All summer long we were telling you that 2012 was going to be the year of the expert compact. In fact, since January, no less than 15 advanced compacts have been launched (compared with 8 for the whole of 2011!), and this autumn alone we've seen two new arrivals from Canon, and one a piece from Fuji, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony. Several models have already arrived in our test lab, and when compared side-by-side, we were struck by their huge differences in size and style.
So here's our line-up from left to right: Sigma DP2 Merrill, Nikon P7700, Canon G15, Samsung EX2F, Sony RX100 and Canon S110. Reviews of all these cameras will be coming over the next few weeks, apart from the RX100, which we tested back in the spring (the one in the picture is our personal model, added here as a reference for comparison because we think it's the best compact camera on the market right now, at least in pure tech terms).
These cameras range from 9.9 to 12.7 cm wide, from 5.9 to 7.9 cm high and from 2.7 to a chunky 6 cm thick! They weigh between 190 and 380 grammes. Sensor size varies from 1/1.7" (5.7 x 7.6 mm) to APS-C (16 x 24 mm). Definition goes from 12 to 20 Megapixels (including Sigma's 3 x 15-Megapixel Foveon sensor). Zooms range from 3.2x to 7x, with wide-angles from 24 to 28 mm, and one 45 mm prime lens. Basically, then, there's something for everyone.
Some of these expert compacts have large-format sensors, others have swivel screens, one has a viewfinder (although it's a bit small) and another has a touchscreen. Controls range from one to three thumb-wheels and there are plenty of lens rings. And while the Sigma camera only has a quick menu and two buttons for focusing, the Nikon offers direct access to the flash, the self-timer and the macro mode, while also finding room for two customisable buttons, extra thumb-wheels for mode-selection and exposure correction, and a separate dial for ISO, white balance, bracketing, etc.
However different they may seem, all of these cameras are aimed at the same kind of people—users looking for higher-quality results than with a standard compact camera, as well as more advanced settings (even if each model, apart from the Sigma, has a fully automatic mode), all in a package that's more compact than an interchangeable lens compact.
Stay tuned to the site over the next few weeks to find out what we think of all these cameras.
> See All Our Compact Camera Reviews
So here's our line-up from left to right: Sigma DP2 Merrill, Nikon P7700, Canon G15, Samsung EX2F, Sony RX100 and Canon S110. Reviews of all these cameras will be coming over the next few weeks, apart from the RX100, which we tested back in the spring (the one in the picture is our personal model, added here as a reference for comparison because we think it's the best compact camera on the market right now, at least in pure tech terms).
These cameras range from 9.9 to 12.7 cm wide, from 5.9 to 7.9 cm high and from 2.7 to a chunky 6 cm thick! They weigh between 190 and 380 grammes. Sensor size varies from 1/1.7" (5.7 x 7.6 mm) to APS-C (16 x 24 mm). Definition goes from 12 to 20 Megapixels (including Sigma's 3 x 15-Megapixel Foveon sensor). Zooms range from 3.2x to 7x, with wide-angles from 24 to 28 mm, and one 45 mm prime lens. Basically, then, there's something for everyone.
Some of these expert compacts have large-format sensors, others have swivel screens, one has a viewfinder (although it's a bit small) and another has a touchscreen. Controls range from one to three thumb-wheels and there are plenty of lens rings. And while the Sigma camera only has a quick menu and two buttons for focusing, the Nikon offers direct access to the flash, the self-timer and the macro mode, while also finding room for two customisable buttons, extra thumb-wheels for mode-selection and exposure correction, and a separate dial for ISO, white balance, bracketing, etc.
However different they may seem, all of these cameras are aimed at the same kind of people—users looking for higher-quality results than with a standard compact camera, as well as more advanced settings (even if each model, apart from the Sigma, has a fully automatic mode), all in a package that's more compact than an interchangeable lens compact.
Stay tuned to the site over the next few weeks to find out what we think of all these cameras.
> See All Our Compact Camera Reviews
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