Compact compromises

I’m a sucker for small cameras, and have enjoyed reviewing some excellent zoom compacts over the past year. But it’s striking how expensive they’ve become.

Possibly my favourite to shoot with is the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III, an SLR-inspired design with a central viewfinder, fully articulating screen, and a huge set of well-placed external controls. It gives stunning image quality thanks to its 24MP APS-C sensor, but is let down by its 24-72mm equivalent f/2.8-5.6 zoom. I’d want something more ambitious for £1,080. At the other end of the scale, I love the flexibility offered by the 24-200mm equivalent f/2.8-4 lens on the Sony RX100 VI, along with its pop- up viewfinder and tilting screen. But I don’t think I could stomach paying £1,149 for a camera that’s so fiddly to use.

Panasonic chipped in with the £729 Lumix TZ200 travel zoom and the £849 LX100 II fast-zoom enthusiast compact. Both are really fine cameras in their own ways, I just wish Panasonic would see fit to put tilting screens on them. Personally, I’d like a small camera with a long zoom lens, articulated screen and a full set of external manual controls. Is that really too much to ask?