Super compacts that pack a big wallop are useful additions to any photographer's arsenal. Yes we need our DSLRs for serious shooting, mostly planned activities. And the new system cameras such as the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic GF1 are great when we want to travel a little lighter. But a compact that slides into your front pocket as you're heading out the door for dinner is important too. It allows us to capture the shots we don't plan. And if it can produce a high quality image in Raw format, then that unexpected shot could become a prize winner.
In this podcast I discuss three super compacts that have pro level capabilities: the Canon PowerShot S90, Panasonic Lumix LX3, and the Leica X1. The Canon is selling for around $430, the Panasonic in the $485 neighborhood, and the Leica, well, it's a Leica ($2,000). There are other interesting cameras in this category, but these three really caught my eye, and I explain why in the show.
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Wrinkles is the Nov. 2009 Photo Assignment. Keep in mind that side lighting increases texture and front lighting hides it. So you should be thinking angled lighting for this one. You can read more about how to submit on our Member Participation page. Deadline for entry is Nov. 30, 2009.
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One camera you missed is the Ricoh GR Digital iii, which at $699 fits in price between the LX3 and (way below) the X1.
It uses a sharp, fixed 28mm-equivalent f/1.9 prime, has a 3", 920,000 dot LCD that matches anything on a DSLR, and has an optional external electronic viewfinder. Ricoh's had electronic viewfinders for years on their high-end compacts, a design that's been recently copied by Olympus & Panasonic. The Ricoh also has a 'snap mode' focus where you preset a distance (your choice of 3ft, 6ft or infinity) and by quickly pressing the shutter (not pausing to helf-depress), the camera focuses right to that distance -- fantastic for street photography.
Pro photojournalist David Burnett did a little video introduction of the camera you might find interesting:
http://www.vimeo.com/7101370
It's not a zoom, but I remember you saying in this podcast you found yourself mostly using a wideangle prime with your Olympus, so this is yet pocketable another camera that people might want to consider.
Also, there are camera shops like popflash which will send out Ricoh 'loaners' and if you like the camera you send back the loaner and they send you a new camera.