The perfect travel kit...

[JohnLund]

I am waiting for the perfect point & shoot camera to take along with me in my duties as a travel writer and photographer.

The camera I need would make a file at least 12mb to handle double truck (11x17 = two pages of printed color). It should be an excellent lens of at least 28mm w/a but preferred would be 24mm. The tele isn't quite as important but 150mm would be good (200mm better). It should fit in a belt pouch or small fanny pack. It should take CF cards, have a hotshoe for flash and a real viewfinder. It should be able to shoot JPegs and RAWs at the same time.

Am I dreaming or do I sense that p&s cameras might just be headed this way?

In the meantime, I have been having great success with my minimum travel kit of 5D, 24-105, 70-300, 16-35 (when needed) and 580EX carried in the Lowepro Slingshot 300AW. It is still pretty bulky and a tad heavy but nothing like the Series 1 bodies and white glass I use for commercial work at home. Being able to walk all day with your kit is key and so is the ability to blend in vs looking like a working pro.

Until the ideal p&s comes along, the 5D set will serve as long as I don't get too old and frail while I wait.

Cheers,
John

[jimgolden]

john how do you like the slingshot? i was thinking baout getting one for walking around too...

[JohnLund]

Jim,

You are going to like it as it has a waistbelt that takes the weight off your shoulder. It is a fairly large bag that will hold more than I wanted to carry so it is a tad bulky out the back. But other than that it is the usual Lowepro quality stuff.

I did have a 200AW but found it dug into my shoulder and was a tight fit for the above mentioned gear.

The waistbelt is the deciding factor on the 300 and no trouble at all.

Cheers,
John

[AndrewCassino]

John, my kit is practically the same, I have the 24-105 IS L lens, the 70-200 IS L zoom plus 1.4x TC instead of a 70-300 lens, and the 20mm EF prime instead of the 16-35. I have a SlingShot 200 but never really got used to it, so I am still soldiering on with my Lowe Mini Trekker. I joined a fitness club back in December and with a little weight training my bag's gotten a lot easier to carry...

[Richard_Coyle]

John
From my recent investigations into P&S cameras, your requirements obviously exceed the current technology by a substantial margin. When, as opposed to if, that technology is able to meet those requirements is a good question. I think they probably will, but also think the timeframe to meet both the specs and provide a decent image quality will be several years from now at best. As an example, in my search for a pocket camera, having tired of carrying a kit similar to yours for traveling, I researched the available units, and found the following:
1- Zoom lenses with a wide angle 28mm perspective, let alone a 24mm one, are not of equal quality to current 35mm ones. Canon SD700 vs SD800 is an example. While there is some debate as to whether it's the new internal processor or the lens causing the problem, it's probably both according to what I've read. It will be tough to achieve that wide angle quality zoom lens at a reasonable cost.
2- 12MP on such a small sensor presents enormous problems, not the least of which are light gathering, and color alignment and resultant CA. Would take a quantum leap in technology to achieve this for the image quality you seem to desire.
3- CF card requirement is probably not realistic. The current trend is to SD cards due to the much smaller footprint, particularly in the P&S lines, and it may continue the move into the DSLRs. I realize the current speed limitations on SD, including the high speed SD protocol vs the CF card speed, but that will probably evolve to an equal status over time.
4- While hot shoe requirement is achievable, and even available in some iterations, a decent viewfinder is going to be tough, given the size restraints. Frankly, I'd love one too!
5- Finally, as for Jpeg/Raw combo, I think that's simply a matter of processor evolution for P&S cameras, and will be eventually available. However, it may take the form of Adobe's DNG format or even the new Microsoft one.

All in all, your specs for a P&S are most desireable for those of us in similar situations, but I'm not holding my breath. Doesn't sound like you are either!

PS: For now, I chose the Canon SD700 as my pocket camera, as detailed in an accompanying post, as I really wanted something pocket size. Now if you're talking LX2 or G7 size, then the above issues have a different perspective and time frame.

[JohnLund]

Richard...your response is exactly the one I was hoping for.

By putting a wish list out there, I was hoping that someone would give me a case of reality in what may be plausible and what is wishful thinking. You seem to have done that.

I realize that size, speed and cost limitations in a point and shoot camera are dictated by the greater amateur market therefore my wishes will likely remain just that...wishes.

However, if one were to say that size and cost (within reason) were not an issue then I would expect that it would be feasible to construct a p&s like that for $2,000 say in a Olympus C-8080-sized camera that would fit in the mentioned belt holster or fanny pack.

At one time I had hopes that the Canon Pro 1 series was headed in the right direction and you know where that went.

The wish for CF cards is none other than me trying to keep the cards I have in play.

But really I am content to pack the 5D as there is none better in the size, weight, cost class but I would gladly give it up for a pro unit that would do 75% of what the 5D can do in a lighter, smaller package. We can always dream...right?

Cheers and thanks for your info Richard, you have put it all into perspective very well.

Cheers,

John

[Richard_Coyle]

John
You're welcome! And I agree with your comment that the amateur market is really the driving force, particularly for Nikon more than Canon at this point, and probably will continue to be so.

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