Does the Advanced Compact have a future ?



This photo was made possible by Photoshop Camera Raw. The original image could have come from any one of many cameras. It was in fact a M43 camera with wide angle lens.

 

Is "Large Compact" an oxymoron ?

The Best or Worst of both worlds ?

Background  The advanced compact camera has a history. The genre was popularised by Canon's G series dating from around 2000.  The 3 Mpx G1 weighed a substantial 490 grams and measured 120x77x66mm in size. It was compact when compared with a DSLR. 

Currently there are several cameras which could be described  as  "Large/advanced/enthusiast compact".

These include the Canon G16, Nikon P7800 and  Fuji X20. Smaller versions of the theme might include the Panasonic LX7 and Olympus XZ 10. The Canon G1X is larger but still marketed as a compact.

The march of technology- the little ones  Within the shrinking world of compact cameras the Sony RX100 of 2012 redefined our expectations of the genre, fitting a large, high performing sensor into a genuinely small and for many users, pocketable, housing.  This camera made all other small compacts look distinctly second rate.  I suspect only it's high price saved the opposition from a market wipeout.

The march of technology- the larger ones   Over the last five years or so, interchangeable lens cameras and their lenses have shrunken remarkably. There are now several mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILC)  which are almost as small as the RX100 and are smaller than most of the large/advanced compacts.

Where do these developments leave the advanced compact ?   Squeezed from above and below, I would say.  I imagine the manufacturers are trying to find a size/features/capability formula which will give the user the best features of the little ones and the larger ones.  But my recent experience has me thinking the advanced compact has become unconvincing as a compact (too large) or as an all purpose camera (lack of features, capability and performance).

In the center, Nikon P7800. On the left is my mockup of an "ideal" small compact just 2mm larger than the RX100(II). On the right my mockup of the direction in which I believe the advanced compact could go. This is the same width and height as the P7800. Depth would depend on the lens fitted. It fits in a small camera bag yet has much better handling qualities and would be more enjoyable to use than the P7800. It feels like a proper camera in the hand, whereas the P7800 never feels quite right to me no matter which way I hold it. 

 

My experienceWhen my main camera was a DSLR with 3-4 lenses,  it seemed natural to have an advanced compact for those quite frequent times when I did not want to lug the heavy kit around.  I owned several Canon G cams the inclusion of which in my camera drawer made perfect sense to me.

I recently bought, used and have reviewed on this blog a Canon G16 and a Nikon P7800.  Both have been disappointing. Not because there is anything terminally awful about either but because the genre no longer makes sense to me as it once did.

The RX100 is smaller than the G16 but has a better sensor and picture quality at high ISO settings. My Panasonic G6 with kit zoom lens is only slightly larger than the Nikon P7800 but provides better picture quality, performance and ergonomics. The Panasonic GM1 is incredibly small at the cost of loss of the EVF, handle and ergonomic capabilities.

The bag or pocket decision  If the requirement is for a "pocketable" camera then the package must be very small. Small enough to actually fit in a pocket or lady's purse, for instance.   Some users might deem their advanced compact "pocketable" and for those with very large pockets that might be feasible. I live in Sydney where it is usually fine and sunny so hardly anybody needs to wear a coat or jacket even in the slightly cooler time we call winter.  So many people lack any kind of garment with a pocket large enough to accept an advanced compact.  Therefore it is carried in a camera pouch or small bag slung over the shoulder. 

Now here is the thing.  Once one has decided the camera needs to travel  in a bag of some kind, there is very little impediment to getting a slightly larger bag and  filling  it with a larger and more capable camera.

Is there a way forward ?  It seems to me the advanced compacts are increasingly looking like half baked products, unconvincing in any role. Witness the Canon G1X for example. My family acquired one of these soon after it was released. Canon touted it as a high end product for the discriminating user. It was very disappointing.  Performance was slow in every respect, the optical viewfinder was the same small inaccurate one found in generations of previous G cams, highlight clipping was common and the ergonomics were just barely acceptable. For all this the camera was neither small nor light.  Now the updated model the G1X (II) has lost the viewfinder altogether, lost the articulated monitor and has reduced the size of the handle and control panel on the right side of the body. They want you to pay extra for an EVF and an accessory handle. You could buy a DSLR or MILC with lens for that money and find it only slightly larger in the camera bag. Yes the G1X (II) appears to have a nice lens but that alone does not make a camera desirable.

I would like to see the advanced compacts go one way or the other. Either down in size to match or even improve on the RX100.  Or up in size to gain a full suite of features,  capabilities and ergonomics.  If Canon put the lens (assuming it is a really good one) from the G1X (II) into a fully featured body with proper handle, EVF, good ergonomics and performance, they might end up with a really desirable camera which the enthusiast would enjoy using.

Olympus appears to have gone in this direction with it's Stylus 1 model.  This has a 10.7x, constant f2.8 zoom, nice EVF, and good performance. It could benefit from a more prominent handle but otherwise has a set of specifications and features suitable for an expert/enthusiast, all purpose camera.