Flounder said:
I need to upgrade my current "happy snapper" to something a little more substancial. I'm currently shooting a 2 year old Sony 7MP camera with a Zeiss glass. All in all....pretty happy with it, but I'm at the upper end of its abilities. I'm just not able to capture everything I think possible with a P&S.
So, what are the big contenders these days?
Canon G9 (or soon to be G10)
Leica LUX 3
Sigma has a relatively chi-chi unit.
I'm leaning towards the G9.
Thoughts?
G9 ... Period.
Raw capture capability, Canon image quality, acceptable noise levels up to ISO 400 (many P&S are crap over ISO 200), IS, 6x optical zoom (although, with a 35-210mm range (35mm equiv) it isn't very wide at its widest), relatively fast at f/2.8-4.8, 3" LCD and a manageable size. I've a Canon SD850IS, two of them, actually, and I'll be replacing one in the near future with a G9.
I really wanted to like Leica's point-and-shoots, shopping the C-Lux as an "always with me" camera. Unfortunately, all Leica P&S's suffer from unacceptable noise levels (as do their Panasonic counterparts). Couple that with the fact they lack Raw capability and it's a no brainer to skip 'em.
Fuji's FD31 was another worthy contender. It lacks Raw and suffers from the same noise issues as most P&S, but, like the Canon, is acceptable to around 400 and gives usable results up to 1600.
Sigma has some innovative features and impressive designs (if not a quality feel), but test results haven't been great. I've not sampled one personally so can't speak.
