I’ve been looking for a compact for a while, I was previously using the Fuji F31fd – pretty much the best compact camera ever made in terms of High ISO shooting and great pic quality straight from the camera (ISO1600 sample here).
It didn’t have the best flash and it was SLOW (both in AF and operation generally). Anyway unfortunately I either misplaced it/threw it away/or it got stolen.
Either way I didn’t have a compact any more, which become troublesome for more casual social events where I didn’t want to lug the dSLR around. Even as a photographer I need something light, and well it’s nice to have something that can take video too.
I’ve been looking for quite a while and was fairly well torn between the two best compacts on the market right now, both shoot RAW and deliver almost dSLR quality pictures especially in well lit situations. They both came out around the same time, both have strong followings and both have pros and cons.
Canon PowerShot G10
Main Features
- 14.7 Megapixel CCD sensor
- 5x wide-angle (28mm) optical zoom lens with optical Image Stabilizer
- RAW image recording
- DIGIC 4
- 3.0” PureColor LCD II and optical viewfinder
- i-Contrast boosts brightness and retains detail in dark areas
- 26 shooting modes with manual control and custom settings
- Smooth, 30fps VGA movies
At the lowest ISO80 this is THE highest resolution compact ever made with staggering image quality, you wouldn’t be able to tell the pictures apart from those of a similar dSLR model.
After that however it goes downhill, that’s a major consideration for me as if I want to take awesome landscape pics..I won’t be using a compact.
Most likely I’ll be taking pictures in dark places.
As for me personally these are the Pros and Cons of the G10, in general terms and in comparison to the LX3.
Pros
Awesome image quality in bright light
Powerful built in flash
Optical viewfinder
A LOT of external controls for ease of use
5x zoom (LX3 is only 2.5x)
Shoots RAW
Cons
Bulky (Dimensions – 109 x 78 x 46 mm)
Struggles a little at high ISO
Lens not that fast (F2.8-4.5)
You can find the full DPReview here:
Canon PowerShot G10 Review
Sample pics on Flickr here:
Camera Finder / All / Canon / PowerShot G10
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Main Features
- 10.1 Megapixels with Venus Engine IV
- 24mm wide 2.5x optical LEICA DC lens
- F2.0-2.8 maximum aperture range
- MEGA O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabilizer)
- Joystick-operated manual control
- Large 3.0” 460k dot LCD monitor
- Raw and JPEG recording modes
- Up to ISO 3200 sensitivity
- Up to 1280×720 (30 fps) pixel movie capture
- Manual exposure and focus options
- 1/2000th to 60 sec shutter speeds
The LX3 is just an all around good camera, yah it has some downs but it’s a camera photographers can get excited about. Especially photography enthusiasts like myself looking for a secondary camera or a backup to their dSLR.
The only thing that really bothers me is the power of the flash, I guess I can work with it though and it has a hotshoe so getting a small portable external flash is a good option too for awesome party pics.
As for me personally these are the Pros and Cons of the LX3, in general terms and in comparison to the G10.
Pros
Much more compact and pocket sized than the G10 (Dimensions – 108.7 x 59.5 x 27.1 mm)
Awesome wide, sharp and fast lens (F2.0-2.8)
Good at high ISO (very usable up to ISO800)
Good build quality
Great 720p video recording quality
Shoots RAW
Cons
Limited zoom 2.5x
Not as many external controls as the G10
No built-in optical viewfinder
Weak flash
You can find the full DPReview here:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Review
Sample pics on Flickr here:
Camera Finder / All / Panasonic / DMC-LX3
Conclusion
Honestly they are both really really good cameras, I just thought I’d put the info out there for anyone thinking of grabbing a compact.
Both are reasonably priced, the Lumix LX-3 is going for around RM1550 at the moment with a 4GB card and the Canon G10 is slightly more at around RM1750 with a 4GB card.
Honestly I wouldn’t recommend any other compacts unless you need something specialised (superzoom, waterproof etc).
If you want pure ergonomics, solid build quality and fantastic image quality just buy one of these two.
For me I’m leaning towards the LX3 for it’s smaller size, I already have a dSLR so I want something truly compact and light.
