To simplify this site's web address, I tried to register AminPhoto.com. Unfortunately that url already belongs to someone else. I therefore registered AminFoto.com and have changed the blog name accordingly. The new address (www.aminfoto.com) simply forwards to the old one (aminphoto.blogspot.com), so there is no need to change any links or bookmarks unless you are so inclined. Thanks for visiting!

Serious Compacts is a photography site focused on the "serious" use of compact cameras.

These days it seems that many people associate serious photography with the use of large, heavy gear. Our site features testing and discussion of the remarkable compact tools available to photographers. We also highlight some of the outstanding work being done with this gear.

From an equipment standpoint, we are of course interested in advanced compact cameras, i.e. cameras which offer full manual controls, RAW, and other special capabilities. However, our interest extends to include quality photography achieved with any compact cameras, advanced or otherwise.

Individual site contributors may have differing takes on what is "compact." Discussion of large gear is primarily limited to that which is relevant to the compact shooter (eg, a "shootout" between a particular set of large and small cameras), though we reserve the right to occasionally go well off-topic =).

Reviews:

Ricoh GR Digital II Review by Amin Sabet



Articles and Essays:

A Wish for Simplicity by Wouter Brandsma
Serious Compacts: The Care and Feeding Of by Simon C. Hughes

An iCamera? by Mayank Bhatnagar
Eliminating Lag with Digital Compacts by Amin Sabet
What Makes a Compact Camera Serious? by Björn Utpott
Small Format Deep DOF Advantage - Fact or Myth? by Amin Sabet


Tests:

Panasonic G1 - Nikon D700 ISO Noise Comparison
Bokeh Test: Olympus ZD 25mm f/2.8 vs Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 and supplement


Shootouts (most recent first):

Canon G10 - Leica D-LUX 4 Shootout

• Design and Build
• Field of View Coverage and Barrel Distortion at 28mm Equivalent
• Dynamic Range
• Noise

• Introduction
• Dynamic Range Comparison with Canon 5D and Olympus E-420
• Landscape Detail Comparison with 5D and E-420 and
• Landscape Detail Comparison Supplement
  
• High ISO Performance in Low, Incandescent Light
• High ISO Performance in Mixed Low Light
• Examples of DP1 Exposure Latitude
• Size and FOV Comparison with G9 and D-LUX 3
• Dynamic Range Comparison with G9 and D-LUX 3
  
• Detail Comparison with G9 and D-LUX 3

• Appearance and Zoom Range
• JPEG Noise
• ISO 80 Crops at 35mm & Full Aperture
• Flare Performance
• Noise Performance Revisited
• G7 Default JPEG vs GX100 Silkypix Conversions
• Key Timings
• Build Quality, Quality Control, and Battery Life
• Conclusion
  

2008 may prove to be a real breakthrough year for digital photography. DSLRs are now affordable for just about everyone, and quality compact digital cameras are getting downright cheap.

- It;s hard for me to believe that one can buy a good Olympus DSLR (E-330, body only) new for $330.
- The full-frame (35mm sensor) Canon 5D is selling close to $2000 new and $1500 used in excellent condition.
- There is good reason to believe one or more 5D replacements will be announced on January 24, 2008. If Canon brings in a new full frame camera at a $2K street price, the 5D will likely approach $1k in the used market by the end of 2008. That would be a huge development for full frame fans.
- Quality, image-stabilized body+2-lens DSLR kits such as the Olympus E-510/14-42/40-150 kit are selling for $650!
- Advanced, high end compacts like the Powershot G9 have been driven way down in price by the increasing affordability of DSLRs.
- The Panasonic DMC-FZ18, a high-quality "bridge camera" with an excellent 18x stabilized zoom covering wide to supertelephoto, is selling for under $350.
- There are too many to name high quality compact cameras coming in near or below the $200 mark.

2008 is bound to be a year in which many of those holding out on their digital camera purchase will wait no longer. As for me, I just want an affordable digital rangefinder. Is that too much to ask?

Ktixx put together a great resource in the DC Resource forums, "Where/Where Not to Purchase Your Camera." He compiled the merchant ratings from BizRate.com, Shopping.com, and ResellerRatings.com to stratify sellers as "Exceptional," "Good," "Okay," or "Bad." Definitely worth a read if you are still unsure where to buy your photography-related equipment and supplies.

I advertise Amazon products on this page because they pay me via an affiliate system, but I can honestly say that they are my first choice right for photography gear these days. I buy at Amazon because of their prices, customer service, and return policy. However, if you look Amazon up on the merchant ratings sites, it doesn't rate very well. I'm pretty sure that the reason for this is that people don't make a distinction between products sold by Amazon and products sold by other merchants on Amazon. I can only recommend Amazon for the products with "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" listed under "Availability."

The other store which has given me outstanding customer service is Norman Camera, located in Kalamazoo, MI. I personally trust Norman Camera more than I trust any of the New York stores. However, I can also recommend B&H, one of the largest New York stores.

For Ricoh and Leica gear, I recommend PopFlash Photo. Great service.

The main thing to keep in mind is the old adage, if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is. Any Google search for photography equipment will bring up some "too good to be true" ads. Virtually all of these deals are scams.