Compact Camera Reviews

Leica just unveiled a slick, new compact camera this morning: the 24-megapixel, full frame Leica Q. The Leica Q camera features a Leica Summilux 28mm f /1.7 ASPH integrated lens and a host of features, making it Leica’s premium compact camera.

I’ve often wished I had a camera that could go from 24mm to 2000mm at the touch of a button and without being weighed down by a ton of glass. Okay, maybe not all the way to 2000mm and perhaps not in a power zoom, but you get my point. The Nikon Coolpix P900 superzoom (super-duper-zoom?) camera gives you that reach in a fairly compact body, relative to a lens with such a broad range of focal lengths.

For a compact camera, the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II has a large image sensor; in fact, it is slightly larger than the sensor found in Micro Four Thirds cameras. The G1 X II offers a moderate resolution of 13 megapixels, with maximum resolution in images with an aspect ratio of 4:3. By default, however, the camera is set to an aspect ratio of 3:2 that delivers slightly less image resolution.

In 2013, Sony introduced two extraordinary cameras – the QX10 and the QX100. Both were based on compact cameras (WX100 and RX100 II), but didn't have “camera bodies” and LCD screens. Instead, they consisted of a lens, image sensor, image processor and a storage media system and both needed either a smartphone or tablet computer to serve as the “external camera.” The newest in the QX line is the QX1. The main camera concept is similar to the 2013 models, but the QX1 offers a large APS-C sensor with 20MP resolution and an E mount for interchangeable lenses.

Fujifilm was showing off its new toys at photokina today and we got some hands-on time with these latest X-series cameras and lenses. Initially announced on September 10^th, the Fujifilm X100T and XT-1 Graphite Silver cameras, and Fujinon XF50-140mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR and XF56mm F1.2 R APD lenses continue to build on Fuji’s compact and retro-style (Fuji would say “classic" style) X-Series line.

The Pentax MX was a 35mm Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera produced from 1976 to 1985 and, for a time, was the company’s flagship SLR. It was solidly built featuring all-mechanical construction, including the shutter, and only the metering system was battery dependent. The new all-digital, all-electronic Pentax MX-1 couldn’t be more different. For openers, the MX-1 is not an SLR but an advanced digital compact camera with the kind of retro styling that’s all the rage these days with camera designers and, apparently, camera buyers, too. So, how does the MX-1 stack up?