Canonized

After all the brain-draining deliberation of the little people inside his head, the jury has finally reached its verdict; Nelson's next camera upgrade is going to be a....

The Need: To have a point and shoot compact that can do all features: Weather-proofing, a Nikon interface, Fuji's Honeycom CCD, rangefinder look, 28mm wide if possible and some decent zoom and does not cost a kidney like that sonuvagun rangefinder Leica M8. Pixel count is not important as I wont print any larger than 8 x 11 anyway.

The Subjects:
Panasonic Lumix TZ3 - Powerful 10x zoom on a compact that starts with a remarkable 28mm Leica Vario Elmarit wide angle lens.
Panasonic LX2 - Retro styled with a wide lens angle on a 16:9 screen ratio.
Canon TX1 - New entry of Canon that promises the 10x zoom and High Def video recording in a very compact body.
Nikon P5000 - Still warm from the factory, the P5000 promises to fill the gap between the DSLR and compact cameras.
Canon G7 - Canon's G series that only comes once every 3-5 years promises full manual control much like an SLR could
Fuji F40fd - Fuji kicked everyone's dark butt by introducing the highest useful ISO settings in a compact camera without being overly noisy on the pics.
Olympus SP550 UZ - 28mm to 504mm , that's 18x optical zoom !! , yeah baby yeah!! Not that its that shagallistic but that is one long stretch of a zoom.

Elimination of losers:
It was a tough call, the subjects were all capable of the need: Compact, great pictures, Wide angle possibilities, Zoom and all the works. The process of elimination threw out the Olmypus zoomer and Fuji F40fd first as they failed the most; The SP550 was a great zoomer and oh what long lens it has when it stretches to 504 mm, but the pictures are just so so and it aint really a compact unless you can take on the idea of a big bulge on your pocket. Fuji F40fd's design is consumer- taste inspired - butt ugly. But lo! it is still the reigning king of the dark world, no compact comes close to its ability to take great pix even at the high 400-800 ISOs level, but it lacks the manual controls, not having a wide,neither a zoomer. If one doesnt mind style and other bells and whistles - Fuji F40fd wins hand-down. The Canon TX1 might have it all except for the wide angle, but as hybrids often are : Jack of All Trades- Master of none, it can give just slightly good photos, slightly better videos than the TZ3 and a 10x zoom ..and that's it, its purpose in life is yet to be discovered. The LX2 have had a great following for those who were still nostalgic of the 35mm rangefinders as its shape is rather slim and long, but beside the wide lens and styling, the price is just $30 less then the G7, finally LX2 bears the curse of all Lumixes - Noise.

The Final 3
The Nikon P5000 felt really comfortable and very compact, it boasts of a 3200 ISO (at 5mega pixels though) and Nikon's new (old story for the rest) stabilized system. It has a lot of manual controls including a wheel for fast ISO and F Stop adjustments. Superb and I'd say one of the best user interface, easy to navigate, easy to control and far better shutter response than the G7. The hotshoe for external flash is a plus. Wide and Telephoto adapter lens available ( at approx $160-$200 each , nuts!). Price $350

The Panasonic TZ3 is the most compact of all wide-tele digital camera out there, followed perhaps by Ricoh's R series. Its got all the bells and whistles and the reliable Paanasonic stabilization system that really helps at the far end of the zoom. What it lacks however is the manual control as it was targeted for the great majority of point and shooters. The 10x zoom and video capability would be of great value to soccer mom's and dads but may be lacking for enthusiasts. Zoomers cant have it all, thus this one suffers from noise and over use of noise reduction - the Achilles heel of Panasonic Lumix cameras. Price $440. Winning point: 28mm Wide to 10x Optical zoom.

The Canon G7 like its previous G models are targeted for those on the border but not yet wanting to cross to the SLR camp. It features full manual controls yet still capable of working as a P&S camera. It has 6x zoom and an image stabilizer which is becoming standard these days. ISO ranges from 80 to 1600, max at 3200 (dont know how usable that is). Its a brick and I wish the magnesium alloy was used here instead on the P5000. It takes time to master and controls are not easy to find. A hotshoe can take in external flash, Wide and Tele adapter lens available (not cheap if u need this, just get an SLR). Price $480

Its not a gazillion dollar purchase like an RD1 or Leica M8, but heck I have all the time to pry nooks and crannies for my point and shooter. The TZ3 will have to go, as though it has everything I would want in a compact, it failed to impress on all of it. The P5000 is as great as its price, nothing more ,nothing less. The downside and what turned me off is the cheap feel as it is really very light (why the magnesium alloy?), for me Its Nikon's attempt to match the G7 but tried to cut corners to lower cost and ended up looking like an A640. The G7 leads the P5000 in every aspect except ease of operation - can deal with that...as I like complexity, it matches my state of mind. With the G7 and P5000 comparison, Its exactly like paying for the xtra stuff, more zoom, more controls, heavier, sturdier feel = more $$. In a year or two I will be drawn to new models and in this context, I believe the G7's resale value will far exceed any compact models around. And so it is cast, the G7 is going home with me.

As I was patiently waiting for the camera shop staff to inspect the package contents and write my warranty papers, I casually asked what he thinks about the P5000 compared to the G7.... he stared at me with a slight twinkle in his eyes as if waiting for me to ask that question ....coming next on my blog