking pictures independently, without me reaching any of its buttons; then the pictures freezes on the screen. I go to "play" mode and none of the buttons work at all (except for the wheel).

- or, it doesn't take a picture on its own, even if I try pressing the shutter button. On this mode, all the other buttons work. I go to "play" mode and all the buttons work. But unless I press the play button again, I can't go back to shooting mode.

[working normally, when on the "play" mode, you can go back to shooting mode by slightly pressing shutter button]

Now here comes the most interesting thing of it all. On the very same day this happens to me, in the middle of Sequoia Ntnl Prk, when I get to the inn and decide turning on the camera... guess what! It works perfectly.

[but really, next to this "camera-with-a-personality-of-its-own" problem, the dust is the least of my concerns!]

Unfortunately, this review will continue just for a couple of paragraphs...

Today I went out with the same camera, already thinking that this was a problem of the past, completely forgiven and almost forgotten.... The damn thing starts again with the whole "taking pictures on its own" and "no buttons working at all".....

I've been messing with it, while I've been writing this, just to check all the problems that occur.

I was trying to figure if, on one of the main menu options, I could find which firmware this camera has, hence I was working on the "play" mode, where the lens are shut and no shooting action must occur.

Yeah, I left it on the menu screen for a second completely on its own, and the camera just turns on the lens and takes a picture.

I think I must have encountered the new meaning for AUTO MODE (for this canon point&shoot, anyways...)

Nevertheless, the image that you get when this camera is free of dust and working properly, is absolutely gorgeous considering it's only a point&shoot.

I will definitely send it to Canon's warranty services. Hope that they will find a solution. [I'm thinking that I should film all of this stuff happening to my camera]

I have reset the camera. Everything continues the same, no progress at all. But I don't trust this camera anymore, so I really will try to send it to Canon.

I wrote this yesterday 06 Sep; just now, 07 Sep, the camera is on its normal mode! The question now is: how long will it remain on this latent sleep until it decides to go wild again? :]