Evening folks,

I used to own a mahoosive SLR many years ago but the constant lens swapping was a right pain. I downsized to a Canon Gsomething but eventually found that I was using my iPhone more and more. I’ve been using a selection of those Manfrotto screw in lenses with some great results but wonder if there is a small compact out there that ticks the boxes….

Looking for –

Small and lightweight, as thin as possible.
Wide angle lens with optical zoom (emphasis on the wide angle, not too fussed about zoom range)
Good image quality. Must be on par / better than iPhone 6s.
Auto mode with some flexibility to adjust exposure etc.

Can anyone recommend anything?

Cheers

I have a Ricoh GR which meets your needs, but it isn’t cheap, think the newer GRII is around £500 these days.

Excellent image quality, but always put it in my Camelbak.
On the one occasion I didn’t it had got a little sweaty , it was in its own camera case though.

Ricoh GR , excellent compact, I have abondoned DSLR as well. Just too much faff,

Sony DSC TX – now discontinued but frequently come up on ebay. Have the TX30, has sliding lens cover and is water resistant to 3m so doesn’t need a case. Latest use was a 5-day expedition to the arctic where it spent most time in an exterior pocket – was frequently retrieved crusted in ice, slide open case, take photos, job done. It’s spent days on end in my jersey back pocket, getting wet and dusty.

Picked up a Sony RX100 iii today and the photos are truly breathtaking quality and also v good in low light (which is where your iPhone will struggle). Apart from price, the only downside I can think of is the lack of external mic jack (if you’re a vlogger). Definitely pocket sized and very very high quality photos. Now…all I need is an ounce of the talent displayed on the photo thread…….!!

Sony RX100

Don’t keep it in your pocket, or it will quickly fill with fluff. Learn from my mistake and keep it in a case.

Image quality on par or above with iPhone 6 is a very wide choice.

Ricoh GR/GR2 has no optical zoom. If you can live with a prime/fixed wide-angle then that would be a good choice IMO.

Sony RX100 has zoom but that IMO is it’s weak spot, mine developed a fatal lens error and looking online seems I’m not alone. Feels fragile to use. Excellent image quality for a small camera. Still feel it in your pocket though small it definitely is. It will need to be zipped up in a case. Most higher end compact zooms with larger sensors are over 40mm thick.

also v good in low light (which is where your iPhone will struggle).

This ^

iPhone gives you no manual control over ISO/shutter speed. Add to that no RAW capture or optical zoom and already even a smaller-sensor compact zoom such as a Lumix TZ will out-perform the iPhone by some distance. In good daylight your iPhone will take nice pics and could well be worth living with as it is certainly slim.

My shortlist (and I’ve made a few for biking compact) would look something like this:

Ricoh GR – No zoom but class-leading IQ for size
Sony RX100 – Great IQ, again, almost DSLR quality (better than some older DSLRs) but questions over ruggedness and I found it fiddly/slippery as hell to use.
Nikon Coolpix A Not so popular but hence could be bargains had. Similar to RX100 in size. Don’t know much about it but it has a 1″ sensor
Lumix TZ57 budget option, yet with much larger optical zoom. (Much) smaller sensor than those aforementioned, yet still takes more user-friendly pics than an iPhone especially in lower light.

Erratum

Nikon Coolpix A Nikon 1 (J5). Not so popular but hence could be bargains had. Similar to RX100 in size if you screw the lens off. Don’t know much about it but it has a 1″ sensor

Sorry about that, lack of coffee! The Coolpix A actually has an APSC (DSLR size) sensor and thus is quite expensive.

OP If you haven’t already, here’s a nifty tool to compare (studio) image results of cameras, side by side (but no iPhone 6 I’m afraid):

hours of fun

Apart from price, the only downside I can think of is the lack of external mic jack

ymmv but I found much to frustrate me with the ergonomics/manual controls/user interface, even with my dwarfish elegantly compact hands.

That said, the auto function is quite good and the focusing fast and accurate, so it could be a great point and shoot. By simply adding a grip to the front and a larger (stick-on) shutter-release button it would improve the ergonomics no end. I had the Sony grip on mine and it did help.

If you can find a Sony TX as mentioned above then that would be my choice. I had one for a while and it was perfect for a cycling jersey as you could just rinse it under a tap if it got muddy or sweaty. It stopped working after snorkelling with it on holiday unfortunately..
I’ve got an RX100 and love it but wouldn’t use it on a bike unless it was in a case in my backpack.
I’ve replaced my Sony TX with a Nikon AW130. It’s got a 24mm wide angle lens and seems pretty good so far. It’s possibly a bit chunky for a jersey pocket though?