So I figured it would be good to get a P&S for those times when I don't feel like lugging around my Canon 7D. To be honest, I've been out of the loop on P&S cameras for a few years. What are things you find important in a p&s camera and are there any resources that I could research to get up to speed on the current market?

check out www.dpreview.com

I carry a Fuji F30- however, I don't think you can get them anymore. If I had to buy one now, I'd buy a Ricoh GRD3, but a fixed lens isn't everyone's cup of tea, though.

Good luck- the best around at the moment seems to be the Panasonic LX3- although it's up for debate. Canon S90 looks pretty good.

cheers,
fred

Thanks for the help. I'll be digging around dpreview for a bit. Do you, or anyone else, know of other good brands/models with RAW capability that I should look at?

John, nice choice. I have a f31. You're right, it's not available anymore. I think the Samsung TL500 looks like it could be a very worthy replacement.

f/1.8 24mm lens
10 megapixels
1/1.7" CCD sensor
Full manual controls
RAW

> know of other good brands/models with RAW capability that I should look at?
Canon G11.

Cheers

+1 on the Canon G11

Especially coming from a DSLR. You will have lots of fingertip control, a good menu system, plus a couple of "pre-settable" shooting environments. Like "Aperature, Daylight WB, Raw, Auto Exposure Bracketing". And then you can switch back to Program for P&S.

5X zoom, about 400 shots per battery, Viewfinder (70% and OK - but it gets you close). With the LCD off you can get 1000 shots.

A bit heavy at 16 ounces. Fits easily in a medium hipbelt pouch.

Look also at the Canon S90. Similar features, though not as accessible, at half the weight, half the shots, and no viewfinder.

Edited by greg23 on 03/18/2010 20:57:59 MDT.

What's the largest print size (with good results) I can expect to get out of the G11 and S90?

If print quality is a major factor, you might consider the micro-4/3 cameras like the panasonic gf1 or olympus e-p1. Support for interchangeable lenses and a sensor that matches entry level dslrs.

Edited by nschmald on 03/19/2010 00:23:19 MDT.

I used an 8-megapixel camera, did some very careful post-processing, and produced a killer wildlife print at 24x36 inches. Some of that is a result of the print service company that is used.
The 10-megapixel cameras should do the same or possibly a hair more. Don't discount the effect of post-processing.
Some of this has to do with the minimum viewing distance to the print. The rule of thumb is that this minimum distance is equal to the diagonal print measurement. So, the larger the print is, the farther back you are supposed to stand, so the smallest details fade into oblivion.
--B.G.--

Look at This thread about P&S etc.

In the above thread there is a Link to a discussion on camera pixels and print size. It discusses the print quality between a 15M camera and a 45M camera.

Canon G10 is 15M, and the G11 is 10M. However, many say the the engine driving the G11 puts out images as good as the G10...in most situations, even though it has only 2/3 the pixels.

A common mantra here is "don't pack your fears". The same goes for a camera. What do you really need? What can be left behind?

Edited by greg23 on 03/19/2010 11:03:51 MDT.

The G10 and 11 have the same sized CCD (1/1.7") therefore the pixels in the G11 are larger. Larger pixels (all other things being equal) usually mean less "noise" (signal interference) and generally perform better at higher ISO. Both of these are true in this case.
Franco

Yep, bigger pixels are better. That's what I like about the Samsung. It also has bigger pixels, but it has a much brighter lens than the G11.

The Samsung looks good with that very fast lens AND a hot shoe, but it is brand new and as far as I know not really tested yet. I have the S90 and like it for size and fast settings changes using the two rings on it. Low light shooting and image stabilization are very good- I rarely use my tripod with it. It is truly pocket-able and good for shooting Street. Battery life is so so. You can get a 37mm Chinese lens adapter on eBay which may permit you to use filters and other lenses. A glue on filter adapter and small grip are also available. RAW processing is yet an unknown factor . The Canon software that comes with it corrects lens distortion at the small end . Unclear if the mainstream post processing software has corrective filters for the camera yet .