Presenting this year's crop of raw-capable, easy-to-carry digital cameras. Pocketable point-and-shoots abound in the digital marketplace, but the vast majority are auto-everything snap-grabbers offering acceptable, jpeg-only images and little photographic control. Since April of this year, five companies have brought out products, perhaps in response to internet clamor, that will tweak the imaginations of photo enthusiasts who need serious capability from a camera but occasionally want to travel light.
Above: CANON G10
From left to right:
NIKON P6000, SIGMA DP1, PANASONIC LUMIX LX3, RICOH GX200
Disclaimer: The information provided has been gleaned from around the internet. I've not used the cameras discussed here. Any opinions or recommendations offered are based on recent reports and then filtered through my personal preferences.
The consensus winner of the internet review sweepstakes, hence the big photo, would seem to be the Canon G10. This camera earned rare raves from Michael Reichmann and Thom Hogan. Utilizing 14.7 million pixels, the G10 can deliver almost pro-level quality provided you stick to the base level ISO settings of 80 or 100. Noise is an issue above ISO 200 with all small-sensored cameras; for absolute best results, a tripod is recommended.
A close second, and lower in price, is Panasonic's photographer-friendly LX3 (Imaging Resource), featuring an awesome Leica lens boasting both the widest angle and largest aperture available from this group. The unique Sigma DP1, (DPReview) with its DSLR-sized Foveon sensor, gains praise for its ability to make breathtaking images, but drew complaints of slow response time and difficulty with focussing. Ricoh's GX200 (PhotographyBLOG) is a well-built little camera with an impressive lens but its overcrowded sensor and high price mean paying more money for potentially noisy images.
Finally, the Nikon P6000 (Digital Camera Review) proves itself to be underwhelming in this category and suffers by comparison with the more inspired G10 and LX3. Reviewers were disappointed with its lack of a raw buffer - meaning long waits between exposures while in raw mode - and highly noticable chromatic aberration. Intangible factors like handling and 'feel' met with some criticism and even at 13.5 megapixels the Nikon can't match the Canon's resolving power.
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CANON G10
Released September 2008
14.7 megapixels
6.1-30.5mm 5X zoom lens (28-140 equivalent)
Optical Image Stabilizer
3.0" LCD display
$455.95(USD)
Canon Website
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NIKON P6000
Released August 2008
13.5 megapixels
6.0-24.0mm 4X zoom lens (28-112 equivalent)
Optical VR Image Stabilization
2.7" LCD Display
$437.95 (USD)
Nikon Website
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PANASONIC LUMIX LX3
Released July 2008
10.1 megapixels
5.1-12.8mm 2.5X Leica zoom lens (24-60 equivalent)
Optical Image Stabilizer
3.0" LCD Display
$389.95 (USD)
Lumix Website
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RICOH GX200
Released June 2008
12 megapixels
5.1-15.3mm zoom lens (24-72 equivalent)
2.7" LCD display
$494.95 (USD)
Ricoh Website
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SIGMA DP1
Released April 2008
4.7 (x3)* megapixel Foveon X3 sensor
16.6 mm fixed lens (28mm equivalent)
2.5" LCD display
$699.00 (USD)
*no numerical relationship with standard sensors.
Sigma Website
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All prices from B&H PhotoVideo except the Ricoh from Adorama.
