Canon G11, S90, Panasonic Lumix LX-3, or PowerShot SX20 IS

[Stina]

Hi everyone it's been a really long time since I've posted on here but I need some help making a choice on a smaller camera and knew this was the place to ask. Like many people here I have a full time day job and do professional photography as my second job. Mainly wedding, portraits and some sports. Well even though I like my pro set up it is many times more than I want to carry on a weekend trip or just to a friends for a get together. So where most of my friends are asking me for advice selecting an SLR I want to go smaller.

I currently have a Casio Exilim I've had for a few years. It's okay but after using it during a camping/hiking trip with friends this weekend (and getting better photos with my iPhone camera) I've decided to invest in a better point and shoot.

I know anything I get will not equal the quality I get from my SLRs but I know I wouldn't take the SLR on the hike for fear of dropping it or just the hassle of dealing with the bulk of the camera and more than one lens. Plus my friends don't like to wait on me to swap a lens or mess with all that stuff on a hike.

I've narrowed my choices down a bit but I'm open to suggestions I'd like to stay in near or under the $400 range. So far I'm considering the following Canon G11, S90, Panasonic Lumix LX-3, or PowerShot SX20 IS.

Just wondering what experience people have with any of these cameras. I like the LX3 but I'm concerned that the limited zoom range compared to the others will have me regretting the purchase. I'm leaning toward the G11 but also like the idea of the small size of the S90 with the same sensor. Thought I haven't held the G11 yet I like the overall look of it, reminds me of the old film cameras I used to shoot with my dad.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[readone]

Agreed, even my G9 is still 12MP vs. the G11's 10MP. Granted I don't fully blame camera manufacturers for pursuing higher resolutions as ill informed consumers and salespersons have long been pushing mega-pixels as a distinguishing aspect between models for years. Talk to any engineer who's been working on digital cameras for years and you'll hear all sorts of grumbling over it. Seems as though there's becoming enough of a perception that mega-pixels aren't the be all that manufacturers can feel comfortable enough to push more reasonable resolutions without worrying about a competitor one upping them by a mega-pixel.

[Stina]

I with you on the mega-pixel thing. I had a friend sitting in my home office looking at some photos on my laptop when they noticed a print on my wall. Nothing big an 8x12 on metallic paper and they were totally floored when I told them I took it with my old 3.2MP Canon A75. I still use that camera from time to time but it like my Casio are horrible at the higher ISO ranges.

[Liz]

Stina,

I can relate to your situation. I was wavering between keeping he G9 which is a great little camera or selling it and purchasing the LX3. I too was concerned about the shorter zoom. However, I bit the bullet and purchased the LX3. It was to complement my XTi and the longer/heavier lenses. I must say that I fell in love with the LX3 and didn't miss the zoom once I got used to it. However, it is a personal and subjective decision based on likes and dislikes, needs, etc.

I actually preferred the wider (24mm) angle and the 2.0 aperture vs. the longer zoom. When I sold my XTi and lenses due to back/neck problems, I invested in the M4/3 (EP-1) system and love it. However, I could not give up the LX3. This is my favorite p&s of all I've ever had, film or digital. One of my favorite features is the dynamic b&w and I've always loved b&w, probably my favorite. I also like the 16.9 format option, and the out of camera jpg images are beautiful - the best I've seen in a P&S. When I use the p&s I don't want to spend lots of time post processing. I found with the G9 (also tried the G10) that I had to spend more time on the computer to get the images I can get out of camera with the LX3).

At any rate, I'm not trying to "sell" the LX3, but wanted to point out some of the features that helped me make the decision.

Having said that, if you will use the longer zoom - and miss it, then you wouldn't want to get the LX3. I use more wide than long.......

Good luck.

Liz

[Stina]

Thanks Liz this is just the kinda of input I was looking for. I am just so torn. I like the idea of the wider 24mm of the LX3. Looking at the photos I took during our trip I only used the zoom in about 3 of the photos but I was nice to have. My Casio range is 38-144 and I can look at the photos and see several time where wider would have been great.

I have a feeling the deciding factor may come when I can put my hands on each of the cameras. I live in a small town and though there is a Best Buy about 30 miles away they do not carry any of these cameras. So next week when I go to Austin for the holidays I will drop by Precision Camera and take a look at each one.

Yesterday I measured out the dimensions of the G11 and though I like the idea of it I'm not sure if the size will make me more likely to carry it vs a smaller S90 or LX3.

[Photo-John]

For me, the first criterion for a compact camera is that it has to fit in my pocket. That excludes the G11 and the Panasonic. And since I've been using the S90 I've found that the image quality blows away any other point-and-shoot I've ever used. It has the same sensor and a good portion of the same features as the G11, so unless you want the flash hotshoe or tilt-swivel LCD, I think it's a better choice - it's certainly more portable.

For the past couple of days I've been uploading S90 photos and I posted a short video preview a while ago. Here are links to my Canon S90 gallery and that video piece:

Canon PowerShot S90 Video Preview >>
Photo-John's Canon S90 Gallery >>

On the other hand, lately I've been inclined to sacrifice a bit of image quality for more functionality. That means a pocket superzoom like the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 or the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS you mentioned. Like the G11, the SX20 IS is too big for a pocket so I'm not interested. But both the Panasonic ZS3 and the Canon SX200 IS have 12x zoom lenses in a pretty small camera body. And while I think the S90 image quality is beautiful. I think maybe having more zoom wouldn't be worth a little image quality compromise. I sure did enjoy the Panasonic ZS3 when I got to test it out at the Lumix intro this past January.

[Stina]

Photo-John thanks for suggesting the Lumix ZS3. I did some research on it and it looks like it might be a great option. My husband is still not sure I can survive with out being able to tweak setting manually but if what I read about the iA mode is true I think I can. I like the idea of the G11 but I think the size would be too much and when I really think about the changes I make on my Casio it usually amounts to switching between Best Shot modes. I can use manual setting but it takes more time to get right that I usually care to mess with when using that camera.

I like the idea of what seems to be a good quality (for Point and Shoot) zoom in a small package. I guess that getting my hands on each of them Tuesday will be the final deciding factor but the ZS3 on paper is looking like the way I will go. I know I'll have to give up manual settings but in the situations I will be using it in it might be better not the have the option. My husband and friends get tired of waiting for me to fiddle with setting while we are on vacation.

[Photo-John]

I guess that getting my hands on each of them Tuesday will be the final deciding factor but the ZS3 on paper is looking like the way I will go. I know I'll have to give up manual settings but in the situations I will be using it in it might be better not the have the option. My husband and friends get tired of waiting for me to fiddle with setting while we are on vacation.

Did you take a look at the cameras? If so, what did you decide on? Did you buy a new point-and-shoot?

[Stina]

Well I got to go to Precision Camera and take a look at all the cameras I was considering. I am going to go with the Panasonic ZS3. I really wish I could have one of each ;-) but I think the ZS3 will work best for what I need in a point and shoot. I would have like to have purchased it from Precision but the price was $100 more (+ tax) than what I can get it for online. So as much as I would like to support them that is just too steep of a price difference for me. I also looked at the Canon SX200 but overall I just liked the ZS3 better. I should be ordering it this week.

I will either get it through Amazon.com or B&H. Do either of these sites partner with photographyreview.com, if so please let me know. I really appreciate the helpful advice I got and want to help the site if possible.

Thanks again Photo-John for suggesting the ZS3 because I had overlooked that model. I'll be sure to post some photos once I have it in hand and have a change to play around with it.

Now I just have to decide if I want Black, Blue or Red

[Photo-John]

Happy I was able to help! I was very impressed with the ZS3. What you give up in image quality I think you more than make up for with flexibility. It's a really sweet little camera.

I appreciate you asking how we can benefit from your shopping. If you use the shopping links on our review pages and articles, we will get paid. If there's a link for B&H or Amazon on the ZS3 review page and you use that link and then buy, we will get paid. I checked the ZS3 review page and the shopping tab wasn't working so I made a page for you

http://www.photographyreview.com/mfr...TabID=4&cp=tab

B&H isn't on there, but if you use this link to the B&H site, we'll get paid: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...al_Camera.html

I'm so happy I was able to give you some useful direction. I hope the camera works really well for you. Please make sure to write a review for it in our user reviews after you've had it for a bit. The user reviews are how most people discover the site. And you can see now that they are also one of the main ways we get paid

[Stina]

Thanks for setting up the link. I placed my order from Amazon at lunch. Since I have a trial of Amazon Prime right now I paid the extra $3.99 to get it tomorrow :-) As soon as I have a chance to give it a proper run through I'll post a review.

[Stina]

Well my ZS3 just arrived. The battery is charging and I'll try to see if my dog will let me photograph him at lunch.

[Photo-John]

Awesome! I really hope you like it. If I didn't have a constant flow of test P&S cameras coming through, I probably would have bought one of these.