With a smartphone in every pocket, the point-and-shoot category of digital cameras has mostly disappeared. Fortunately, there are still some compact cameras - like the 20-megapixel Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II ($430) - that are small enough to carry anywhere but also have lots of bells and whistles...

Slim; pocket size design; Responsive touch screen; Good image quality; RAW shooting and in-camera conversion; Speedy continuous shooting; Easy image transfer to mobile devices

No viewfinder; Modest battery life; No 4K video

We finally found the perfect camera for the casual photographer

The PowerShot G9 X Mark II is a pocketable camera that packs a 1"-type sensor and 28-84mm equivalent F2.0-4.9 lens. On the surface it offers good build quality, a broad feature set, an intuitive touch-based interface and excellent connectivity. However, its lens is very soft, which greatly affects image quality, and battery life is poor.

Everyday point-and-shoot photography;

Sports and action, portraiture, long excursions.;

The PowerShot G9 X Mark II is the second generation of Canon's entry-level 1"-sensor compact camera, and the company has made some nice improvements over the original mode. Burst shooting and buffer size are much better, the UI is a bit snappier and battery life has improved a bit.

Great for general purpose shooting and for studies with the idea of returning for higher quality images with better gear. Great image quality but if they could get a g7 lens in it or whatever fuji uses in the z100 it would be ideal

Camera works great, love it. The touch screen is impressive.

Great little travel camera. Light weight compact and fast shutter.

Easily fits in your pocket; Fast shutter, lightweight

Would be nice to have a bigger zoom

There is some stiff competition in this space. You can get the older Sony RX100 II for about the same price and enjoy a longer zoom range, but you won't get a touch screen. The next model up in Canon's line, the G7 X Mark II , is more expensive, but features an articulating touch LCD and a brighter,...

Crisp lens; 1-inch image sensor; 8.1fps image capture; Touch LCD; Built-in ND filter; In-camera art filters; Wi-Fi; Quite compact

Pricey; Short zoom; Narrow aperture when zoomed; No 60fps video option

The camera is small and takes great photos, which does absolutely no good unless they can be transferred to a computer or phone! The wifi function is glitchy. Called Canon. They had me download another software patch that is so complicated I can't get it to work.

The Canon G9X Mark II is a huge advance on its predecessor and fixes its most problematic faults. It may not be the best choice for creative photographers, but as a casual snapshot camera it's very good indeed.

Slimline; pocketable design; Good image quality from 1-inch sensor; Well-implemented touchscreen; Excellent in-camera JPEG processing

Unambitious lens; Limited physical controls; No 4K video recording