compact fixed lens digital cameras with larger sensors

see also:

• mirrorless camera systems
• relatively compact super zoom bridge cameras

• photography is all about design compromise
• on one hand we mostly want the largest sensor possible for the best image quality and the greatest ability to control depth of field
• but we also generally want it as small as possible
• mirrorless camera systems with 2x crop sensors such as Micro Four Thirds system fit a nice compromise, but still, tend to be too big for a shirt pocket, but generally small enough for a jacket pocket (but can be squeezed into jeans pockets if used with a pancake lens).
• the category of camera on this page aims at the compromise of allowing a shirt pocketable camera but with a large enough sensor for reasonable image quality and some depth of field control (mainly for close up work only though)
• the current king of this category appears to be the Sony RX100
• most compact digital cameras have sensors smaller than a 3x crop sensor and thus are not included on this page, such as:
  • Canon S100 = 4.6x crop (portraiture DOF equivalent to FF camera equates to 120mm f/27 - not the camera to make your subject “pop”)
  • Canon Powershot G12 = 4.6x crop (portraiture DOF equivalent to FF camera equates to 140mm f/21 - also not the camera to make your subject “pop”)
  • most compact superzooms such as Canon ELPH/IXUS = ~5.5x crop

• sensor really is too small but included on this page as a comparison
• see also Pentax Q mirrorless camera system which has a 5.5x crop sensor but allows interchangable lenses

• announced Oct 2013
• 12mp, 1/1.7“ back-illuminated sensor (4.2x crop factor)
• 24-300mm f/2.8 10x OIS zoom
• shutter 60sec-1/2000th sec
• 1080 30p video
• 1.44m dot EVF
• tiltable touch screen
• built-in 3 EV Neutral Density filter
• WiFi smartphone connectivity
• 116.2 x 87 x 56.5mm size
• 402g incl. battery
• dpreview.com preview

• 28-112mm (eq), f/2.0-2.8 = 112mm f/11 “portraiture” in full frame terms

• announced Jan 2013
• 28-112mm (eq), f/2.0-2.8 = 112mm f/11 “portraiture” in full frame terms, super macro to 1cm
• advanced optical viewfinder syncs with zoom lens
• 12mp backlit X-Trans sensor with phase detection
• 20% more resolution, 30% less noise than x10
• fast AF (down to 0.06sec)
• Lens Modulation Optimiser to reduce optical effects such as lens diffraction
• focus peaking
• 1080/60p HD video

• one of the best compact digital cameras for 2012 although sensor gives 4.67x crop factor, importantly it shares many compatibilities with the wonderful Micro Four Thirds system and thus could be a very useful extra camera for those users
• 12mp backlit sensor, 28-112mm (eq) f/1.8-2.5 lens = 112mm f/11 “portraiture” in full frame terms
• hybrid control rings around the lens for digital or analog control of focus or zoom
• swivel,touch screen AF
• WiFi connectivity to smartphones via compatible Toshiba FlashAir SDHC card with an internal wireless LAN
• see dpreview.com
• see dpreview's choice as best compact allrounder for 2012:
  • “Much as we like the Panasonic LX7, the longer lens, excellent JPEGs and engaging user interface make the XZ-2 stand out for us. The XZ-2 is one of the nicest cameras in this group to use, featuring extensive customization inherited from Olympus's PEN-series interchangeable lens cameras. This is a serious enthusiast camera and easily one of the best of its type that we've encountered. Really the Olympus's strongest competition comes from the Sony RX100 - which at least matches it for image quality but doesn't quite offer the sense of engagement that we appreciate in the XZ-2's operational ergonomics.”

• see also Nikon 1 mirrorless camera system which is a 2.7x crop sensor but allows interchangeable lenses

• announced July 2019
• new 20mp 1” stacked CMOS sensor with DRAM chip built in and 357 PDAF + 425 CDAF
• 20fps with C-AF tracking and no blackout; 90fps locked AF;
• AF capabilities similar to Sony a9 full frame mirrorless camera
• same 24-200mm f/2.8-f/4.5 zoom lens,pop-up EVF, flip-up touchscreen, and battery as predecessor
• same 4K/30p shooting with full-pixel readout or Full HD at up to 120fps but 4K movie IS is 8x better
• $US1200

• announced June 2018
• 1“ sensor, Bionz X processor with front-end LSI,
• twice the EyeAF tracking performance of the Mark V model
• 24-200mm F2.8-4.5 zoom lens with 4EV IS and built-in ND filter
• 315 phase detection points covering approximately 65% of the sensor
• 24fps burst with AF
• touchscreen, allowing both touch shutter and touch focus which can tilt up to 180 degree upwards and 90 degree downwards.
• XGA OLED TruFinder popup EVF
• full-width, oversampled 4K video with support for 8-bit HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) for easy HDR capture
• superslow motion low res video at either 250, 500 or 1000 fps
• $US1200

• announced June 2015
• 1” sensor “world’s first 1.0 type stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor with advanced signal processing and an attached DRAM memory chip”
• 1080p 240fps slo mo and up to 960fps at 1280×800 or 480fps at 720p
• up to 5mins of 4K video with Picture Profile, S-Log2/S-Gamut
• 14fps stills
• 24-200mm (35mm equiv.) f/2.8 lens
• EVF
• Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity
• $US1300
• 100-1000fps video modes

• announced Oct 2016
• 1“ sensor with 315 on-sensor phase-detect AF points cover 65% of the frame
• 24-70mm eq lens
• built-in pop-up viewfinder
• 24fps burst
• 960fps slo mo video
• 4K video, focus peaking, zebra, log gamma and oversampled 4K plus clean HDMI out

• announced June 2015
• 1” sensor “world’s first 1.0 type stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor with advanced signal processing and an attached DRAM memory chip”
• 1080p 240fps slo mo and up to 960fps at 1280×800 or 480fps at 720p
• up to 5mins of 4K video with Picture Profile, S-Log2/S-Gamut
• 16fps stills
• 24-70mm (35mm equiv.) f/1.8-2.8 lens
• pop-up viewfinder
• Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity
• $US1000

• introduced June 2014
• 20mp 1“ sensor
• 25-400mm equivalent f/2.8-4.0 Leica DC Vario Elmarit lens with 5 aspherical lenses and no onion-ring bokeh
• space recognition AF by DFD with 12fps burst rate
• 5-axis optical image stabiliser
• focus peaking
• 4K HD video at 30fps, 100Mbps with 4K 8mp Photo stills.
• 2.36m dot EVF
• WiFi, NFC
• ~$US900

• introduced Oct 2013
• 20mp 1” sensor, 24-200mm (equiv) constant f/2.8 8.3x zoom lens
• Bionz X image processor
• 10fps
• 1080p with 60p/24p options
  • great image detail for video¹⁾
  • built-in ND filters
• WiFi/NFC for remote control by smartphones
• $1300
• Gizmodo review

• introduced Aug 2013
• improved version of the RX100
• performs a good deal better in low light, thanks to Sony’s rear-illuminated sensor
• adds tilting LCD, Wi-Fi, standardized hot-shoe, and 24p video.

• introduced in June 2012, it instantly became a hit for its image quality, build quality, fast aperture 3x fully retractable zoom lens and breast pocket of a jacket pocketability
• 1“ 20.9mp EXMOR sensor
• 28-100mm (equiv), f/1.8-4.9 Carl Zeiss = 100mm f/13.4 “portraiture” in full frame terms
• ISO 125-6400
• steady shot IS
• 10fps burst
• 1080 60p HD video
• Luminous Landscape preview
• dpreview.com preview

• sensor is too big to allow a 3x zoom camera for a shirt pocket, may as well buy Micro Four Thirds system where a 45mm f/1.8 lens will at least give 90mm f/3.6 “portraiture” in full frame terms
• there may be a good case for a niche wide aperture pancake lens version though

• introduced May 2014
• 12.8mp
• 24-120mm (eq) , f/2.0-3.9 lens = 120mm f/7.4 “portraiture” in full frame terms
• close focus to 5cm
• dual control rings
• tilting touchscreen LCD
• 5.2fps burst
• WiFi with NFC for smartphone control
• optional EVF
• 1080/30p HD video
• much better than the mark I with faster AF but still too big for a shirt pocket, may as well buy Micro Four Thirds system
• dpreview.com review

• introduced early 2012
• 28-112mm (eq) , f/2.8-5.8 lens = 112mm f/10.7 “portraiture” in full frame terms
• too big for a shirt pocket, may as well buy Micro Four Thirds system
• dpreview.com review

• see also Micro Four Thirds system which are 2x crop interchangeable lens cameras

• announced Aug 2018, shipping Oct 2018
• 11fps 22mp multi-aspect sensor with no AA filter gives 17mp outputs
• same 24-75mm equivalent F1.7-2.8 lens (see details under LX 100)
• faster AF with Lightspeed AF of 0.10sec and DFD compatible
• 5.5 fps in C-AF
• Starlight AF but still only 49 AF points
• improved color rendering which Panasonic introduced with the GH5 and same processor as the GX9
• grippier grip
• five customizable 'soft buttons'
• 1.24 million dots fixed rear screen is now touch enabled allowing Touchpad AF but same EVF
• buffer has been increased, allowing for up to 33 Raw images to be captured at 11 fps (5.5 fps with C-AF)
• two new Picture Styles: L. Monochrome and the high contrast L. Monochrome D. A 'grain effect'
• Creative Panorama function,
• 4K 8mp Photo 1.34x crop feature has been enhanced, with support for Post Focus, Focus Stacking and Sequence Composition.
• 4K 24/30p video but at 1.34x crop, and no mic or headphone port
• 1080 24/30/60p video
• Bluetooth 4.2 BLE has also been added, allowing for remote wake-up, auto transfer and a simple remote shutter release
• can now charge via USB 2.0 port
• SD card slot but only UHS-I not UHS-II
• 392g
• 115 x 66 x 64 mm (4.53 x 2.6 x 2.52″)
• $US999

• announced Sept 2014
• a touch large for a pocket, but OK for a jacket pocket, and smaller than the Canon G1 X II
• 16mp multi-aspect sensor giving 12.7mp actual
• 11 fps (6.5 fps in C-AF) with 1/16,000th sec electronic shutter
• 10.9-34mm (24-75mm f/3.4-5.6 equiv.) F1.7-2.8 POWER OIS ASPH Leica lens, close focus 3cm, 9 aperture blades, aperture dial and aspect ratio selector, focus mode selector, 43mm filter thread
  • much more depth of field (DOF) control than smaller sensor cameras such as the Canon G7 X, G1 X II or Sony RX100
• DFD AF technology to give faster AF
• 49 zone AF; eye detect AF; focus peaking
• 2764k dots XGA EVF with 60fps refresh rate
• 3” 921k dot LCD but no touch
• 4K HD video (and 4K photo mode) at 30p, 1080 60p
• electronic silent shutter mode to 1/16000th sec with burst rates up to 40fps at full resolution!
• mechanic shutter inside the lens allows flash sync at all mechanical shutter speeds (up to 1/4000th sec) !!!
• HDR mode automatically takes and combines 3 shots;
• panoramic sweep mode;
• minimal noise up to ISO 3200
• Intelligent Resolution feature
• multiple exposure mode;
• 6 Photo Styles and 22 creative filters
• bundled flash
• WiFi with NFC
• 393g, 115 x 66 x 55mm, $US899
• see Panasonic LX100 compact camera
• dpreview.com's preview
• http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_dmc_lx100_review/

• included here for comparison as are too big for a shirt pocket
• see also mirrorless camera systems

• announced Feb 2020
• 26mp, 23mm f/2.0 lens with 4 stops ND filter
• vastly improved hybrid viewfinder switch between 0.52x magnification optical viewfinder (OVF) or 3.69M dot OLED EVF
• tilting touch screen, weather resistance
• 4K 30p, 1080 120p, plus 10-bit, 4:2:2 color externally via the HDMI port
• $US1399

• announced Feb 2019
• 24mp, 3-axis IBIS, touchscreen, 28mm (in 35mm FF terms) f/2.8 lens
• sensor shift moire reduction as no AA filter; CDAF + PDAF;
• in-built automatic 2 stop ND filter
• close focus to 6cm; USB-C; 1080HD video; $US900

• announced Oct 2017
• the 1st Canon G-camera to use an APS-C size sensor
• 24mp Dual-pixel AF sensor; 15-45mm f/2.8-5.6 3x zoom lens eq. to 24-72mm
• 7-9fps burst rate; built-in flash plus hotshoe
• EVF plus vari-angle touch screen; dust/water resistant;
• 1080/60p video with 5 axis movie IS; no 4K;
• $US1299

• announced Jan 2016
• 16.5mp with fixed 23mm f/1.7 lens (eq. to 35mm fov)
• no viewfinder just the LCD screen
• can be used down to 15m depth and resist a drop of 1m
• $US3000

• 8fps 24mp X-Trans CMOS III APS-C sensor
• not weathersealed
• hybrid AF 325 CDAF / 169 PDAF points
• hybrid OVF/EVF 2.36Mdot
• 1.04mdot LCD
• 7 custom buttons
• fixed 23mm f/2 lens, close focus to 0.1m
• shutter 4 sec to 1/4000th mechanical, 1/32,000th electronic
• built-in flash GN 4.6m (ISO100)
• 1080 60p video
• WiFi
• 469g, 127 x 75 x 52 mm (5 x 2.95 x 2.05″)
• $US1299 / $AU1799

• announced Sept 2014 as a upgrade of the X100S
• same 16mp 6fps sensor and lens 23mm f/2 (DOF eq. 35mm f/2.8 on full frame or 17mm f/1.4 on MFT) - built-in ND filter, close focus to 10cm, but still no IS
• redesigned hybrid viewfinder:
  • 2.3m dot LCD panel
  • adds a darkened 'tab' that can pop up in the optical finder to allow projected information to be clearly seen in all lighting conditions and allows the digital split image MF aid to be available in optical mode
  • optical mode covers 92% of image
  • EVF mode 54 fps, 0.005sec lag screen refresh
• rear LCD much improved - now 3.0“, 1.04m dot panel but no touch screen
• new fully electronic shutter mode for silent operation, shutter speeds to 1/32,000th sec, but risks rolling shutter artefacts
• aperture ring now in 1/3rd EV stops
• exp. compensation increased to +/- 3EV and works in autoISO in manual mode
• new rear control dial instead of toggle
• adds Face Detection AF
• adds ability to tie spot meter to selected AF point
• new film simulation mode - Classic Chrome - Kodachrome
• 1080 24/50/60p at up to 36mbps, stereo mic input, focus peaking but poor video colour
• WiFi smartphone control
• 440g, 127 x 74 x 52 mm (5 x 2.91 x 2.05″)

• announced Jan 2013 as a major revamp of the X100
• fixed 23mm f/2.0 lens (eq. to 35mm lens on a full frame) with built-in 3-stop ND filter, macro to 10cm
• 16mp X-Trans CMOS II sensor with on-sensor phase detection AF sensors and no low pass filter
• 25% more resolution, 30% less noise
• “world's fastest AF” - as little as 0.08sec
• 6fps burst, shutter to 1/4000th sec, built-in flash plus hotshoe
• shutter lag 0.01sec, start up 0.5sec, shooting interval 0.5sec
• higher definition 2.36million dot hybrid viewfinder plus digital split image manual focusing as well as focus peaking
• Lens Modulation Optimiser to reduce optical effects such as lens diffraction
• film simulation modes
• 1080/60p HD video at 36mbps, stereo mic
• 445g, 127 x 74 x 54 mm (5 x 2.91 x 2.13”)

• introduced in 2011 mainly aimed at the street photographer genre
• 12mp sensor, fixed 23mm f/2.0 lens (eq. to 35mm lens on a full frame)
• hybrid optical/EVF but no image stabiliser
• a touch bigger than most compact versions of mirrorless camera systems
• dpreview.com review

• announced Nov 2020
• monochrome sensor version (which is a different sensor entirely to the color version and has base ISO of 100 not 50 due to the lack of sensor filters and has cleaner shadows and less high ISO noise)
• 28mm f/1.7 Summilux focus by wire AF fixed lens
• NOT a rangefinder but a true mirrorless camera
• $US5995

• 1st full frame digital camera by Zeiss, announced Sept 2018, available for order Oct 2020
• 37.4mp sensor but no IS nor OIS
• ISO range of 80-51200
• fixed 35mm f/2 lens optimised for the sensor and leaf shutter, close focus to 11.8 inches (30cm).
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC is fully integrated within camera
• 4.3-inch multi-touch 1280×720 pixel display with a pixel density of 338ppi
• 0.74x 1920×1080 OLED EVF
• WiFi, Bluetooth, USB-C
• 512Gb internal memory (6,800 RAW images!) BUT no memory card slot!
• 3,190mAh battery capacity, 3fps continuous shooting, UHD 4K 30p video, 1080HD 60p, and microphone and headphone jacks
• 5.59×3.66×1.81 inches (142x93x46mm) plus 20mm further for lens
• $US6000

• 42mp full frame compact announced Oct 2015 (same sensor and BIONZ X processor as the Sony a7R II full frame mirrorless camera)
• 35mm f/2 Carl Zeiss Sonnar lens
  • 8 elements in 7 groups, 3 aspherical elements, 9 aperture blades
  • close focus 30cm normally, and down to 20cm in macro mode
  • leaf shutter giving flash sync to 1/2000th sec!
  • 49mm filter
• improved 399-point hybrid AF system
• new pop-up 2,359,296 dot OLED TRU-finder EVF with 0.74x magnification, a 19mm eyepoint and a -4.0 to +3.0 diopter adjustment
• rear LCD now tilts but still no touch control
• no built-in flash
• optical variable low-pass filter - user can set degree of filter to reduce moiré including turn it off to give maximum details
• ISO 50 - 102,400, 5fps burst with AF between each frame - so C-AF at last
• shutter only to 1/4000th sec
• no image stabiliser apparently
• focus peaking
• support for 14-bit uncompressed raw files
• can now define a minimum shutter speed for the Auto ISO sensitivity option
• 50Mbps XAVC S movie mode at 1080 full HD at 24, 25, 30, 50 or 60fps
• WiFi, NFC, smartphone remote control
• 113 x 65 x 72 mm (4.5 x 2.6 x 2.8 in)
• 507g w. battery (17.9oz) giving 200-220 shots
• $US3300
• see Sony RX1R II 42mp fixed lens full frame with leaf shutter

• announced Nov 2018
• a more stealthy version of the Leica Q, but with same specs otherwise
• shutter release button and power switch/drive mode selector have been redesigned to resemble more to those found on the Leica M10 and C
• ergonomics and tactile feel have been improved

• announced June 2015
• 24mp, 10fps
• 28mm f/1.7 lens
• close focusing distance of about 6 inches
• quiet leaf shutter with flash sync at 1/500th sec
• fast CDAF with Face detect AF
• 3.68 M dot EVF, focus peaking and magnified view manual focus
• touch LCD
• $US4250
• http://www.dpreview.com/previews/leica-q-typ116/4
• https://luminous-landscape.com/leica-q-hands-on-and-video-interview/

• introduced Sept 2012
• this camera is the 1st full frame compact digital
• in essence it is somewhat like a large version of a Sony NEX 5R but with a Sony SLR A99 sensor (without phase detect sites) and a fixed 35mm lens
• new ISO-standard flash hotshoe doing away with the old Minolta legacy hotshoe at last!
• 24mp 14-bit RAW sensor, 5fps burst
• ISO 100-25,600
• fixed Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f/2.0 OIS lens with:
  • quiet leaf shutter 30sec - 1/2000th sec
  • 9-bladed circular aperture
  • macro switching ring allows focus to 20cm
• 3“ fixed LCD screen
• popup flash
• flash sync up to 1/2000th sec
• see Sony RX1 fixed lens full frame with leaf shutter