Compact cameras for advanced shooters (roundup)
Are you ready to step up to a more sophisticated model or ready to step down to something smaller than a dSLR? These are for you.
The most recent enthusiast compact we've seen, the Canon PowerShot G1 X, delivers excellent photo quality but it's relatively expensive given its meh lens.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Editors' note: This story was originally published on November 21, 2011, but has been updated to reflect more-recent reviews. The Canon Powershot G1 X was added in the latest update.
It's a common complaint: you want the photo quality of a dSLR but find you're leaving the camera at home because it's so large.
The compromise is a compact camera with a sensor larger than a typical point-and-shoot--sometimes even the same size as a consumer or midrange dSLR--and sufficient manual control over aperture and shutter speed to allow for a measure of the creativity to which you're accustomed. What you sacrifice is the speed of a dSLR's faster phase-detection autofocus, and more often than not, the improved shooting experience delivered by a through-the-lens optical viewfinder.
These dSLR complements come in two versions: ones with the traditional larger-than-average point-and-shoot design, and the newer models, which offer interchangeable lenses but attain a svelter profile by jettisoning the mirror and prism optical path, which is one factor that keeps dSLRs so large. Of course, once you start adding on to the latter models, like tacking on an EVF and even a modest zoom lens, they start to get pretty big. Still, equipped with a kit pancake prime lens like the 17mm (Olympus) or 14mm (Panasonic), they remain quite pocketable. But they also tend to be quite expensive compared with the all-in-one models.
Here's my take on how the fixed-lens models stack up.
Canon PowerShot S100
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET )
Canon PowerShot S100
If you want the smallest model, the Canon PowerShot S100 packs a fast, wide-angle lens and a relatively large 1/1.7-inch sensor with a nice manual control ring into a pretty small 7-ounce frame. It delivers notably better photo and video quality than its predecessor, the S95, and offers geotagging and a longer, wider-angle 5x zoom lens. Read the full review.
Olympus XZ-1
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Olympus XZ-1
While none of these models could be considered a speed demon, if every microsecond counts, then check out the fastest in this class, the Olympus XZ-1, tied with the Fujifilm FinePix X10. The XZ-1 is an extremely good camera that's enjoyable to shoot with, but I found the photo quality fell a bit short, in part because of the unimpressive JPEG processing. But if you're planning to shoot raw, then this is an excellent choice. Read the full review.
Fujifilm FinePix X10
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET )If you need an optical viewfinder, you've got a few "reasonably" priced choices: the Fujifilm FinePix X10, Canon PowerShot G1 X, Canon PowerShot G12, Nikon Coolpix P7100, or last year's P7000. The Fujifilm is the fastest performer of the group, and is capable of producing nice images--but not without some annoying effort--and it's also more expensive. The G12 builds around the same sensor as the S95, but with a flip-and-twist LCD. Though it's got a 5x zoom like the S100, it doesn't start at as wide an angle. The P7000 offers a longer lens than the G12 but is otherwise pretty comparable. Read the full review.
Fujifilm FinePix X100
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Fujifilm FinePix X100
If money is no object and you simply want the best photo quality, the Fujifilm FinePix X100 delivers that hands down. Plus, it has a very nice hybrid viewfinder that switches between optical and electronic. However, it's kind of big to think of as a compact, it's slow, and the main back control dial can be very irritating. It also has a fixed focal-length lens--which is partly responsible for the high photo quality, but which makes also it less flexible for some shooters. The Canon PowerShot G1 X also has excellent photo quality with a zoom lens, but I found the limitations of the lens too frustrating given its relative price, between the G12 and the X100.
Compare these cameras head to head.
What about the others? Though it's a very nice camera, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 isn't as small as the rest and suffers from poor JPEG-processing artifacts, but if you shoot raw it's a great option. It received a firmware update in mid-September that should improve performance and maybe photo quality; we haven't had a chance to retest it yet. There's also the Samsung TL500, a fine camera that simply doesn't manage to stand out above the others in any respect.
There's one important camera in this class that I've yet to test: the Nikon P7100. Stay tuned.
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