On 3/19/2013 3:48 AM, Piers Hemy wrote:
> Any views on the troika of compact digitals? They seem to be available for
> similar prices on the used market (OK, the LX-5 is a bit more, but it isn't
> used), I would be interested in users' views.
Dpreview tried to answer 3/4 of this very question in this comparative review.
<http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q42010highendcompactgroup/>
(Ignore the fact that they used an S95. Other than video, it's the same as the
S90)
We have different priorities. For example, these cameras are very different in
size/weight, which matters a great deal
to me. And, if I could have done so, I'd have bought my G11 without the added
size, weight and cost of the optical
viewfinder. I've had this type of viewfinder on several cameras over the years,
and they've all been crap (Which was a
REAL shame on a film camera!). They are wildly inaccurate, including the
parallax correction, when included.
> P-7000 looks good with an optical VF, except it's said to be inaccurate, and
> the camera seems to be so slow in operation as to be almost unusable.
This is crazy talk! Why buy a camera you know in advance will either drive you
crazy in use or not get used? Also, it's
just too big for what it does. The Canon G's offer all the control, without the
pain.
> G10 is bigger than LX-5, not pocketable.
This is the oldest design of the four, and it shows in an important area. It
was the tail end of the "megapixels are
all" era. In fact, the decrease in MPs from G10 to G11 was the first shot by a
major maker across the bows of the MP war
Juggernaut.
Just too many MPs for the sensor size and sensor tech of the time. If all you
want is web size images, and don't shoot
high DR subjects, that's not a problem. The G11 is a better IQ camera and
features the return of the G articulated
screen. I'm about ready to let my G11 go*, but I suppose shipping and customs
may make a sale to the UK impractical?
> S90 doesn't have a hotshoe, so no VF possible.
Look at the pics in the review. The S90 is a different class of camera than the
others. It's about size, weight, shirt
pockets - with the minimum of IQ compromise to meet that goal. If that's
important, one does without optical VF, hot
shoe, etc. The ring around the lens is a genius way to put a second control
ring on a body size/shape that otherwise
couldn't accommodate one. (You can tell genius by the number of copiers. ;-) )
Again, an older design. The S100, which I have, has an entirely new sensor
system, Canon made CMOS sensor, derived from
their DSLR sensors, and Digic5 processor, sourced from their DSLR line. Better
IQ and faster processing.
I held off on the S90/95 for their limited focal length range. Compared to the
G11, I was attracted by the size/weight,
but wanted a wider lens, and wasn't ready to compromise that far on the long
end. The new, 24-120 eq. lens is excellent.
> Is the LX-5 the one?
I sure can't answer that one. :-) I've flirted with several LXs, but, for
various reasons, some of which may have
involved excessive pixel peeping of sample images of earlier ones, I've not
bought one.
For me, at the moment, it's neither fish nor fowl. It's bigger in all
dimensions, but particularly thickness, and
heavier, than the S100 I already have and like. It also has significantly less
long range on the zoom.
The only advantage I can see is that the zoom is slightly faster at the long
end - probably directly related to size and
weight. At its 90 mm eq. long end, it's ~ 1 1/3 stops faster than the S100.
Eeny Meeny Miny Moose
* I've really liked the G11 as a second camera to DSLRs, and made many images I
like with it. It's an excellent camera,
with a really full range of controls, wonderful, articulated LCD, even built-in
ND filter. I'd recommend it to anyone
who wants all that.
But actual use since I got the S100 has made clear to me where my real, as
opposed to intellectual, priorities lie. They
have sat, ready to go out, next to each other, on a shelf on the way to the
front door for over a year - and the S100
ends up going. S100 IQ is at least as good as the G11, perhaps a little better,
at least pixel peeping or for large
print or crop.
And now, the poor G11 is being squeezed by the larger sensor E-PM1 from above.
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
--
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