I’m after a new camera to take with me on rides. My 5d isn’t getting much love these days, so I’d like to go for something smaller.

Ideally I’m after something that has an slr sized sensor, is compact enough to take on the bike and has the option of an electronic viewfinder. It also needs to be reasonably tough, as it may get bashed around. I’ll be carrying it on my front.

Does anything like this exist? I’ve been out of the photography game for a few years and have only ever shot with slrs.

Does not exist.

Closest is a nex-7, Fiji x10 or micro four thirds with add on viewfinder. But then put it in a protective case.

I am looking for the same camera to replace my panasonic lx3!

Oh there is the new cannon G1x but it’s not exactly compact and the lens is sooooo slow!

I’m looking at the nex range (nex 7 is a bit pricy) and micro four thirds cameras. Fuji x10 looks great, but im pretty sure it comes with a fixed lens and has a smaller sensor.

Probably not really what you’re after but I’m so impressed with my Canon S95, takes awesome photos once you get used to the slight shutter lag. Full manual mode and has a fairly fast lens (f2.0). Personally I’d rather have a compact that can slip in a pocket than carry a bulky camera either in my backpack or strapped to the front of me.

X10 is a smaller sensor but fast zoom – seems to be very well regarded.
X100 is a large sensor but fixed 35mm lens

The nex and micro 4/3 look good but the viewfinders are ridiculously priced. And dslr looking ones are too big. Lenes add a lot of bulk too other than the primes.

Leica M9? OK too pricy and a real brick, well I would if I had that amount of money to blow 😉

Sounds like you have found a niche, would be good to have something with a decent high quality optical viewfinder, as well as a decent high res screen too?

Got my terminology mixed up, Rik. What I meant was that you cannot swap lenses.

Yes the viewfinders are silly money, but I cannot stand shooting through a screen.

Lecia m9, yes I’ll have two, with all the lenses. Lovely bit of kit.

Probably not really what you’re after but I’m so impressed with my Canon S95, takes awesome photos

Me too. Bought an S95 for manual control in a pocket camera. Very impressed, I love it!

I find holding a compact so you can see the screen, while trying to tak a pictre anoying to say the least, guess I have got used to optical viewfinders close up to your face 🙂

Now if they did that Fuji with a few interchangable lens for a reasonable price compared to a Leica, you might have a goer.

Anyone got a Nikon P7000, what are they like?

Look quite robust & they should be coming down in price now there is a new version?

Canon S100 any good for this type of thing, is ti any better than the S95 as I’ve been very tempted.

Yes. Fiji is a non interchangeable lens, but that has lots of advantages in lack of dust and fuss if only only if you can get a fast lens.

The new sigma DP1m ticks the vast majority of boxes for me – shame it’s going to +£1000!!

The s95 is a good camera but just not good enough, I reached the limits of my lx3 a few years ago, amazing camera but not when compared to a dslr.

The OP seems like he what’s more than an advanced compact with a small sensor – same as me really.

Lumix G3 looks quite nice

s – Member
Anyone got a Nikon P7000, what are they like?

Look quite robust & they should be coming down in price now there is a new version?

I wouldn’t go for the P7000. They replaced it quite quickly as it was widely panned for being too slow. Most of the reviews say something along the lines of “great image quality, but it’s frustratingly slow”….

I recently looked at getting it’s replacement – the P7100, but decided it was too big for what I wanted and went for the P300 instead, which isn’t really in the same league but suited my requirements for a ‘compact, take everywhere’ camera better.
Jessops had a P7100 in stock and I had a long fiddle with it. It feels like a great camera. Quick, responsive, buttons just where you expect them (but perhaps due to the fact that I use a Nikon DSLR), excellent zoom range, reasonably fast lens when wide (soon stops down though). It feels really robust and like it would survive a decent amount of abuse. It also has the wobbly screen that isn’t fully articulated, but will move usefully.
I really wanted to get one but I wanted something that I could keep on me all the time & was unobtrusive – the P7100 is more compact than a DSLR, but it’s still not a compact camera.

Lumix GF3? really nice camera with a 20mm pancake lens it’s quite small as well.

edit:
Super fast startup and capture times as well.

The problem with the lx3/5, p7100, g12 and s95 is the size of the sensor. It really is too small when you start pushing the camera esp at higher iso or long exposures.

Mirrorless cameras are way better at this respect but struggle for size – not really body size but Lens size if you want a fast lens. So you are forced to use a higher iso than is ideal even if the cameras are better able to cope with it.

Need large sensor, small camera size and fast lens. Add a viewfinder into the equation at it really is a moon on a stick.

That’s why I’m thinking of going for a 28mm equiv prime for everything.

Sounds like the new Olympus OM-D could be a good bet. It’s micro four thirds, has a viewfinder and it’s weather sealed…
Olympus OM-D (DP Review)

It’s not cheap though..

All of these interchangeable lens cameras are still pretty big. If your dslr stays at home then I suspect the same thing will happen here. I like having a smaller point and shoot camera (still with manual controls) as it is easy to take out and clip on the front of my rucksack so it is always to hand. You will lose image quality but you’ll take more pictures. Depends what your priorities are.

All of these interchangeable lens cameras are still pretty big. If your dslr stays at home then I suspect the same thing will happen here. I like having a smaller point and shoot camera (still with manual controls) as it is easy to take out and clip on the front of my rucksack so it is always to hand. You will lose image quality but you’ll take more pictures. Depends what your priorities are

The thought had crossed my mind. If I go for an nex/micro 4/3rds camera, it will be with a pancake lens and a viewfinder. Not that much bigger than a compact, but quite a bit smaller than an slr with zoom lens.

I am concerned about the toughness of the camera. It would be nice to have something that I don’t have to worry about, but then the quality would not be anywhere near as good.

Sounds like a nex-5n with 16mm Pancake and viewfinder option

Shame that’s about £700+ worth of kit. The viewfinder is £250 I think from memory.

Which makes you think that once the nex7 has been around a few months how much more will that be in comparison?

panasonic g3 with either 14mm 2.8 or 20mm 1.7 would be a cracking setup for carrying, built in viewfinder in a small body, reasonable AF and fast lens, also would come in at a much more reasonable price….

panasonic g3 with either 14mm 2.8 or 20mm 1.7 would be a cracking setup for carrying, built in viewfinder in a small body, reasonable AF and fast lens, also would come in at a much more reasonable price….

I recently got a Fuji X10 for much the same reasons.

Yesterday I was out on an all day ride, and what camera did I pull out of my pocket and put down? The Fuji.

Decided to take my much more compact Olympus MuSW instead. Even though it is nowhere near the Fuji in performance, I figured I’d be more likely to pull it out and take a pic.

Worth keeping in mind the camera you actually use is better than the “perfect” one you don’t.

Sounds like a nex-5n with 16mm Pancake and viewfinder option

Shame that’s about £700+ worth of kit. The viewfinder is £250 I think from memory.

Which makes you think that once the nex7 has been around a few months how much more will that be in comparison?

I’m looking at the nex 3 as it has a good sensor and can be picked up cheaply. Nex 7 is pretty much my ideal camera, but is too expensive at the moment. Give it a year or two and I think it will be better value.

epicyclo – Member
I recently got a Fuji X10 for much the same reasons.

Yesterday I was out on an all day ride, and what camera did I pull out of my pocket and put down? The Fuji.

Decided to take my much more compact Olympus MuSW instead. Even though it is nowhere near the Fuji in performance, I figured I’d be more likely to pull it out and take a pic.

Worth keeping in mind the camera you actually use is better than the “perfect” one you don’t.

That’s why I went for the Nikon P300 over the P7100. Sure, the P7100 is a better camera, but it’s nothing like as compact and in the back of my mind I knew I wouldn’t have it on me as often as the P300; which meant it would be no more useful than my SLR.
Picture quality takes a hit, but I am using it to record experiences/memories etc. and am more concerned about getting the image than the quality of the image (to an extent).
If I want the quality, then I take the hit and take the SLR with me.

nex3 or c3? I didnt think you could get a electronic viewfinder for either?

I thought the nex-5n was the first for a removable one?

I may be wrong though…..

All of these interchangeable lens cameras are still pretty big.

Never seen a GF3 with the 14mm pancake lens on it then?

For what you describe: Olympus EPM1.

Personally I don’t want an electronic viewfinder and Canon is the only player yet to announce something in the m43 sector…small chance they will make a folded optic viewfinder?

I came to the conclusion this didn’t exist. Looked at the Panasonic GF1 & 2 (not 3 at the time) but the shutter release was glacial and also the Sonys. Neither range would go in a LowePro AW pouch on my Wingnuts shoulder strap. If it was to go it the bag then a cheap Nikon SLR body was the way to go and use my existing lenses – but experience taught me I’d just cycle round with it in the bag.

I went down the picture you talke is always better than the one where the camera stayed at home or in the bag and compromised.

My compromise was on the interchange lenses. Got the Panasonic LX5. Decent sensor, full manual control, rangefinder size and rangefinder shutter release (ie quick).

A year on I’m fairly pleased. But the micro 4/3 stuff does look nice.

Samsung nx 10 if you can find some old stock upgrade the firmware and you get the same performance as the newer nx11 not the prettiest compared to the Sony or canon offerings but excellent performance for your £££

Never seen a GF3 with the 14mm pancake lens on it then?

Had a look one at the weekend, very tempting but still 50% percent bigger and 3x thicker than a compact.

How do these cameras stack up for using the manual options? The reviews I’ve read for the Sony say lots of things are buried in menus, not ideal for MTB snaps.

I’ve got a Nex-5 and have had it out on a couple of biking trips. Have not taken it out often as it is still bulky and I don’t want to break it. Auto Focus is not quick either so you will not get anywhere near as many good pics as a DSLR. I find you have to think about the photo to get a good one where as you can spray and prey with a cheap DSLR and get a few good shots.
It takes ace photos in most other situations though

I think you would soon get bored of the wide angle pics if only using the pancake to fit it in your bag. I hardly ever use my pancake lens.

I’ve got a Nex-5 and have had it out on a couple of biking trips. Have not taken it out often as it is still bulky and I don’t want to break it. Auto Focus is not quick either so you will not get anywhere near as many good pics as a DSLR. I find you have to think about the photo to get a good one where as you can spray and prey with a cheap DSLR and get a few good shots.
It takes ace photos in most other situations though

I think you would soon get bored of the wide angle pics if only using the pancake to fit it in your bag. I hardly ever use my pancake lens.

Bollocks to it, I give up on trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

Compact it is then. What is a good compact that has a reasonable size sensor and a viewfinder?

These are Nex-5 with pancake lens. Taken just after I got the camera. No idea on settings and I probably messed the colour up afterwards learning. All I could find on my account as I am at work. Closer up the more distortion.

Fiji x10 – check the reviews it’s about the best there is at the moment and still ticks the majority of your boxes bar sensor size.

To be honest mr plow all those photos you could do just as well on a decent compact as from the look of it there is plenty of available light so the compacts work well in those conditions.

It’s when you start taking the sane pictures under tree cover or bad lighting conditions that there will be a difference.

Completely agree, I was showing the distortion from the lens that he was talking about using. The pancake is also nowhere near as sharp as the kit zoom in my experience but then it is bulky.

maybe we’re all too gadget-obsessed? why do you need a larger sensor? Ok, if you are shooting in low light, and printing quite large, it makes a noticeable difference – but for 95% of the time, I’d expect that a compact would do. And then it is all about having it with you and accessible, rather than in the car…. I’d take the DSL with a 17-40 /35-70 or 50mm prime if you want decent photos in challenging conditions, and put up with the size, and something like a G9 or any of the travel compacts for the rest of the time…..

Lecia m9, yes I’ll have two, with all the lenses.

Both bodies slung round your neck, one of them on the B&W setting? 🙂