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The hunt for the perfect point & shoot camera

I enjoy photography a lot and I have a whole range of cameras each serving a different purpose. The problem with most of my cameras is that they are just too big to carry around all the time. While in Munich although I had a lot of fun shooting with my old Nikon FE the fact remains it weighed a ton and I had to carry it around in a shoulder bag.

I currently have two small point & shoot cameras but they’re pretty outdated. I have a cheap Canon A530 camera which I keep in the car and then I have a Sony N1 which I am currently taking when I’m traveling. Problem with the two is that A530 doesn’t fit into my pocket and the Sony N1 doesn’t do well in dim lit situations. Thats why I’ve decided to search for a replacement. What I would like to have in my perfect camera is the following:

– Small size
– 6MP and up
– Bright lens
– RAW capabilities
– Great battery life
– Great image quality
– Great high iso performance
– Camera controls on top (like SLR’s)
– Character
– Metal body
– Needs to look good
– No budget (ok not Leica M8 budget)

If I was going to get a large DSLR camera I would get the Nikon D300 in a heart beat. Its a very easy decision since there aren’t that many high end DSLR’s to choose from. With a point & shoot camera its a different story, there are like a hundred different cameras to decide from and each has a different advantage. I’ve been doing a lot of research the past few days and so far the following are the cameras I am deciding between:

G9
Canon G9
Great camera, shoots RAW, solid build but has decent high iso performance and I don’t think the camera fits into my pocket so it kinda kills the point.

GX100
Ricoh GX100
Its got a retro look, very solid build, shoots RAW, bright lens and great image quality. Problem is RAW shots take 5 seconds to save and has poor high iso performance which is a killer for me.

Sigma DP1
Sigma DP-1
This camera also has a retro look and also has a solid build. It uses the same image sensor as larger DSLR’s which means the image quality is fantastic. It has great high iso performance but the camera costs more than double the price of all the other cameras I am checking out and it only has a fixed 28mm lens which although I am a fan of isn’t really practical for my purpose.

Fuji F100
Fuji Finepix F100fd
Not really a Fuji fan but this camera has excellent low light capabilities. Iso goes up to 3200 and the 1600 iso is pretty usable judging by the pictures online. But, I think this camera is really ugly, lacks character and many people have complained about its interface.

Sony W300
Sony W300
This camera and the next one below are fairly conservative choices. The W300 is a great size, looks good and has a durable black titanium body. It also has a pretty decent high iso performance and was the camera I was going to get except for the fact many users have complained about poor image quality.

Nikon S600
Nikon S600
The cheapest camera from the bunch. Has excellent image quality, great size and looks plus a very fast start up time. Main problem with this camera is the shutter lag and no manual option.

Which camera am I going to go with? I have no clue at the moment. Its a tough choice and each camera has its advantage, I will probably do a bit more research and then decide what to get but so far I think I am leaning towards the Ricoh GX100. Once I decide I will post again here.

Update: Ok, the Ricoh GX100 which I had my mind set on will NOT fit into a jeans pocket [Picture]. I thought it was smaller than that. So now the G9, GX100 and Sigma DP1 are out of the picture. The Ricoh though looks like a great camera made for photographers. I was flipping through pictures taken by the GX100 on Flickr and all the pictures feel very film like. [Flickr Pictures]

64 replies on “The hunt for the perfect point & shoot camera”

How’s about the smaller Canon’s (Ixus)? I used to own one and it was the best cam I ever had. I switched to Pentax and regretted it. My Mum uses an Ixus (I forget which) and the images they have blown up to A3 and printed are almost DSLR quality.

You won’t miss with Nikon or Canon.

Sony’s good, but every cam seems to have its own personality. Let’s just hope you’re one of the lucky ones. :p

A lot of my friends got the Sony W300; they’re loving it so far.

CANON S5! But it won’t fit in your pocket. There aren’t many point and shoots that supoprt RAW, they are very few. This Olympus is excellemnt, but again, it won’t fi into your pocket. https://www.amazon.com/Olympus-SP-570UZ-Digital-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B0011E67VA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1214163650&sr=1-3

But, a point and shoot is made to capture this rare moments, you don’t need to capture them in RAW or stuff like that. Just get a normal one!

carl ziess is just used foe advertisement purpose

i owuld go with the Fuji f100 bcoz of the many positive reviews and the most important the great performance for night shots

have u considered the canon sd 790??its an excellent camera, fits in your pocket, and its gotten pretty good reviews…best thing is that camera itself looks very nice, and in the end the picture quality is excellent…but controls are a bit hard to navigate through…

Carl Ziess = Plastic.
Thats not what the salesman at Al Ghanim told me. He said its very good cause its German and he showed me the difference between a shot from A Sony camera and a Panasonic Camera. The Sony shot was way better.

BTW i dunno anything about cameras

1) he is a salesman
2) he is a salesman at alghanim
3) i could show you shots from a panasonic that look better than a sony, lots of factors come into play
4) carl zeiss are famous for their lenses but not the crappy p&s lenses, their lenses are used on proper cameras and costs thousands of dollars.
5) he is a salesman at alghanim you seriously taking advice from him?

Canon G7 is one of the best camera I have ever used, the optical zoom is amazing and the clarity you get from it is great. Canon is the far best camera for color resemblance as I have ever seen, and it is also know for it.
I also have the same problem regarding travel and camera, but beeing a girl it is of course more easy since I carry handbag with me. So I cant really help, except that the zoom has been an a clear winner for me to still take the little extra weight with me, where ever I go. … And it also handels beeing dropped now and then bc of its steel case. Only minus would be the batterie life… but solvable with a extra one.

For party pocket I use Canon ixus 70, slick steel case with same picture quality as G7. But without the zoom.

One more ting, the leather cases for both cameras can be bought in Amazone since Kuwait dont have these extra original accessories.

My opinion only…=) and good luck with it.

Q80 BOY,, he’s not only a salesman,, he’s a salesman at alghanim

ppl here are making judgment base on looks!! i’m not having sex with the cam to care about how it looks,, the function and purpose is the important here

I’ll save you the time, only canon does the lightest Point & Shoot with all the manual specs you require ..

actually the canon sd790 can go up to iso 1600…try looking up canon ixus 90….same camera…and there is a separate mode for iso 3200 also…

im surprised leica d-lux 3 isnt on there… thats what i shoot with, and i think its excellent. its not that expensive either. i have pics on my flickr, but im sure you can just goto flickr and check out some of its pics. Shoots in raw and everything

i would go for a canon i have now for over 3 years and its just amazing and the build quality on it is second to none and the pics are great

Take a look at this website: http://www.kenrockwell.com. Rockwell is one of the best known digital camera reviewers and writes extensively on the use of Nikon equipment. His recent article on recommended cameras will be of interest to you.

Well Mark… I’d go for the Canon IXUS series…. I’ve had a an IXUS 800 IS for almost 2 yrs now and its been the best… I recently brought another IXUS for my in laws…. Ive had a Sony in the past and i just hate it…

So my vote is for the Canon IXUS series preferably with Image Stabilizer (IS)

1. Camera fitting in pocket
2. Great image quality

These are mutually exclusive. At least as of now.

Whatever you choose will give you fine results in some conditions and horrible in others. You will never be satisfied.

Be a man and get a D300. Small form factor be damned.

Abdullah: I am not a fan of Panasonic which the Leica basically is. The only Leica digital camera I would consider is the M8 but at $5500 without the lens, thats not going to happen any time soon lol

hey guys,,, share ur experience with me pal,, i wana start a flickr account, so whats’ the ” best camera ” for takin images , iam not a Pro, but i want to shoot a good quality images so they’ll look perfect online !! ? what do u suggest me to take ?

It really depends on your definition of “pocket”. Almost all of the cameras suggested by you and your readers would fit comfortably in the side pocket of cargo pants. However, if you’re talking about a skin tight Versace shirt, then it’s an entirely different story.

Anyway, let us know your final verdict when you make the purchase.

I bought the canon powershort G9 2 weeks ago. I made lot of research to choose the good one.
I was like you, I didn’t matter of the price I only focalise on the specs.
I had the same has you. 6M pixel, RAW, large screen, very high quality of the images… AND firstly the size of the camera !!!
AND also if you have any problem with you camera, canon have a very good aftersale!!
Go ahead for the CANON and enjoy 😉

ummmm again like Carl Zeiss lenses on Sony cams are just a gimick, Leica lenses on Panasonic cams are also just a gimick.

When you consider the fact that the cheapest Leica lens you can buy on Amazon costs $1,750
https://www.amazon.com/Leica-50mm-SUMMICRON-M-Black-System/dp/B00007LKHY
and that most Leica lenses cost over $3,000 then you get a better idea of the quality of the Leica lens that comes on a $400 camera.

So yeah, I AM looking at good lenses but thats why the Sigma and Ricoh are up there on the list while the Panasonic cams aren’t.

Adam: Just in case you weren’t aware of this. Panasonic and Leica digital cameras are all exactly the same, they have the same electronics, and same lenses, the only thing that differs is the case of the cameras which are slightly different. Leica also is a few hundred dollars more. The Leica M8 I believe is the only Leica digital camera that isn’t a Panasonic and the only one regarded as a true Leica.

Great post mark, just update us on your final choice,

I am glad someone is doing this on behalf of many of us.

Mark see this
dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_sd890is%2Coly_stylus1020%2Cpanasonic_dmcfx500%2Csony_dsct300&show=all

i need ur help , im looking for something simillar to what u stated above, size is THE most important thing for me , the following are not cheap but fairly priced, i think! im thinking of getting one of them, not sure which yet, so here they are and i want to know which do u recoomend please

Canon IXUS 80 IS Digital Camera (8.0MP, 3 xOptical Zoom) 2.5″ LCD

or

Canon Digital IXUS 90 IS Compact Camera (10 MP, 3x Optical Zoom) 3.0” High Resolution PureColor LCD II

Q80-ChillGirl its hard to go wrong with whatever camera you buy today specially if its from established brands like Canon. If its size what you’re after then go check them out live at Alghanim or a place and try it out, if the size is right you got yourself a camera 🙂

is Panasonic that bad, I just like how it looks, Adam.. No currently I dont own a lecia but thinking of getting one

No Panasonic is not bad at all, it just didn’t fit what I was looking for and needed from the camera. If you have the money go for the Leica since it looks cooler and has the Leica logo on it but if you don’t care about the looks get the Panasonic version of the camera and save a few bucks.

the best point and shoot in the market is powershot s5 but i would highly recommend a dslr something entry level like the nikon d40

hassan the Canon S5 isn’t the best P&S. The best Canon P&S is the G9.

I also already have a Nikon D70 but as I said in my previous post I need something that fits into my pocket, the D40 doesnt.

Hey Mark,

It was good giong thru your post and replies. You decided and bought anything yet?

Looking forward to your story 🙂

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