Sony has overshadowed some of the other new camera releases with it's RX100 and new RX1 camera, but if you haven't been following, the new Canon Powershot G15 is quite amazing as well. I don't mean for this to be an RX100 vs G15 review, but it's a good basis of the value Canon brings in this sub $500 dollar prosumer camera. I'm not saying I will give up all of my Sony RX100 cameras completely, but I believe there's room to replace one of them with this new Canon Powershot G15.
The most important stand out feature for me is the new 24-140mm (equiv) F/1.8-F/2.8 lens. This is very impressive to have that focal distance paired up with a constant wide aperture. Not only will this provide you with better low light capabilities, but also better bokeh (blurred backgrounds) often desired for portraits. The auto focus is fast, and even the Macro capabilities of the new G15 which can focus on subjects as close as 1cm to the lens is another highlight.
The Canon Powershot G15 may not as be small as the Powershot S110 or RX100, but it's also not too large to still fit easily in a jacket pocket. The G15 will still offer professionals a remote shutter input (for an Intervalometer - Time Lapse), full manual expsoure controls, RAW imaging, and a hot shoe port for flash photography. I won't dive in to too many of the specs about the G15 that are already scattered all over the Internet, but if you're a photographer looking for a smaller travel camera without the hassles of lens changes, I feel the G15 is a great buy. Check out additional specs at the product page via B&H (Click Here)
Canon Powershot G15 Digital Camera
Emm
Post author@michael - The HX9V can zoom much further than the Canon G15, but the lens is rated at F/3.3 - F/5.9. Considering that the Canon can maintain F/2.8 at it's longest focal distance, it does not require as much ISO boost as the HX9V. Even if the Sony RX100 may look better at it's wide angle, once you zoom in with the RX100 you start to lose light. The Canon will be able to maintain a better image when zooming, and the DIGIC 5 also found in the older S100 handles noise very well.
Emm
Post author@krys - Portability is the main factor. I like to have a camera in my bag at all times. If you want to stuff a constant F/2.8 lens in your backpack with this focal range, it's going to be huge and expensive.
krys
NICE HELICOPTER SPOTLIGHT
what are your main reasons for spending lotta $$$ on pointnshoot camera vs getting cheap camera like t2i. anything else besides compactability or ?!
michael
Hey Emm
thanks for the review, what about:
Low light performance(video) rx100 vs g15
Handheld stability for video Hx9v vs rx100 vs G15
I have a hx9v and its stability when shooting handheld is amaazing