Last week I mentioned I was in the market for a new point-and-shoot camera.  A co-worker had dropped my last camera and basically destroyed it.  I had gone more than a year without a proper camera, but even before that I found it was much easier to just use my phone.  The last couple of Samsung Galaxy phones have had really great cameras, so I didn’t feel I was missing out on too much.

I did really want a proper camera though.  A few people commented on my last post, a few more emailed or sent a DM with suggestions.  I also mentioned my want to a couple of friends and the one camera that came back most frequently was the Canon Powershot G9X.  Everyone I spoke with loved this camera because it was compact, took quality photos and didn’t break the bank.  The other consistent comment:  It’s a good solid camera – one that excels in it’s class.  It gets the job done, but you aren’t going to become a professional photographer with this piece of equipment.  Got it.  Seems to fit what I was looking for.

Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II camera

I found it on Amazon, with same day Prime delivery.  It retailed for $429, but with an AmEx deal, I got $30 off, plus I had $100 in Amazon Gift Card (additional compensation from a recent speaking engagement).  All in I spent $320 on this camera.

It didn’t come with an SD card either, so I decided to purchase a new one. The ones I used before were a few years old and were on the slower side. I didn’t want to get stuck trying to get a great video with a slow card.

I took this bad boy out for a spin over the weekend and I’ll share some of my photos soon.  As for my initial impressions, it is indeed small and easily fits in my pockets.  There are a ton of automatic settings and scenes included.  The camera also had what appears to be a pretty robust manual function – something that my last couple of cameras had too, but I didn’t do any research in how to use those functions at all.

Other than just going out and taking pictures, any other advice on how to get use to a new camera before a trip?