G9 X the best replacement for a Panasonic LF1?

I need to replace my Panasonic LF1, for reasons discussed here.

I want the best quality pocket camera that I can get. I am a point and shoot amateur, so really good auto features matter a lot (e.g. auto focus, Intelligent Auto scene selector, optical image stabilization).

In that posting, I mentioned as possible replacements the Canon PowerShot G7 X, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV, and Olympus Tough TG-4. The former 2 have great image quality, but are not really pocketable. The latter is in a different category (small 1/2.3" sensor, so image quality cannot be great, but is very rugged, which is something that I have always wanted).

Somehow, I missed the announcement of the G9 X. Early reports seem promising.

It looks almost awesome to me. 2 of its 3 physical dimensions are a few mm smaller, altho it is 3 mm thicker (and that is unfortunately the most painful dimension for a pocket camera), and it is 17g heavier. Still, it seems to definitely be a pocket camera. It has a wonderful 1" BSI CMOS sensor that should blow away the image quality I get in my LF1 (which is OK).

The sole concern that I have is zoom. I use my LF1's zoom frequently enough (guess: 20% of my shots use 5X out to its 7X max) that the puny 3X optical zoom on the G9 X is a factor. Is one way to think about this that the significantly extra pixels on the G9 X mean that digitally zooming with it gives almost the same image as I would get from the LF1?

Also, how do you think the G9's auto features (e.g. auto focus, Intelligent Auto scene selector, optical image stabilization) will compare to the LF1?

Any thoughts on Canon's build quality and robustness? (I am tired of my cameras getting dust inside their lens.)

Are you guys aware of any other camera, any make, existing now or in the near future, that I should also consider?

SturmUndDrang wrote:

Is one way to think about this that the significantly extra pixels on the G9 X mean that digitally zooming with it gives almost the same image as I would get from the LF1?

84mm equivalent at 5472 horizontal pixels versus 200mm equivalent at 4000 horizontal pixels.  If you crop 5472 to 4000, you'll be at 115mm equivalent, versus 200mm on the LF1.  So, yes, a lot of reduced range at the long end.

I'm interested in an LF1-type range (I'd really like 24-200) in a pocketable camera, and I'd give up both sensor size and lens speed to get it.  But it looks like we're going the other way - toward larger sensors with faster lenses and narrower zoom ranges.

SturmUndDrang wrote:

This is a super tough trade off for me. I not only shoot, say, 20% of my shots fairly zoomed out, I also shoot about the same (or more) in lower light. Also, I have missed fast scenes that a big sensor/fast lens would probably capture.

I realize that if you want to fully illuminate your sensor, then the lens that you can fit in a pocketable camera can only have limited zoom.

I'm not sure what you mean by "fully illuminate".  Higher f-stops still illuminate the entire sensor, just in a darker fashion meaning you need to have a longer shutter period in order to capture the same amount of light.

But what if you give up always fully illuminating your sensor, so that at the more extreme zooms you only partially illuminate it--will that produce a better image than digital zoom or not?

Well, that's what cameras like the LF1 do.  The LF1 is fast f/2 at the wide end, but a slow f/5.9 at the long (telephoto) end.  Unfortunately, you often need the opposite.  At the long end, it takes a faster shutter speed, not a slower one, to freeze hand shake.  But this is a limit of the physical size of the lens.

Lee: whats your favorite pocketable camera now, and any technology coming down the road that excites you?

Well, my favorite is for different reasons, so don't worry about that.  I'm not excited by much in this area right now.

Love G7X...Don't mind carrying it out when I know I'll need more versatility than my phone... But bringing it around regularly... its just too big and heavy..

The small form of G9X is calling me... G7X Bokeh/bright tele/more versatile vs G9X portability and power bank charging.... Man... It's tough.