Typical Small Camera Question

[fatpirate]

You know all about them. You have weighed the pros and cons for yourself and for others. Now do it for me.

I have the 5d II and some decent glass. I need something that isn't so sang heavy. I am going on a 3 week trip to the Utah National Parks and don't always want to lug such a heavy camera in the heat.

The contenders:

X10 Relatively small. Good images and zoom. Not really small enough. I would try the X100 but the price feels too high.

S100 or more likely refurbished S95. Smaller and canon. Less expensive too.

Go pro HD2.  $240 during REI sale this weekend. Like the versatility and could pick up some accessories as well. Like the idea of waterproof and super small. May be going in the Narrows so the waterproof would be a major plus. Stills not so much.

Micro 4/3 with pancake lens. Hmm I am intrigued but don't know enough. Would image quality be better than the s100 or x10? What about size and cost?

You comments, experience, advice, and even flames are greatly appreciated. 

[wickidwombat]

i bought the x10

I got it because i had front row tickets to see roger waters and they would not allow dslr camera in only point and shoots so i figured i needed the best low light capabilities i could get in a point and shoot and the x10 performs well up to 3200 iso (it will go higher but i avoid it) and the lens base apertures is f2 to f2.8 on the 4x zoom. build is really really nice and functionally everything works really well I noticed the other day in manual focus mode it has a depth of field indicator on the live view screen as you focus, Nifty! also i've used ex580 flashes off camera with it using ebay poverty wizards and it will sync to 1/800 sec

as to be expected the smaller sensor doesnt yield the sort of narrow DoF that you get from a 5Dmk2 at f2 but its great for low light shooting battery life that I am seeing seems to be around double what the documentation says, hell I got over 1000 shots off 1 battery and they rate it at 400!

Also a nice accessory i have picked up for it is this
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Lowepro-DMC-Z-Slim-Memory-Card-Wallet-Holder-Accessory-SD-CF-Batteries-/120912267727?pt=AU_Cameras_Photographic_Accessories&hash=item1c26eec9cf
you can fit the spare batteries and memory cards in it and they are well protected

I havent encountered the white orb issue that people have complained about yet so cant comment on that

great little camera

about my only gripe is i would like to have some basic data in the VF like exposure scale aperture shutter speed and ISO, but the auto iso is so good you can use the camera in manual all the time and let auto iso adjust your exposure

AF is a little sluggish though however it will shoot 10fps and another neat trick is when you are reviewing shots it groups all bursts so you see the first one for each group then the next group and you cna then just go into each group to view each individual shot.

also video looks to be exceptionally clean i havent used it much but it is lacking an external mic port

[elflord]

You know all about them. You have weighed the pros and cons for yourself and for others. Now do it for me.

I have the 5d II and some decent glass. I need something that isn't so sang heavy. I am going on a 3 week trip to the Utah National Parks and don't always want to lug such a heavy camera in the heat.

The contenders:

X10 Relatively small. Good images and zoom. Not really small enough. I would try the X100 but the price feels too high.

S100 or more likely refurbished S95. Smaller and canon. Less expensive too.

Go pro HD2.  $240 during REI sale this weekend. Like the versatility and could pick up some accessories as well. Like the idea of waterproof and super small. May be going in the Narrows so the waterproof would be a major plus. Stills not so much.

Micro 4/3 with pancake lens. Hmm I am intrigued but don't know enough. Would image quality be better than the s100 or x10? What about size and cost?

You comments, experience, advice, and even flames are greatly appreciated. 

With micro 4/3 you get faster glass (f/1.7 for the 20mm pancake, f/1.4 for the 25mm pancake) and a larger sensor, so you aren't stuck with the "small camera" look (e.g. large depth of field with small sensor).  The sensor should be much better at high ISO, but having a stop or two faster glass also really helps in low light.

It doesn't hurt that you can adapt your EF glass either. It's wide-open, manual focus (so not the type of thing you'd do all the time) but still a fun and sometimes useful feature.

With the Micro 4/3 and Fuji  versus Canon S100, it's really a size vs quality tradeoff. With micro 4/3 versus X10, you'll get a more flexible and extensible system with m43 which is good if that's what you want.

[edit] one thing that led me to m43 over point and shoots is that the AF in the point and shoots just wasn't as snappy as I wanted. The "EVILS" generally have snappier AF.

[distant.star]

.
S95 is only one I have experience with -- couldn't be better.

Bought it last year on sale at Canon refurb -- less than $250. I think it's now around $280 there.

I can put it in any pocket and it's trouble free. A good 16G card lasts forever, even shooting RAW as I always do. Can't recall the last time I took the battery out for charging. It just takes good pictures and doesn't complain.

As I said, I shoot RAW so I can't say what experience you'd have with JPG.

[FunPhotons]

I've had a S100 for month or two now and it's my most used camera, I also have a Fuji X10, 5DMKII (fully decked out including a trio of 600RT flashes), G12 and a Canon cheap P&S.

The S100 is always with me, actually gives a decent DOF, has a really good flash system, takes RAW, makes intuitive sense to a long time DSLR/SLR user, takes really good pictures, has GPS and has a simple menu system that is quick, intuitive and easy to use. I have a cheap Amazon Basics case and the camera is always on my belt, I'm constantly getting shots and little movie clips with it because its always with me, that I never got before. Every day I'm getting at least a few pictures because of this camera, whereas before it was mostly weekend warrior.

The 5DMKII with all of it's glass takes better pictures technically, but I also get more screw ups because there is so much more under my control. I use it far less too because it's big and bulky. Love it (the pictures) - hate it (the size).

The G12 is too big and complex for a small camera/P&S, and not good enough to qualify as a real camera. Sort of the worst of both worlds? I'm not interested in the G1X - better sensor but even bigger.

The Fuji X10 is a love hate. Neat camera - sucky firmware and I'm constantly missing focus. You have to go really slow and make sure you have your shot before taking it. Great panoramas though.

The S100 shots aren't anywhere as good when 100% cropped on my big monitor, but boy do I take a lot of pictures with that camera.

[sjp010]

I use a S95.  For me, the decision is: it either fits in my pocket, or it's an SLR.  If I'm shooting in a situation where the bulk and size of my SLR doesn't detract from my enjoyment of whatever it is I'm doing, then I use the SLR.  If not, then I want it to be as small and convenient as possible, while maintaining good image quality.  That points to one and only one camera, so there was little debate: S95 (S100 wasn't yet released when I bought).  I couldn't be happier with the thing - very nice shots in good conditions, takes nice video, f/2.0 at the wide end, etc.

Downside: although the battery lasts longer than reviews would have you believe, the problem is it doesn't warn you before it's about to die.  It can show 3 full bars of battery, then after the first bar disappears it might be dead less than 50 shots later.

Lots of people seem to like these in-between cameras (Canon's G-series, m43, various mirrorless options, etc etc), but for me they're a non-starter unless they go in the pocket.  That's just me though - everyone has their own perspective and needs.

[RC]

Lots of people seem to like these in-between cameras (Canon's G-series, m43, various mirrorless options, etc etc), but for me they're a non-starter unless they go in the pocket.  That's just me though - everyone has their own perspective and needs.

I agree, if it can't go in the pocket, why not have your dSLR with a walk-around lens.  Been with the family for the last few days at Disneyland and CA, really enjoyed the freedom of my little S100 in my pocket.   No interference with rides and security bag checks.   

[Bennymiata]

For IQ, I don't htink you could go past the new G1X.
i bought one for my wife to use, and even though I've only started to use it, the IQ of the pictures is outstanding.
The focussing is very quick in reasonable light and very accurate too, and the high ISO performance is very, very good too.