Well spent a weekend using these are some quick thoughts:
- The Sony RX100 is actually a spectacular camera. It is much smaller than the smallest of these and its photo quality at wide angle is comparable to these in good light. And it is definitely nice to have a zoom. And the video mode is pretty good.
- Ricoh GR. I see why Ming likes it. The best thing is that you can take shots one handed and the photo quality is good. It is twice as fast as the Sony, but gives up a stop with its lense (F/2.8 vs F/1.8). It definitely takes time to learn, but in the end that isn’t such a big deal. The main thing to get use to is really the 28mm effective lenses. It is fast, but it definitely limits you when you can’t take a shot framed quite right. And it is a third bigger than the RX100
- Fuji X100S. This thing is really a technological marvel with its hybrid viewfinder. It is very large though (it is wider and higher than the Canon EOS-100). And it looks like an old rangefinder. No way to pocket it. The controls are quite a novelty. For instance, there is no mode button to set aperture priority, instead, there is a separate ring for focal length and an “A” for automatic setting and a separate shutter speed with an A. But setting the As you get shutter, aperture and full automatic, but it took time to figure this out. It is supposed to be incredibly low noise. It is a great novelty camera for me, but as a large fixed lense, I’m not sure how it works.
- Canon EOS-100D. This camera is the Rebel in the US, the Kiss in Japan and the EOS-100D in Europe. Overall, this was the most surprising of the cameras. With a 17-55 f/2.8, I realized I had forgotten how wonderful it is to have a big lense at constant aperture. And the controls work like all Canons. Pretty amazing given the technolog in there.
The conclusion is that for right now:
- Sony RX100 Mark II vs. Ricoh GR. This is the toughest choice really
- Canon EOS-100D. Wow, a terrific shooter for a tiny camera and I can still use my older lenses
