Have Your Say: Best Enthusiast Zoom Compact of 2013: Digital Photography Review

Have Your Say: Best Enthusiast Zoom Compact of 2013

Published Dec 18, 2013 | dpreview staff

Have Your Say: Best Enthusiast Zoom Compact of 2013

2013 was a busy year for high-end compact cameras, which saw everything from iterative updates to established lines to brand new options from manufacturers entering this market segment. We've used almost all of them, reviewed a few, and in the process we've taken thousands of pictures and formed plenty of opinions (most of the content in this article is adapted from our extensive buying guide pages) But now it's your turn - what was the best enthusiast compact camera of 2013? Click through this slideshow for our selection (in alphabetical order), and a chance to cast your vote.

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.

Have your say

What was the best enthusiast zoom compact camera of 2013?

Canon PowerShot G165.6%
Canon PowerShot S1203.0%
Fujifilm X2012.7%
Fujifilm XQ11.9%
Nikon Coolpix P78003.6%
Nikon Coolpix P3300.6%
Olympus Stylus 110.3%
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF13.5%
Pentax MX-14.7%
Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II38.3%
Sony Cyber-shot RX1015.9%

Total voters: 4,060

Comments

All (56)

Most popular (3)

Editors' picks (0)

DPR staff (1)

Oldest first

Michel Cojan

Hmmm... people are complaining about the Nikon P7800 (for instance) for being too bulky & heavy for a compact camera, but all LOVE the RX10 from Sony - great camera apparently - but @ 800+grams and DSLR looks, looks to me hardly compact... "Novelty" has probably something to do here too. I would've loved the RX100II if it would provide some kind of in-body view finder & direct external controls (dials). As that, I stick to my P7800 - great little cam with great IQ... for a 1/1,7" sensor.

Jan 3, 2014permalink

jmanzar

I have the Sony RX100, love this camera!

Jan 1, 2014permalink

TheNomadWay

Sony are kicking goals with the RX100 II and the DSC-RX10, but why are they ignoring some basic essential features??

I bet they launch something in the middle (size & specs) in 2014, right now one seems too small, the other too big

http://www.thenomadway.com

Jan 1, 2014permalink

white shadow

Tried the Oly Stylus 1 a few days ago in Melbourne, Australia.

I think it is the best enthusiast compact zoom camera for 2013. Well built and has all the requirement for an excellent travel everywhere camera. It may have a smaller sensor but it will be the one if I can only carry one camera with me.

I am now in the Australian Outback exploring and photographing the countryside and old Opal mines around Coober Pedy.

Cheers!

Dec 30, 2013*permalink

sapporodan

No Q7? It's a good camera!
It doesn’t deserve to be under the mirrorless category as the sensor is so tiny, but it will give most if these a run for it's money!

Dec 26, 2013permalink

DigitalPainter

Samsung WB 850 F
23 to 483 mm lens! It takes fantastic photos, and I carry it on a very small pouch on my belt, which also takes 3 more 8 meg memory card and 2 spare batteries!
The HDR, backlight, panorama and other settings on it works great, especially the HDR - with it one can take photos inside a house in broad daylight, and see everything inside and outside clearly, without using any flash at all.
It boggles the mind why other camera manufacturers, like Olympus, brings out new travel zooms, that only start at 28 mm wide!?

Dec 24, 2013permalink

Bram de Mooij

Pana GM1 should be in this group too :-)

Dec 23, 2013*permalink

discbrake

All compact cameras doesn't come close to Sony RX10. 24-200mm Zeiss glass with constant F/2.8 aperture on a 1-inch sensor that's proven to deliver excellent image quality.

Dec 23, 2013permalink

aerorail

these polls are useless of course you're going to vote for the one you own. most won't have experience with any other camera to make 'best' judgement
.
look how the polls reflect what the majority own

Dec 21, 2013permalink

hip2

like i said in a comment in one of the other polls, when you vote with your wallet, you are limited with a least two more factors than this poll. when you have to buy the camera, you obviously are limited by your money, and by which ones of these cameras are available at the time you went to buy one.

here you can vote for the one you REALLY would have bought if you were not limited at all by time and cost, at least.
but it seems people just don't care at all.
they only want to justify their purchase and reassure themselves that they made the right choice.
while in reality, no one cares which camera you bought (except the manufacturers), as long as you enjoy using it and you take pictures that you like with it, it's all that matters, even if you know there is a "better" camera out there.
we should be more honest with ourselves about that, once in a while :)

Dec 22, 2013permalink

mcshan

I agree. Over the past year I read over and over again the comment that if the poster had the money for an RX100 (II) they would have gone that route. Same thing with the X100S vs the RX1R. The RX1R was out of most folk's budget range. Not everybody but the majority.
Either way the polls made for some short but fun reading. In the end they mean little.

Dec 22, 2013permalink

Buhl213

If the voters, or a substantial part of them, also logs whether they own/owned/want the cameras, DPR can do the math and figure out what the most wanted (not the best) camera is. Perhaps they can also dig into data and figure out how many would buy another camera than they have. Both figures would be nice for us to see, but not more than that - but they will be invaluable to gearshop and amazon (which also means those numbers will not be published) ;-)

Dec 30, 2013*permalink

Mister J

Not necessarily, especially as no camera is likely to be 'best' at everything.

Example - my FZ150 has an excellent lens (why I bought it) and is fine for non-demanding portrait/landscape work. However, the ergonomics are poor, and it's hopeless for sports action.

Dec 30, 2013permalink

chillgreg

Gee the comments are a L O N G way down the page. Could you squeeze any more ads in? :/

Dec 21, 2013permalink

PedroMZ

RX 10 is hardly a compact. Fuji X20 has a very bright viewfinder with information overlay and at least one stop better resolution than LX 7/G16 etc. A very successful compromise between size,usability(that viewfinder) and image quality. The Sony RX 100 is better,of course but you need to spend almost as much again to get a viewfinder ! Oh and by the way I do not own one,just trying to give an unbiased evaluation

Dec 21, 2013*permalink

utomo99

Why Canon Apps did not include Remote control ? so we can take picture using android phones. This is very basic functions

Dec 21, 2013permalink

Hex144

What does "best" actually mean? And I'm not so sure the S120 and the RX10 for example, belong in the same poll.

Dec 20, 2013permalink

CameraLabTester

The cover photo portrays all the cameras as a random pile of... junk.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

Almeida

Which is what they are in a few years.

Dec 21, 2013permalink

Elyharbour

I wonder what these votes really mean? Most will just end up voting for the one they bought (or lusted after). Doesn't make it the best. And how do any of us know whether the ones we didn't buy or try, are better or worse. Ah well, harmless enough I suppose...

Dec 19, 2013permalink

mmartel

I had the same thought! Agree - it's (probably) harmless fun, that will probably reflect camera sales volume more than anything.

Dec 20, 2013permalink

quiquae

I doubt it even reflects sales volume in any meaningful way. RX100 II is by all accounts a good camera, but I highly doubt it is outselling S120 by 16 to 1.

Dec 20, 2013permalink

elf kerben

Sony rx2 is really good, so i voted for it.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

RFC1925

Would've voted for the RX10 but don't really consider it a compact even though it has a fixed lens.

Dec 19, 2013*permalink

mohamadyounes

I had bunch of compact size cams, lately the Olympus xz2, earlier the Canon s100 and another Nikon 7700. All are loaded with nice and cool features, but to be honest, if you are note feature and cool stuff freak like cool filters and such, you should keep those away. Besides, Nikon and Olympus were NOT pocket size compact cams, although they deliver super pictures. The competition remained between Canon s120 and the new destroyer Fuji Q1 with bigger sensor and less freaky filter stuff, and of course with the new sensor that don't use filter (read the reviews). Fuji has the fastest AF in the world and the wifi thing is pretty cool, pictures are more than excellent, this the new cams destroyer for the pocket cams candidates in the pocket size cams category

Dec 19, 2013permalink

88SAL

So, your vote is for making two categories.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

mohamadyounes

Well, yes. Sony is not in this category. It is something with Nikon coolpix A and others.

Dec 24, 2013permalink

samfan

I know Sony are very popular and deservedly so, but I wouldn't take the RX100's 28mm beginning or the RX10's huge size (same for most of the other cameras). Gotta go with the classic.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

mohamadyounes

True, Sony RX has bigger sensor than all the other candidates, it should be removed from this category

Dec 19, 2013permalink

Zeisschen

hahaha, because the others can't manage to fit big sensors in small bodies?

Dec 24, 2013permalink

mohamadyounes

It is not like that, it is matter of price and eng work here, when you manage to fit bigger sensor is small body, then you are way far of the Pocket camera category and you enter higher category e.g. Nikon Coolpix A and sony RX II etc. then you have to lay some extra 100 boxes on the table. That is not what we are here for.

Dec 24, 2013permalink

Richard Franiec

Sony's innovation pays off big time for second year in the row.
The happy owners of RX100II are in majority in this segment so the results are quite predictable.
It used to be Canon with groundbreaking S90/S95 to rule the segment. Now after just a few years of sitting on laurels the S120 sadly struggles to compete with smartphones.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

mcshan

I agree Richard. The S90/95 were the ground breaking trend setters (I bought both!). Your grips made them even better. I am now using the RX100 and there is no looking back.

Dec 22, 2013permalink

mpgxsvcd

These are really easy.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

Rob Sims

It's got to be the Sony double punch of RX100m2 and RX10 - I own neither but can see the stir they've created in the compact and superzoom categories respectively.

Good for us consumers though, as the competition really have an incentive to up their game.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

pacnwhobbyist

Tough choice because they are all good cameras. But my vote went for the Stylus 1. Yes it uses a smaller sensor, but still they pack a lot of camera into that small body.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

theoschela

Likely the G16!
oh wait... it lost its flippity LCD... as did the G15... now I remember why I have not yet upgraded my G12, I'm waiting for Lumix or Nikon to make a viable replacement upgrade

Dec 18, 2013permalink

Birch_Tree

Went with the Olympus Stylus 1, feel it has the most versatile lens out of all the options, it also has fairly good physical control. But I can easily understand why the Sony would win this contest.

Dec 18, 2013permalink

mike kobal

compact? RX100II of course, nothing else comes close.

Dec 18, 2013permalink

futile32

I had to vote for the RX10, but I wouldn't really call it compact.

The RX100 v1 was revolutionary.. the v2 makes it better with the tilt screen, Shoe, NFC and WiFi. But I don't think it was 'new', just a v2 update. That said still awesome camera.

Dec 18, 2013permalink

Resom

Nothing comes close?

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II is 2% (1.6 mm) wider and 2% (0.9 mm) shorter than Canon PowerShot S120.
Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II is 32% (9.3 mm) thicker than Canon PowerShot S120.
Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II [281 g] weights 29% (64 grams) more than Canon PowerShot S120 [217 g] (*inc. batteries and memory card).

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II dimensions: 101.6x58.1x38.3 mm (camera body only, excluding protrusion)
Canon PowerShot S120 dimensions: 100x59x29 mm (camera body only, excluding protrusion)

Dec 19, 2013permalink

peevee1

"Nothing comes close until you ditch the zoom. The Nikon A and GR are almost small as the RX100, but have a sensor 4x bigger"

3x bigger, but less efficient per area (no BSI). With about 3x darker lens at their only 28mm. And you have lost all other focal lengths, meaning most of your pictures with it will have wrong composition and/or perspective - just like a smartphone. Congratulations, what a compromise for the pride of owning bigger sensor.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

mcshan

Jimmy, I think zoom was the entire point of the poll. I mean ZOOM is in the thread/poll title.

Dec 22, 2013permalink

Vinc T

What is the vote results so far? Can't see it anywhere.

Dec 18, 2013permalink

mcshan

Hanging chads...they are hand counting.

Dec 25, 2013permalink

SHood

These vote results will likely have the largest gap between 1st and 2nd place. I am still surprised no one else has come out with a fixed zoom 1" sensor camera.

Dec 18, 2013*permalink

MikeNeufeld30

Canon G16 is such a great camera. Always performs admirably!

Dec 18, 2013permalink

pacnwhobbyist

If this were a comparison of cars instead of cameras, the Canon G16 would be the Toyota Corolla of the bunch. Not an exciting product by any means, but does everything reliably well without any major issues or malfunctions.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

mcshan

If it was a vacuum it would be an Electrolux.
If it was ice cream it would be vanilla.

Dec 23, 2013permalink

Jim

None of them. My vote goes to the G1X.

Dec 18, 2013permalink

Barney Britton

which was not released this year. Thanks for playing!

Dec 18, 2013permalink

Jim

Pssst....I'm aware of that, Barney.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

Rob Sims

Let's all play Jim's game. I vote for the Sony R1 (released in 2005) just because I like how it stretches the definition of enthusiast zoom compact.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

samfan

I vote for Minolta A2 then.

Dec 19, 2013permalink

ryansholl

Video Girl Barbie

Dec 19, 2013permalink

mcshan

The Brownie had a great retro look.

Dec 25, 2013permalink

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Readers' Showcase: Rodger Kingston Apr 18, 2015	Let's take a look: Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide Apr 30, 2016	Spoilt for choice: which Sony RX100 is right for you? Nov 13, 2016	Readers' Showcase: Philip Ewing Nov 8, 2015


Olympus Stylus 1	Fujifilm XQ1
122 I own it 114 I want it 56 I had it Discuss in the forums	42 I own it 36 I want it 2 I had it Discuss in the forums

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10	Nikon Coolpix P7800
301 I own it 263 I want it 117 I had it Discuss in the forums	97 I own it 39 I want it 30 I had it Discuss in the forums

Canon PowerShot G16	Canon PowerShot S120
185 I own it 61 I want it 62 I had it Discuss in the forums	166 I own it 37 I want it 45 I had it Discuss in the forums

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II	Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1
664 I own it 286 I want it 198 I had it Discuss in the forums	132 I own it 38 I want it 27 I had it Discuss in the forums

Nikon Coolpix P330	Fujifilm X20
58 I own it 9 I want it 8 I had it Discuss in the forums	256 I own it 80 I want it 81 I had it Discuss in the forums

Pentax MX-1
73 I own it 22 I want it 18 I had it Discuss in the forums

Black	In stock	$349.99	Shop now
White	In stock	$325.00	Shop now

Black	In stock	$479.99	Shop now
Silver	In stock	$429.95	Shop now


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