Comparable Camera to the Sony RX100

[mw]

I am looking for a good pocket camera that is comparable to the Sony RX100. What's a good Canon model to look at? Or any other brand that you would recommend.

Thanks.

[LostArk]

Like it's bigger brother the RX1, the RX100 stands alone and unrivaled. There's really no other compact that makes logical sense to buy; all others are either deficient or so large you might as well get a mirorless or bring your DSLR + pancake.

[Kumakun]

I use Canon DSLR's, but for a compact I wound up going with the Sony RX100.  I looked at the Canon S110, G1X, and G15 pretty carefully.  Ultimately I thought the G series was bigger than what I wanted for this purpose (some pocketable), and I felt the edge in IQ over the S110 warranted the higher price (grudgingly).  But as other's have said--if you want to match the RX100 in IQ with a Canon compact, you're kind of stuck with the G series (which isn't really all that compact).  That being said--I think the S110 is pretty good as well (judging from the "sample photo books" at Yodobashi Camera where I was shopping).

I do have a complaint with Sony cameras though.  I live in Japan, and if I want an English language menu I have to buy a "Sony overseas model" (at a higher price).  Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, heck--even Casio--include Japanese and English on their menus (as well as many other languages). 

Anyway, I bit the bullet and bought the overseas model for the RX100.  But I had been thinking about a NEX in the future as a mirror-less system.  Less enthusiastic about it now.

[verysimplejason]

I'm afraid, there's currently none from Canon.  If you are willing to sacrifice a little bit of IQ just to get a Canon compact, S100 or S110 is the choice.  You may also want to get the G15 which is a little bit bigger.  But really, there's nothing from Canon that can go near RX100 in terms of IQ except G1X which isn't exactly pocketable.  If you're willing to use a belt bag instead of your pocket then G1X can easily replace an RX100 and more.  Oh and there's another one I remember.  You can also get an EOS-M with a 22 mm pancake lens.  This is the best recommendation I can give you if you want a "near" pocketable alternative to RX100.

"Physically the EOS M shares similar vital statistics to its nearest rivals. The EOS M body measures 109x67x33mm and weighs 298g with battery but no lens. In comparison Sony's NEX-5N (which also shares an APS-C sensor) measures 111x59x38mm and weighs 269g with battery, making it shorter but a tad thicker. Panasonic's GX1 measures 116x68x39mm and weighs 318g including battery, making it a little wider and thicker. The Olympus E-PL5 measures 111x64x39mm and weighs 325g including battery, and is the only one of the group to include built-in stabilization.
 
 

Just for the record, Sony's Cyber-shot RX100 measures 102x58x36mm and weighs 240g with battery, making it smaller and a little lighter overall, and impressively that includes its built-in 3.6x optical zoom that's equivalent to 29-105mm. For completeness I'll finally add that Canon's own PowerShot G1 X measures 117x81x65mm and weighs 534g with battery, making it noticeably chunkier and heavier than all the models above even with its smaller sensor, although it includes a 4x / 28-112mm equivalent optical zoom.

While Sony's RX100 is undoubtedly a miracle of miniaturization, the figures above should tell you the EOS M is roughly the same size and weight as its interchangeable lens peer group when comparing bodies alone. But of course a camera without a lens only tells half the story and bigger differences emerge when you mount your optics. Canon launched the EOS M with just two native lenses, a 22mm f2.0 pancake (61x24mm, 105g, 15cm closest focusing, non-stabilized) and an 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS zoom (61x61mm, 210g, 25cm closest focusing distance). So fit the pancake and the EOS M becomes 57mm thick and 403g, and fit the zoom and it'll become 94mm thick and 508g."

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon_EOS_M/

[CanNotYet]

Well, like posted before, you could always go mirrorless. Panasonic GF5X weighs in at 225grams, and the lenses are lightweight too:

14mm f/2.5 at 55 grams
20mm f/1.7 at 99 grams
14-42mm 3.5-5.6 Power Zoom at 95 grams.

And you can use them on any MFT camera...

[neuroanatomist]

If 'pocketable' is included in your definition of comparable, the RX100 is it (personally, I don't find anything bigger to be really pocketable - I don't wear cargo pants and I don't always have a big coat on).  I have the Canon S100, it's a great little camera that at the time of its release had the largest sensor in that size class.  That crown now goes to the RX100 (by a wide margin), and if I needed to replace my S100, it would be with the Sony RX100.  If you're looking for a less expensive option, the S100 is a great choice - I don't see anything in the S100 that makes it a significant improvement (and it's an ergonomic step back, IMO), and there are good deals to be had on the S100.

[filo64]

There is a comprehensive test of the RX100 and its peers on dpreview:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/2367736880/roundup-enthusiast-zoom-compact-cameras

I take it there are alternatives, although not necessarily much cheaper ones if you desire comparable quality. The Olympus Stylus XZ-2 seems to be particularly interesting because of its faster lens, which offsets its inferior sensor to some degree, but read for yourself...

[Dylan777]

I am looking for a good pocket camera that is comparable to the Sony RX100. What's a good Canon model to look at? Or any other brand that you would recommend.

Thanks.

What wrong with RX100? Why just canon?

[neuroanatomist]

What wrong with RX100? Why just canon?

Well, for the price of one RX100, I could buy two S100 cameras and have enough left over for a 40mm f/2.8 for my Canon dSLR.  Just sayin'...   

[Dylan777]

What wrong with RX100? Why just canon?

Well, for the price of one RX100, I could buy two S100 cameras and have enough left over for a 40mm f/2.8 for my Canon dSLR.  Just sayin'...   

I still settle for rx100 for this reason: 13.2x8.8mm Vs 7.6x5.7mm in sensor size - don't need another pancake

[dickgrafixstop]

I've been very happy with the Leica D-Lux 2.  While it's now dated, the current "6" model features a
Leica f1.4 lens.  The zoom range is adequate, the images excellent, and it fits in  my pocket.  The
Panasonic equivalent is about half the price.

[RLPhoto]

The G15 has a faster lens, more reach, and Has a hotshoe. Which means Strobe HSS @ 1/2000th which can be very useful for strobists.

[mw]

I'll be heading out to a local Best Buy and pick up the RX100 tomorrow. Will report back to see if it's worth the steep price, comparing to the S100.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

The RX100 price is way to steep.  I ended up paying a net of $169 for my G1X after I received a $400 rebate and sold the free 9500 MK II printer and Adobe software that came with it.
Its definitely not a pocketable camera, but also has a bigger sensor.  I did try a RX100 at our local camera store.
Every camera is a compromise, so get the one that fits your pocket (book)

[pwp]

The Sony sounds like the killer compact. Over Christmas I dipped my toes back in the compact segment with a G15. I had not had a compact since the very ordinary G3 from earlier this century. Really, once you're used to what a proper camera can do,  in terms of sheer image IQ, AF, dynamic range and so on, something like the G15 can be a huge disappointment. I only saw what I wanted to see in the reviews. The G15 is now for sale.

A genuine killer compact is one of photography's Holy Grail items, always just out of reach. Maybe later this year...

-PW