Enthusiast Digital Compact Camera Group Test

Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com) reviewed 7 digital compacts that belong to the enthusiast group, or the Prosumer range. These appeal to people who are a little more serious with photography, but would want to have something more portable than an SLR.

The cameras tested were:

• Canon Powershot G10 – 14.7MP, 80-1600 ISO, 3.0” screen, $430
• Kodak Easyshare Z8612 IS – 8.1MP, 80-3200 ISO, 2.5” screen, $150
• Nikon Coolpix P6000 – 13.5MP, 64-6400 ISO, 2.7” screen, $430
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 – 10.1MP, 80-6400 ISO, 3.0” screen, $430
• Ricoh Caplio R10 - 10MP, 80-1600 ISO, 3.0” screen, $240
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 – 9.1MP, 100-6400 ISO, 3.0” screen, $240
• Canon Powershot SX110 IS - 9MP, 80-1600 ISO, 3.0” screen, $220

The most inexpensive in the group was the Kodak Easyshare Z8612 IS, while the most expensive ones were the Canon Powershot G10, Nikon Coolpix P6000, and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3.

The overall winner of the group test was the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3:

“The Panasonic LX3 gets so many things right that we knew before we started it would be the camera to beat in this group. It’s not that it has the highest measurable resolution (the Canon G10 wins that one) or the biggest zoom range (in fact its one of the smallest here), or even that it offers the most intuitive controls (never going to be the case with a camera so small). No, what’s so impressive about the LX3 is that Panasonic has actually produced a camera aimed at photographers, not one designed by a marketing department. So instead of going for the easy option of adding even more megapixels and beefing up the other headline specs, the designers concentrated on the things that actually matter to a photographer.’ [dpreview | Compact Camera Group Test Group 4: Enthusiast digital compacts]

Aside from the overall winner, dpreview.com highly recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 and Canon Powershot SX110 IS:

“These two cameras are so close in performance that choosing between them becomes a matter of personal taste and preference. The TZ5 is our favorite because it offers a proper wideangle, a better screen and slightly better high ISO performance, but the SX110 has better manual control and considerably more telephoto pulling power. They’re both well priced, well designed and genuinely pocketable, and neither demands too much of an image quality compromise despite squeezing 10x zooms into their diminutive bodies.” [dpreview]

If you are longing for a compact camera that can do some serious photography, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 would be a great choice for around $430. If want something more affordable, lets say in the sub $250 range, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 and Canon Powershot SX110 IS cameras would be your second best choices.