Currently, the name of the game in the compact and ultra-compact point and shoot market is cramming more megapixels onto tiny CCD sensors which only really increases noise and reduces details.  Manufacturers should start realizing that there is an “in-between” market that doesn’t want a SLR camera but wants performance equivalent to one.

I’m not saying that it’s possible to get exactly digital SLR performance from any compact camera but it should be possible to come close.  One that does is the Finepix F30 and Finepix F31fd though reviews dispute the image quality between the two (with the F31fd receiving slightly worse reviews).  The reason those models have good low light performance and good exposure on almost every shot is due to the use of a larger 1/1.6″ six megapixel CCD sensor that is octagonal in shape.

A larger sensor with fewer megapixels can capture more light, produce less noise and even caputure more details.  But, almost every manufacturer is content to sell a digital camera with 8 or more megapixels, poor low light performance especially at high ISO settings and even unbearable shutter lags.

Some have grown wiser and have solved performance and lens issues but no compact camera on the market can compete with even the cheapest digital SLR in terms of image quality or low light performance.

Take the new Sony Cybershot W-series which features a processor borrowed from its line of Alpha digital SLRs which results in a compact shooter with excellent performance, okay lens but still terrible low light performance thanks to its tiny sensor, all models from the W-80 to W-200 are plagued with poor low light pictures and barrel distortions which may or may not bother some people.  At least those models are super fast and responsive.

The lesson is, adding megapixels to cameras is a marketing ploy by almost every manufacturer, a higher megapixel count on a compact camera with a small sensor almost never generates the results of a digital SLR.  Though some compacts offer high quality lenses, that doesn’t help much if it’s equipped with a tiny high-megapixel count sensor.

There are two models I can think of off the top of my head that the rules may not apply to, the Ricoh Caplio R6 and Ricoh Caplio GX100.  Both are fast, responsive cameras with almost no shutter lag and okay low light performance though the GX100 has excess noise at ISO 400 or higher, the R6 could easily make a 4×6 print at ISO 800.  The problem here is that these cameras cannot be found easily (if at all) in the US.  No retailer had them and almost no online store based in the US had them, though stores in Japan, China and Hong Kong are willing to import them, for a fee.

I’m afraid that to have the best of both worlds you will still need to buy a compact shooter like the F31fd and accompany that with at least a “budget” digital SLR.  If you’re just taking stills and don’t require movie modes then just pick up a digital SLR but I doubt you will want to whip that out at a party for a quick photo shoot.

Even with some of the “enthusiast” models on the market that still isn’t enough for those seeking close to digital SLR performance but as ZDnet points out most digital SLR owners already own a compact camera and a “crossover” model isn’t considered necessary.  Sounds like the same people who said the same thing about a “crossover” vehicle that’s SUV like but is not quite a SUV.

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Entry was posted on Thursday, July 26th, 2007 at 9:25 pm under Uncategorized.

Read more entries by Jonathan Schlaffer.