[size=9pt]When I was looking at the specs and use of the various cameras out there today I was amazed at the size of the sensors they are starting to fit in the compact cameras. My last cameras were a 20D (crop APS-C 1.6 factor) and a 5D (full frame or 35mm), so it was the semi-pro line and I started getting tired of its bulkiness. It was a pain to bring a backpack with me anywhere I went and if I went off roading it would become annoying to have to get out of my seat to reach in the back when I want to snap a pic of the trail, just to have to pack it all away again. Using the smartphone camera has been a blessing.[/size]
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[size=9pt][/size][size=9pt]So with upcoming vacation getaways I decided it was prudent (and impulsive) to buy a camera - but not so impulsive with Best Buy's 0% financing [/size] 
. My absolute requirements were convenience, I'd have to be able to bring it with me anywhere without ever thinking "I don't know if I want to carry this". So I set out looking at the high end compact cameras. My reasoning was that the lower end cameras don't offer enough of a difference from my smartphone camera to warrant even their cheap price. I started looking at waterproof cameras, but since I wasn't going to take up scuba diving and start snapping pics of fish, I ended up leaving them out of the comparison altogether, as their specs don't quite match up to some of the similarly priced non-waterproof cameras.
[font=verdana, sans-serif]I bought the Canon S110, but took about 1 - 1.5 hours in Best Buy deciding between that and the Canon G1 X. The S110 won because it's just about smaller than my iPhone 5 and can slide in my pocket, but the G1 X offers such an amazingly large sensor and still is about the size of my hand, just wouldn't fit in my pocket.[/font]
[font=verdana, sans-serif]Here are some sensor size comparisons from wikipedia: [/font]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor_format measured in square milimeters
iphone 5: 15
S110: 45
G1 X: 250
APS-C: 330
Full Frame: 860
I snapped some pics while in the store:
G1 X (large sensor for a compact):
S110 (pocket size):
Nikon AW100 (waterproof):
The S110 has 5x Image Stabilisation and stores in both RAW and JPG formats. 24-120mm effective focal range and 10fps or 2.1 fps depending on which mode. It also has wifi. Not too shabby.
The G1 X is similarly equipped, has GPS, and a hot shoe for mounting an external flash. is equivalent to 28-112mm and has 2 more megapixels (12 vs 14).
The straight up spec comparison isn't as important to me as the form factor. From playing around with the S110 a little on the couch last night, it offers control of over every aspect that I'm used to from the semi-pro line, just not as many buttons or dials to reach it easier. I have full auto mode, program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and even custom settings. It also takes movies so I have some extra scene settings and video recording settings. I can change iso, shutter speed, aperture, exposure, and it offers a touch screen to scroll through photos and even try to set a focal point (I think). I was able to take a few pictures with the shutter at 1 second without blurr, and the noise isn't noticable even at 3200, at 6400 you could tell and at 12800 it was like a smartphone.
I'm not expecting the same color - dynamic range, contrast, even noise and bokeh from the S110 than I would from the G1 X, so I'm curious to hear your thoughts. BTW, I'm looking at the Nikon counterparts just as much, the rival to the Canon S110 (Nikon P7700 I didn't spend the time to find) and the rival to the Canon G1 X (Nikon A) has even a larger sensor but is also more expensive.
