Looking for the ultimate Point & Shoot.

[Grahamr123]

Hi,

I have the SX130 IS at the moment, and although its a fantastic camera for the money, I have pretty much outgrown it and reach the limits of what It can do, even with CHDK.

I am after a new point and shoot, something compact but that packs a punch, Something that does full 1080p, good Image Quality, Big aperture size, a decent sensor and of course something that is pocket able. The entire reason I am not getting a DSLR, as much as I love them, is because I want something that I can carry around worry free(not to mention the price. I am looking to spend up to £400

After a lot of research and a trip down to Jessops, I narrowed it down to the Canon S100. The F2.0 aperture really impressed me.
I thought there was nothing close to it.
Then I tried the Fuji X10. It genuinely surprised me how good it was(Having only used cheap Fuji's, I did not see them in a good light at all up to that point).

Now I'm stuck in a decision between which is the better choice.

The S100 is smaller(tiny infact), slightly better video, better zoom and has GPS. Also, its meant to be able to run CHDK, which is a bonus. It seems to be widely regarded as the *best* point and shoot.

The X10 is more solid, Really quirky retro design that I really like, more hardware buttons, manual zoom, and has an insanely fast shutter response. The UI is a little odd though, being primarily a canon user, and it is a little bigger than the S100.


The only dilemmas I found were that the S100 is notorious for getting the 'Lens Error' problem, which Is fatal. Where as the X10, I read that it has a problem with Highlights coming up as orbs, although I don't know a lot about that.

I also looked at the Canon G12, but its a little dated now, and not really worth the £399 price tag. As for the G1x, that is a bit out my budget.
The SX260 is also interesting, but not amazing. Some of the Compact Systems were interesting too, although with the bigger lenses, they are a little more bulky than I Ideally want.

Can anyone with some expertise help me decide.
Thanks!

Graham

 

[mjhoward]

If you don't like the price of a G12, why not get a used G11? I just picked up one, looks like new, for $230 USD.

 

[StandingBear1983]

I would personally go with the fuji x10...its got a bigger sensor in it...also sony has annocned a 1 inch sensor with the same size of the S100, and it has apature with 1.8 at the wide angle.

 

[Solarflare]

Hmm.

I'm a bit confused how the S100 and the G12 could be considerable for the same thing ... you can store the S100 easily at the girdle or in your jacket. The G12 is much too big for either of that.

I simply dont see how the G12 has an advantage over a DSLR. Sure its smaller than a DSLR, but one needs a backpack for either of them.

 

[rexbobcat]

Hmm.

I'm a bit confused how the S100 and the G12 could be considerable for the same thing ... you can store the S100 easily at the girdle or in your jacket. The G12 is much too big for either of that.

I simply dont see how the G12 has an advantage over a DSLR. Sure its smaller than a DSLR, but one needs a backpack for either of them.

And it costs just as much as an entry level DSLR lol

 

[Grahamr123]

I think I might go for the X10, I certainly found it the most enjoyable to use. It also seems the Lens Error issue of the S100 is not really fixed yet, where as the X10 orb issue was fixed by Fuji.

 

[fjrabon]

I really like the Panasonic Lumix LX5. I compared it to the S100, tried both out (amongst others) and preferred the LX5 over the other cameras in the class. The S100, to me, is so small that it is difficult to hold steady. If you consider one, I'd HIGHLY recommend trying it out physically first, to me this was the biggest knock, as it was so awkward to hold, that I always had to find some sort of way to steady it. With the LX5's grip area, I could just pull it out, breathe in and snap and get really good images.

I also generally felt that the LX5 was sharper, less noisy, had better contrast and color and more control over DOF. And while the S100 does have f/2.0, it has a bit smaller sensor, which somewhat negates that in comparison to the LX5's f/2.0.

However, the S100 does have marginally better video and sound.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

smart phone.

 

[DiskoJoe]

ultimate and budget are not words you can use together. Its one or the other.

 

[TheBiles]

I love how tiny the S100 is. It's adorable.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus