28mm, IS and ISO 1600!

[NillToulme]

...but no RAW. :-(

Still, the new Canon SD800 IS looks like it might just be what I've been waiting and hoping for in a pocket digicam to replace my trusty S500.

Interesting that Canon seems to have eliminated RAW entirely from its digicam range, even in the new G7.

Nill

[Tony_Gamble]

Thank goodness it has an optical viewfinder - for those who use reading glasses and who cannot frame a picture with the screen on the back of a camera.

Tony

[Dave New]

The move toward "no RAW" in digicams, I believe is due in part to extreme cost sensitivities in that market segment.

Consider that the few previous digicams that sported RAW, were roundly criticized for their sluggishness, apparently because the camera manufacturer decided that the price point did not allow them to put a high-speed multi-port bus design in their low-end chipset. Storing RAW data requires a great deal more data to be shuffled around within the camera, and onto the storage medium than JPEG.

It seems that Canon listened to the complainers and figured that taking RAW out would bring less criticism than another poorly performing implementation. In other words, "What do ya' want for a nickel?"

[NillToulme]

I can live with that. I'm worried about the 1/2.5" sensor, but if the noise performance is there I think this is likely to be the pocket cam that finally replaces my trusty old S500.

Nill

[Jamie_Roberts]

I can't believe Canon dropped RAW processing on the G7. It seems the only small cameras left that have RAW--or even a TIFF option--are the Panasonic / Leicas.

But the G7 still looks great--even better than the G6--on paper.

Of course, I'm hoping and working so this

Leica M8, Exclusive Preview: Digital Photography Review

will someday be my new, um, "small" camera No IS, but (a new) 28mm and ISO 2500... and just about as inconspicuous as a digicam gets!

[NillToulme]

What do you think of the D-Lux 3? Is it a viable pocket alternative to the Canon?

Nill

[Jamie_Roberts]

Originally Posted by NillToulme

What do you think of the D-Lux 3? Is it a viable pocket alternative to the Canon?

Nill

Nill--that's funny, I was going to actually post that one... it looks great on paper, and the Panasonic it's based on has great reviews..

So I'm sure it will be good--the core of the thing has been tweaked by Leica--but the Achilles heel of the Pana/Leica non-SLRs that I've seen (and owned) is high-ISO noise. The new 4/3 system is supposed to be much improved.

Ok, so it's not a Canon And the G6 isn't a dSLR in that regard either... but the Canons have always been pretty noise-free.

Of course, if your exposure is on and you don't mind dealing with it, noise isn't that much of a problem. So it will be interesting to see higher ISO performance.