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100 in 100, Part II: "Serious" compact digital camera buying advice

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100 photography tips in 100 days: Day 81

By Jason Schneider

June 9, 2008

For more tips, go to the 100 in 100 Part II Homepage

This week we'll explore advanced compact cameras with DSLR-like features that are capable of "serious" photography. These are cameras that boast manual controls, claim higher resolution, and other features that might tempt a DSLR user who wants a smaller rig. Each day this week we'll also profile a high-end compact that we like.

Practically every DSLR shooter also owns and uses a compact digital camera for casual picture taking, but few of these point-and-shoots come anywhere near the picture-taking capability of a DSLR. Make no mistake about it, when it comes to interchangeable lenses, eye-level optical reflex viewing, overall image quality, and sheer firepower, the DSLR is still the king of the hill.

But nowadays there’s a new breed of high-performance 8-,10- and 12-MP point-and-shoots on the market that offer many advanced-camera features found on DSLRs. Targeted at enthusiasts, these “serious” compact digital cameras deliver a level of performance and features that would have seemed incredible only a couple of years ago at any price.

If you count yourself among the legions of experienced shooters and DSLR owners who are willing to pay around $300-600 for a cutting-edge digital compact with a full feature set and near-DSLR performance, this week’s 100 in 100 tips are is designed to help you choose the model that’s right for you.

Rather than offer opinions on which particular cameras you should buy (an inherently subjective and personal decision) we’ve provided a comprehensive checklist of essential and desirable features that will guide you to the appropriate choice. In addition, we’ll provide a mini-profile of a different high-end compact camera every day.

Performance parameters

Before getting into features--which we’ll start tomorrow--there are a few performance parameters to be aware of. Check out the camera’s capture-lag (a.k.a. shutter lag) time (which should be under 0.25 sec; the shorter the better) before you buy. And if action shooting is important to you, check the burst rate at full resolution. Few point-and-shoots provide burst rates of over 2 frames-per-sec at full resolution, but some may shoot faster or longer bursts at lower resolution settings.

SERIOUS COMPACT CAMERA OF THE DAY:
Canon G9

Why: The G9 has many SLR features, including add-on flash and wide-angle and telephoto extenders via an adapter; and, we’re hearing its shutter lag time is minimal.
Key features: RAW or JPEG capture, 35-210mm zoom, manual exposure, macro, 3-inch LCD, optical viewfinder, hot shoe.
Negatives: Reported digital noise above ISO 200, no manual focus.
Bottom line: A quick little backup camera.