Which of these is best wideangle compact?

[nzdavid]

Were looking for a compact digital with a wideangle zoom. I use Leica M for critical work,

but we were after something handy, easy to use that produces decent results. Main

choices are Ricoh Caplio G3 or GX8, Canon S60 or Fuji E550. Any thoughts on these or

other alternatives? Many thanks.

[jcuknz]

You should look at the Nikon 5400 with it's tailor made WA adaptor giving you 18mm equivalent.

[dg1]

I'm familiar with the Ricoh GX8, I have the GX which is 5 megapixels. Those cameras are very nice to use and I've got many good results with mine. Aside from the wide angle (a .8x WA lens good for 22mm on the GX series is also available), these cameras are unusually easy to operator of manual exposure settings, have quick start up and extremely quick AF and shutter response (.12 seconds combined). Also a larger range of ISO 64 - 1600 than most compacts (64 100 and 200 are the cleanest, beyond that you have to apply neatimage or similar postprocessing, I don't always find it necessary at ISO 400 though, but I believe the GX8 is slightly noisier). Ricoh does not apparently apply and internal noise reduction which is a good thing IMO.

 

If you hate shutter lag, I don't think there's much contest among the other cameras you list, the Ricohs are the most responsive. I don't know about the Nikon 5400, but if you shoot Leicas I think you might appreciate the operating characteristics of the Ricoh. You might want to consider the Ricoh R1 or R2 also if you don't require the aperture priority and manual exposure settings. I believe the R1/R2 have even less shutter lag than the GX series.

[camilla]

I have a Ricoh GX8 and have used a Canon S50 before, the latter should be very similar to the S60. I'd say the Canons give you very nice photos for a compact, but the Ricoh is a joy to use. IMO the Ricoh gives a little more noise, but more natural colours and it is easier to use in manual mode to control exposure. The Ricoh is much, much faster! Almost no noticeable shutter lag. It is also nicer to hold, thanks to a small grip and a rugged surface. I really enjoy the Ricoh, for what it is, the Canon just made me irritated because of the shutter lag.

[nzdavid]

Thanks, I do like the look of the Ricoh. My wife has to like it, too! We'll check them out

tomorrow. I was told that the optical quality of the Canon is superior. Not sure... don't

want annoying shutter lag, though. Also, viewfinder or no viewfinder... so much choice! I'd

quite like one with a Leica lens, but I hear the the new Panasonic LX1/Leica D-Lux 2 is

"noisy".

[steve_muntz]

I've got a Coolpix 5000 which is the older version of the 5400. You can get really wide with accessory lenses, but the one for the 5400 (and newer 8400) are really large and heavy. I'd rather use my DSLR - the idea of the Coolpix (for me, at least) is to travel light.

 

Put the new 8400 on your list though, it's a 24mm equivalent without extra lenses. Or find a "new old stock" Coolpix 5000 with it's smaller accessory lenses for about a 19mm equivalent. They do pop up from time to time on ebay.

[nzdavid]

Thanks for your help. We bought a Ricoh GX8. Brief comments: good shape and

ergonomics, good file size, excellent shadow detail, lens does reveal some purple fringing

and barrel distortion at wideangle - otherwise a very useful tool, but more later once we

have used it some more! Cheers, David