Any useful compact camera with RAW anymore?

It looks like vendors are shying away from RAW support in compact cameras. Is

it possible it has no market?

 

A small camera with RAW support, manual and automatic exposure settings,

display that can be oriented, that takes pictures at 100 and 200 ISO with no

need to reduce noise thereafter (and that does not smear fine details to reduce

noise aggressively), a decently useful lense like 28-105 or 35-105mm

equivalent, f/2.8-4.5 or 5.0. Totally silent, no noticeable "shutter" lag.

 

Just when you don't want to take around your SLR, and as a backup camera for

amateur photography. Is it only me who needs one?

KM A2!

I think your only options are cameras from 2-3 years ago, such as KM A2, KM A200, Canon Pro (or something like that), Nikon 8400 and 8800. They can be had on e-bay (new or used). I wish that companies continued to make them, but they want us to buy their dSLRs I guess.

Panasonic LX2?

 

Personally, I like the Canon A series.

 

My ideal point-and-shoot camera would have a 1" 5:4 4.6MP sensor with a 13mm f/5.6 image-stabilized lens.

My Sony DSC-R1 meets all your qualifications except that the minimum ISO is 160 and it is a bit large. It has about the best lens I have used on any camera smaller than a Hasselblad . It's image quality is every bit as good as my Canon 1Ds, sometimes better, and compared to that it's tiny. 17"x24" prints look great, at 200 ISO there is no noise at all.

It won't fit in your pocket if you don't dress like Captain Kangaroo though.

Panasonic LX2, Fuji 810

 

Godfrey

These days, only Ricoh, Panasonic/Leica, and Olympus, have compact cameras with RAW.

 

The truth is, it would sure be nice to have RAW, but some cameras, like the G7, produce very nice JPGs. In this regard, and looking at the market segmentation, I have bought the G7 and moved on. The advantages the camera offer more than make up for the lack of RAW.

 

Perhaps one of these days Ricoh will produce a GRD-zoom, able to save a RAW file in less than 10 seconds?

 

Actually, the existing GRD and the Panaleica LX2 are very nice cameras, so there are available options today. In my case, I tried the GRD, and the LX1, but the G7 really beats them in the ergonomics, functionality, robustness, flexibility, and "fun" factor. Plus, it reminds me of the Leica CM, it has a compact-rangefinder style to it.

I like the sounds of the G7 because it can use the 580EX flash I already have. (From what I've read.) (Also wonder if it would properly support master/slave features.)

 

But, I have a bad habbit of setting the wrong light source in camera, and I depend on RAW to do a few things.

 

Maybe someone will release hacked firmware that will enable such a feature.

 

(Well, we can all wish, can't we?)

 

-Mario

Add the Fuji E900 to the list. Full manual exposure controls, live histogram on demand, tiny but usable optical viewfinder.

The poster above wrote that the Fuji E900 has a RAW mode - and it

does indeed. The problem with it though is that it takes awhile for the

image to record. If you needed, say, a RAW mode exposure for some reason,

the E900 wouldn't stand in your way. The difficulty would be the 2nd shot

after the RAW. Just not practical. You wouldn't be able to use the E900 as

a P&S camera (as was intended).

 

Additionally, there is little post-processing software available (excepting

for Fuji's own) which can actually render the image into another more

ubiquitous format.

 

All this being said, the E900 is a great P&S functionally and yields topnotch

images. The JPEGs are super.

 

The trend in P&Ss is definitely away from RAW. If not having (usable)

RAW mode is a "dealbreaker" for you, why don't you take a look at

one of the new, smallish DSLRs from Nikon or Canon or whoever.

 

I know Nikon's new D40 gets rave reviews.

 

Good luck.

Thanks. It looks like the Nikon 8400 is the suggestion that comes closer to requirements... if it only was half its actual size. I will remain with my current Canon S50 until something like it but with a display that can swivel appears.