Much has been written about the ideal compact camera. While everyone will have their own idea of what is “just right”, the essence of the ideal compact camera is that it is flexible enough to capture a image of good quality under a variety of conditions and portable enough that you can have it with you wherever you go. The paradox is due to physical constraints: smaller cameras just can’t gather as much light as bigger ones, so that in less-than-ideal conditions image quality is necessarily somehow compromised.
My first digital camera was a Canon PowerShot G2, which was bulky but produced excellent images. I later upgraded to a Nikon D70 digital SLR, and then to my current D300. These were both big steps up in terms of complexity and image quality – but also in bulk. As a result, I often find myself wishing for something smaller and leaving the D300 at home.
After a few years of an escalating megapixel arms race, the camera market has thankfully begun to exhibit a bit more diversity, and there are now quite a few contenders for the title of (my) Ideal Compact Camera. None are perfect, but they are all the more interesting for the compromises they make.
Panasonic DMC-LX3 (specification)
One of the first cameras to buck the megapixel trend, the LX3 features a relatively modest 10 megapixels on a 1/1.6″ multi-aspect-ratio sensor. In its favour are a zoom lens that starts at 24mm equivalent with large maximum aperture (f/2 wide angle, f/2.8 telephoto), a nice high-resolution screen (461k dots) and reasonably good noise characteristics at higher ISO values. The 720p, AVCHD movie mode is a nice bonus.
Compromises
The telephoto end of the lens is only 60mm equivalent, which is a bit short in this day and age – but hardly unusable. The overall size and shape of the camera is a little awkward – with its large, projecting lens barrel it’s just on the wrong side of being easily pocketable. One thing that I think might grate in use is that the LX3 doesn’t have shooting priority; i.e. when viewing pictures you can’t just tap the shutter release to go back into taking pictures again. Instead, there is a sliding mode switch. Likewise, I don’t like the lens cap: in my experience they come off too easily, so need to be tethered to the camera, so get in the way when shooting. There is currently no support for the LX3′s RAW image files in Aperture, and unlike camera JPEGs the RAW files are not corrected for lens distortion.
Canon PowerShot S90 (specification)
The S90 is clearly Canon’s response to the success of the LX3. It too features a lens with an f/2 maximum aperture, but with a more conventional zoom range of 28-105mm (f/4.9 at the telephoto end). It’s slightly bigger than most compacts but a lot cleaner and more pocketable than the LX3, and the Henry Ford paint job means it’s quite unobtrusive. The headline feature – a control ring around the lens – should mean the camera has a tweakable and intuitive control system.
Compromises
As the camera hasn’t been released yet the quality of the sensor and the lens are still unknown: early samples are unimpressive but inconclusive. With a £449 RRP, the S90′s pricing could charitably be described as “niche”. Granted, it’s new, but a ~20% street price premium over the arguably better-specified Panasonic won’t win it many friends.
Ricoh GR Digital III (specification)
The GRD III is a purist’s camera. The specifications read more like those of a lightweight SLR kit: a 28mm, a sharp f/1.9 prime lens (the fastest on any compact digital camera), magnesium alloy body, two control dials and a 920k dot, 3″ screen. I like that it uses the well-supported DNG format for RAW images.
Compromises
28mm. You’d better learn to like it, because there is no zoom, and as such it’s not the most versatile camera. Historically, the sensors used in Ricoh’s cameras haven’t exactly set the world on fire – not sure whether this is still the case with the GRD III. The biggest fly in the ointment, however, is the price: for the £500+ it costs you could buy a lightweight SLR kit instead.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 (specification)
I won’t lie: the GF1 was love at first sight for me. A DSLR sensor in a smaller body? Built-in flash and optional EVF? What’s not to like?
Compromises
But, but, but. It’s bigger than most compacts. A lens that would offer the same flexibility as the one on, say, the Canon S90 would make it a far less portable proposition. The µ4/3 lens selection is as yet quite limited, and chickens and eggs are applicable here: lens development requires investment, which requires µ4/3 camera sales, which are driven by lenses.
And of course, it costs – over £700 with the 20mm f/1.7 prime lens, which is rather more than I’d like to spend on a second camera.
Outside bets
These next four cameras all have a certain je ne sais quoi, but none of them give me quite what I need, I think.
FujiFilm FinePix F70EXR (specification)
FujiFilm’s F-series cameras have always been a bit different. I owned an F31fd and liked a lot of things about it, not least it’s amazing (to this day) low-light capability. This, the latest model, promises high sensitivity and high dynamic range, courtesy of its trick “EXR” sensor, while still somehow finding room for a 27-270mm (equivalent) zoom lens in an impressively slim body.
Compromises
In comparison to the other cameras here the F70′s (admittedly compact) lens is very middle-of-the-road at f/3.3-5.6. What I have read about it suggests that the cleverness of the sensor comes at the cost of occasionally having to work hard to get what you want out of the camera, as some options are only available in some modes. Minor black marks against it are a lack of RAW support and an entirely unremarkable screen.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 (specification)
For a casual user, the TZ7 (DMC-ZS3 in the US) makes a strong case for itself as the only camera you’ll ever need: massive and versatile zoom range, HD movies, high-res screen and eminently pocketable. Better still, Panasonic’s newest-generation processor seems to have substantially improved image quality from the previous generation.
Compromises
And yet the versatility comes at a price, in this case a teeny 1/2.33″ sensor. In challenging conditions the TZ7 just won’t be able to match the quality of output that these other cameras afford. It’s also a bit short on manual controls, but I could probably live with that.
Nikon D3000 (specification)
I was really looking forward to this – Nikon’s replacement for the D40/D60 – as I hoped that with a small prime lens it would make a substantially more portable package than my D300. Pre-release rumours suggested it would retain the relatively compact dimensions of its predecessors while inheriting the 12-megapixel CMOS sensor previously seen in the Nikon D300, D90 and D5000. What we got was the nearly-four-year-old 10-megapixel CCD sensor first seen in the D200, and thereafter in Ds 80, 40x and 60. Sure, there was a bigger (but not sharper) screen and the D200′s Multi-CAM1000 autofocus system, but the other 90% is mostly identical to the D40x, which was released over two and a half years ago. I guess I can always hope for a D3000x with a 12-megapixel sensor and a high-res screen, but for now I’m rather disappointed.
Why not the D5000?
It doesn’t have the right combination of features for me, which means I see it as overpriced. I don’t need video recording, and while the flip-out screen (only 230k dots and 2.7″) is probably a boon for this, Nikon’s live view implementation isn’t yet slick enough for taking photos. While it’s less expensive, the D5000 isn’t significantly physically smaller (and hence more portable) than its big brother the D90, so personally I’d rather pay the extra for the better viewfinder and screen plus an extra control dial.
Leica X1 (specification)
It’s not as if a compact camera with an APS-C size sensor hasn’t been done before, but Leica’s take on it is quite compelling because it appears to use the same sensor (12-megapixel Sony-manufactured CMOS) as is found in the Nikon D300. Which is a lot of sensor for such a small camera.
Compromises
It costs more than my D300 – ouch! Like the GRD III above, you get a wide-angle fixed lens (35mm equivalent in this case) so I hope you know how to work with it.
(Let’s not talk about the M9, OK?)
So what am I going to buy?
Damn fine question. Glad you asked.
A comparison of all the cameras discussed above, for reference.
The Panasonic LX3 looks like the smartest buy to me. Small enough but good enough, with a forthcoming firmware upgrade that will make it even more capable. The only problem is that they’re quite hard to find, and appear to be increasing in price accordingly. (Curse you Adam Smith!)
But before I whip out my credit card (steady there, ladies), I’d really like to see a GF1 in the metal1. Maybe the heart will rule the head…
It probably won’t be at Jessops, who following their recent financial woes have no Panasonic stock. Oh well.
