Looking for my dream P&S...

[TetonTom]

I don't have a P&S digital camera. I'm happy with my current DSLR kit; D90, Nikon 12-24, Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, Nikon 80-200, 50 f/1.4D. I'm not running into many situations I can't handle with the gear I've got. Problem is that even when I whittle down to just a 1-lens walk-around kit, it's still a relatively big package. I figure that I'm actually carrying around DSLR camera gear maybe 10% of my waking hours. I need something I can tote around the other 90% of the time...
When I look back at all my film shooting days (with more or less the same kit), a great percentage of my favorite and most meaningful photos weren't coming from my SLR, but from the little Olympus XA that was always in my pocket.
So I just did a feature search on DPReview, plugging in what I would consider minimum specs; shoot RAW, zoom to 24mm min., and f/2.8 or faster. For kicks, I also added a hot-shoe, as I'm a bit of a strobist junkie and can't imagine not being able to throw on a radio trigger. 10 cameras came in with these specs, of which half of them are discontinued.

Here's the 5 that made the cut:
Lumix LX5
Leica D-lux4
Ricoh Caplio GX200 (this one might be discontinues, as well)
Fuji HS10 (but this one is about the size of a D40 w/lens, no thanks)
Samsung TL500/EX1 (this one is looking most attractive at this point)

Wondering if anyone's used this new Samsung? Check out the review, it's pretty impressive. Especially the Schnieder lens; f/1.8-2.4 across it's 24-72 (eqiv.) range! Cool dials up top and an up-front finger-command dial , too

I'm also waiting to see what the new Canon G? is going to offer, and also hoping the new rumoured Nikon P7000 might be up to specs. Problem with the G10/11 or the P6100 isn't the feature set, it's with the sloooow lenses.

The other option is M4/3. Smaller, yes, but pocketable, not really.

Look forward to input,

 

[shtarka1]

I don't have a P&S digital camera. I'm happy with my current DSLR kit; D90, Nikon 12-24, Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, Nikon 80-200, 50 f/1.4D. I'm not running into many situations I can't handle with the gear I've got. Problem is that even when I whittle down to just a 1-lens walk-around kit, it's still a relatively big package. I figure that I'm actually carrying around DSLR camera gear maybe 10% of my waking hours. I need something I can tote around the other 90% of the time...
When I look back at all my film shooting days (with more or less the same kit), a great percentage of my favorite and most meaningful photos weren't coming from my SLR, but from the little Olympus XA that was always in my pocket.
So I just did a feature search on DPReview, plugging in what I would consider minimum specs; shoot RAW, zoom to 24mm min., f/2.8 or faster, and a hot-shoe (I'm into strobist-style lighting). 10 cameras came in with these specs, of which half of them are discontinued.

Here's the 5 that made the cut:
Lumix LX5
Leica D-lux4
Ricoh Caplio GX200 (this one might be discontinues, as well)
Fuji HS10 (but this one is about the size of a D40 w/lens, no thanks)
Samsung TL500/EX1 (this one is looking most attractive at this point)

Wondering if anyone's used this new Samsung? Check out the review, it's pretty impressive.

I'm also waiting to see what the new Canon G? is going to offer, and also hoping the new rumoured Nikon P7000 might be up to specs. Problem with the G10/11 or the P6100 isn't the feature set, it's with the sloooow lenses.

The other option is M4/3. Smaller, yes, but pocketable, not really.

Look forward to input,

Tom, your list has all winners! I have the SamsungTL500 & i Love it! The Schneider 1.8 lens is Sharp,Contrasty & Sharp! Check my website or the B&W section here for examples. My New Hampshire trip was all Samsung TL500. Good Luck!

 

[Boris Badenov]

good list.

i would drop leica (IMO - way overpriced for what you get)
and add canon s90

 

[static808]

have had the samsung for a little over 3 weeks now. LOVE it. its with me everywhere i go. its not the smallest P&S, but its a helluva lot smaller than my D700. handling is a dream with the two control dials, albeit you have to get used to them being reversed (front dial controls shutter, rear controls aperture). i tend to leave it in on aperture priority and use the front dial for fast EV compensation. so far, here are my observations...

pros: great build quality / fastest lens in class (helps keep ISO down) / usable ISO range of 80-800 / very effective image stabilization / sharp at every FL and aperture, pretty much corner to corner (doesnt have the softness exhibited by the sample from DPreview) / handling (real grippy grip) / articulated screen (best in class resolution as well) / really good battery life after breaking in period (2 full compete charge-discharge cycles) / can turn off all sounds, so it becomes a tiny ninja camera (completely silent).

cons: very slow RAW writing times / not the most compact P&S out there / lens cap can be a bit of a nuisance if constantly shooting / cannot assign custom function button / black opaque status bar at bottom of screen basically obstructs bottom of view, think of it as having 95% viewing area instead of 100%.

i've heard video sucks on this camera, but i havent tried it so far and wont try it. i have a dedicated HD camcorder for that. hopefully this helps you out a bit. basically, if youre not gonna be shooting bursts (slow RAW times), dont mind cropping a tiny bit in PP (or simply get used to compensating for the black bar at the bottom, like i have), and have no need for HD video, i really cant think of a better P&S camera on the market right now. good luck!!

 

[Growltiger]

The Leica D-Lux 4 is the same as the Panasonic LX3, the predecessor of the LX5 on your list. Well not quite the same, it has a red dot on it and costs a lot more. Cross it off.

I strongly recommend the LX3, and therefore the LX5. The Leica lens is excellent. 24mm f/2. The wider aperture helps reduce the need for higher ISO.