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5 Unconventional but Compelling Compact Cameras

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Posted by Patrick on Oct 12, 2009 in Cameras, Featured Content, Uncategorized

5 Unconventional but Compelling Compact Cameras

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Up until quite recently camera manufacturers for the most part have been happy to make marginal upgrades to their compact cameras by simply offering more. More megapixels, more zoom, more scene modes, and more faces in face detection AF modes. Lately though, things have begun to change, either because of technological hurdles, or the onslaught of the iPhone and similar, which make compact cameras less and less necessary, or perhaps they’ve actually begun to listen to what consumers really want. Regardless of the reason, we’re finally starting to see more compacts offering something different, a focus on image quality, on taking better or different pictures, and even unique ways of sharing pictures. I’ve gathered 5 of the latest offerings taking slightly different paths than your typical compact camera.

Canon Powershot G11

The Canon PowerShot G11 may not seem all that unconventional at first, but this flagship compact offering from Canon now features not just impeccable build, and a change in imaging sensor with improved ISO performance in mind, but it also sports a flip out and rotating LCD. I’m becoming more and more appreciative of these flip out LCDs due to their creative and practical applications, and the G11 is about the only compact offering one right now. The G10 was fairly well received when it was introduced, but I’m thinking a fair amount of photographers are strongly considering trading theirs in for an even better G11.

Sigma DP2/DP1s

You’ve heard me heap praise on the Sigma DP2 countless time, but I do it for good reasons. It’s a compact camera that truly offers DSLR like image quality thanks to its large Foveon sensor. No longer unique in this regard now that Leica has introduced the X1, the DP2 (or the newly introduced DP1s) is for a select group of photographers that care about image quality above all else. Absent all the bells and whistles found on your average compact, the DP2 offers program, aperture priority, shutter speed priority, and manual shooting modes only, and is somewhat hamstrung by a slow AF system that makes dynamic subject capture difficult at best. But if you’re a somewhat skilled photographer with an interest in taking photos that no other compact will, you should really think about the Sigma DP2.

Ricoh GR Digital III

Like the Sigma DP2, the Ricoh GR Digital III takes the unlikely path of offering a fixed length lens, in this case a 28mm lens with f/1.9 aperture. Though the 10 megapixel sensor size is inline with other compacts, you simply won’t find many cameras with such a singular focus. Clearly not intended for everybody, the GR Digital III carves a sliver sized niche for the enthusiast photographer, but does so by going all out, not just offering a precision lens, but by also offering 5 fps of continuous RAW shooting, and a huge 3 inch 920K display, a feature rarely found in the realm of compact cameras.

Ricoh GR Digital III at Amazon

Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR

Improved dynamic range and ISO performance in a compact camera? That’s a novel concept, as the small sensors typically deployed in compacts don’t generally offer either attribute. But that’s exactly what the Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR seeks to address by giving photographers the option to choose between a high resolution mode (12 megapixels) or implement one of two options: a high sensitivity mode and a wide dynamic range mode. Both alternatives bump resolution down to 6 megapixels, but provide boosts to low light performance by “creating” larger photodiodes in the higher sensitivity mode, and combine multiple exposures to improve details in highlights in the wide dynamic range mode. With the megapixel wars seemingly winding down, I can assure you we’ll see more and more cameras promoting these much needed improvements in overall image quality.

Nikon CoolPix S1000pj

Taking pictures is one thing, but sharing them is arguably an even bigger thing. Taking a completely novel approach to this dilemma is the Nikon CoolPix S1000pj, which includes its very own internal projector for displaying an image 5 inches to 40 inches wide several feet away. With an included remote, you could set the S1000pj near any appropriate surface and start a slideshow of images taken just moments ago, without a computer, without having prints made, and without a large group of viewers trying to circle around the camera’s LCD display. There’s no other camera like it right now, and I certainly can’t think of another camera that allows for such instantaneous social sharing with the folks around you.