Grainy photos and troubles in macro

[sphelps]

I have a G9 and I find it works really well. You should be shooting in aperture priority mode with the lowest number possible (your f number) and keep the ISO low. Either 100 or 200 at the most, those little compacts don't have a large enough sensor to go much higher than that. If the picture is too dark try adjusting your exposure to the plus side which will slow the shutter speed so you might need a tripod or something steady. Also check your metering, you might need to change it from spot to center average or vise verse depending on what you're shooting.