Best small compact camera for macro & low light

Could you guys help me with identifying the best small compact camera for macro photography and low light situations... any suggestions greatly appreciated

The Olympus XZ2 (US $300 at B&H currently) or Panasonic LX7 might be close to what you are looking for. The smaller sensor Olympus XZ10 is more compact and cheaper ($200), with a bit less low-light capability. These cameras have bright lenses and can be used with an external flash (though XZ10 requires an RC-capable flash for TTL flash control because it lacks a hotshoe). If you have more money to spend you could step up to the Sony RX100 series or the Olympus Stylus 1. If you have less to spend you can choose about any point and shoot model, but you give up some low-light capability. With ingenuity, you can get some good macro shots with about any camera.

andi_sf said:

Could you guys help me with identifying the best small compact camera for macro photography and low light situations... any suggestions greatly appreciated

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Your requirements are a bit contradicting, so there is no simple answer.

Best for low light are the cameras with large max aperture and a relatively large sensor (so that you can use higher ISO with reasonable noise), for instance the RX100 models. The APS-C G1X is not as small; same with those 1" that have high max aperture anywhere else than at widest zoom (RX10, FZ1000, rumoured LX8, X30, P8000...).

But compacts with larger sensors typically don't have as good macro capability (min frame size or max magnification is rarely listed in specs, but one can look up sample photos) as "ordinary" advanced compacts with 1/1.7". Btw, DSLR kit lenses don't either.

If you intend to use a close-up achromat diopter for macro (more working distance and relative background blur), it is good to have a compact with enough telezoom range and preferably wide enough aperture in this range.

There are considerable differences in macro ergonomics, that is how fast you can set up the camera for macro, how well AF works, how useful the display is for precise focus adjustments.

Thanks so much for all your great comments and tips - I went ahead and got an Olympus XZ-2 with the Raynox DCR-250 close up lens and am pretty happy with it. At higher ISO the XZ-2 is not perfect but let's see if there will be an XZ-3 or Lumix LX8 with larger sensor sometime in the near future...

I've recently heard that the 1" RX100 mk3 allows closer focus in the macro mode at the wide zoom end than its predecessors. But due to the short tele zoom it remains weak for macro with diopters at longer effective FL.

Another option I thought about is the Olympus Stylus 1 - if only that camera had a little larger sensor since all other features look quite good - if you look at the Olympus Compact Forum there are some impressive macro samples out there...