I received the following email from Stephen Gillette today thought it might be interesting to Serious Compacts readers:

With the flurry of reviews out there for the Panasonic LX3, the opportunity to compare "test chart" shots with various other serious compacts leads to some personal confusion.

I'm seeing test images (the new Imaging Resource "Still Life" shots at various ISO's for example) that seem to back up Panasonic's IQ claims ("the best ever in a compact"), but then I'm seeing real life samples, particularly in low light, that are not as conclusive.

This past weekend I did some shooting in a mothballed power plant in Redondo Beach, just south of Los Angeles. Lighting was mixed and tricky, with sunlight filtered through frosted glass bricks combined with three or four types of interior lights, all with widely varying color temps.

One interior shot I took with my G9 was wide open at f/2.8 (the light level did not allow me to use the "sweetest" aperture of f/4). Even at ISO 400, the shutter speed was 1/10 second, so I was also relying upon the IS for this hand-held shot.

The RAW capture was minimally processed, with no noise reduction, just some sharpening (which also sharpened the noise!). Still, with all these caveats, I like the quality of the shot quite a bit. You might find it interesting, too.

Here's a resized version of Steve's photograph:



You can download the full-res, 12MP version below.



From the same email:

As far as shooting gear, I'm content to keep shooting the G9 until Fuji releases its premium compact with the new Super CCD EXR sensor in the spring, or until a micro 4/3 offering from Panasonic or Olympus comes along with HD video as part of the deal. And true pocketibility.

Ever notice: the better things get in regards to digicams, (and things have gotten very good of late), the pickier we shooters get!

[When my dream cam is released, they better have it in my favorite color...]

Stephen Gillette is a fine art photographer in Trabuco Canyon, California. All of Steve's work has been done with small sensor compacts: Sony P-150, then Fuji F20, and now Canon G9. You can visit his website at www.stephengillette.com.