After searching high and low, I determined that no one camera does everything. The more compact it gets, the more features you lose. The more features you get, the bigger the camera gets. Long story short, I was looking for something to keep with me at all times that would take good pictures, have manual controls and video capability.
I ended up with a Canon G12. It’s kind of a pro photographers point and shoot. It fits in my pocket, depending on what pants/shorts I’m wearing, but has dials for things like ISO, exposure compensation and all that stuff most people don’t want to mess with. With my big hands, smaller isn’t necessarily better anyway. Small cameras are great in my pocket but once I get it out to actually use it, I’m typically pressing buttons by accident and fumbling to hold the thing still.
The real selling point for me is the flip-out screen. The LCD screen on the back of the camera folds out so when you’re shooting a picture of yourself, which I do very frequently, you can actually see what you’re getting in the frame. I do this so often that I was willing to sacrifice other features for sake of practicality.
Time will tell how much I enjoy this camera but so far things are off to a good start.
