So, right now I'm shooting with a Canon 400D (aka Digital Rebel XTi). As much as I am in love with it and with everything about a digital SLR, I'm actually looking into buying my next toy: a simple, compact, point and shoot.

Why, you may ask? Isn't that somewhat of a downgrade? Yes, but follow my logic.

Being a student journalist, I wouldn't exactly call it "convenient" to lug around six extra pounds of camera and lenses, in addition to my books and other collegian necessities. When news breaks, it's nice to have something you can whip out of your purse (and it means I won't have to run home to my apartment to grab my canon).

What about quality loss? Yeah, a compact little P&S definitely results in a loss of quality, but based on all the reviews I've read, there is one camera in particular that sparks my fancy: the Canon G9. This 12 megapixel beauty has the body of a traditional film camera and the LCD screen of any top competitors in the p&s market.

I first heard about it on one of my favorite sites ever, Multimedia Shooter. All the professional newspapers recommend the camera as a backup. It's perfect for a new media journalist with its compactness, time lapse feature, ability to record audio and video among many others.

This is what a few of the pros had to say:

"I have used my G7 for over a year and is great for getting into and out of places without shouting about who you are. The quality is trully excelent and although a little noisy over 400asa is almost as good as my d2h. Its a peice of kit I use on a daily basis and i love it. "-D. Berman

"I’m an editor who hasn’t carried a camera in years. I found the G7 (or it found me?) at B&H last year and it goes everywhere with me. I love using it. It’s so much like my old film camera I dearly loved - the feel, the use. I’ve made more pictures in the last year than I have in ages. Fun, fun, fun. The G9 is even better. It is a great choice to have a couple on hand for staff, too." -S. Morrow

And yes, I know I'm speaking from a journalist's point of view, but really, it's good as a backup for any photographer, I say. And it's a good just-starting-off photographer who isn't quite ready for the whole SLR thing. Plus, it's pretty affordable. I've found it on some sites as low as $371 new, but the median price is around $450. That's not bad compared to the $600 for an slr plus the $500+ for lenses.

If any of you own the G9 or have ever used it, please please please give me some feedback about it. I'd love to know how its treated you before I put down some money for it.