Compact cameras for advanced shooting
Canon PowerShot S90
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5 (excellent)
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The good: Excellent control system for manual, semimanual shooting; fantastic wide-angle f2 lens; very good low-light photo quality.
The bad: Performance is merely average; no HD movie mode or optical zoom while recording; no optical viewfinder.
The price: $400
The bottom line: As long as you’re not expecting dSLR speed in a tiny body, the Canon PowerShot S90 is an excellent compact camera for advanced amateurs.
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5 (excellent)
The good: Excellent photo quality and performance; streamlined design; interchangeable lenses.
The bad: Electronic viewfinder costs extra; can’t use EVF and hot-shoe flash simultaneously.
The price: $1,050
The bottom line: The best interchangeable-lens compact we’ve seen. Like competitors, however, the lack of an optical viewfinder limits its ability to photograph action.
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Olympus E-P1
Cnet rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (very good)
The good: Striking design; impressive photo quality; interchangeable lens support.
The bad: Sluggish autofocus; short battery life; low-resolution LCD; lacks on-camera flash and viewfinder.
The price: $700 to $800
The bottom line: The Olympus E-P1 is an otherwise excellent compact camera hampered by some performance problems and the lack of a viewfinder and flash.
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Canon PowerShot G11
Cnet rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (very good)
The good: Optical viewfinder; articulated LCD; very good photo quality for its class.
The bad: Shot-to-shot performance still a little sluggish; no HD video.
The price: $427 to $500
The bottom line: Though it doesn’t offer an interchangeable lens, the Canon PowerShot G11 still delivers a good shooting experience for photography enthusiasts. Plus it’s the only model that includes an optical viewfinder.
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These Cnet staff members contributed to this report: senior editor Lori Grunin, senior editor Joshua Goldman and senior features editor Laura K. Cucullu. For more reviews of personal technology products, visit www.cnet.com.
This article appeared on page DC – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle