By Dan Feildman
Creative compact cameras aren't much larger than compact digital cameras, however they offer a good bit more user control. Typically the lenses are bigger, heavier, and of higher optical quality. You will also find that almost all creative compact cameras have the option of saving your images in RAW format, usually proprietary but sometimes in Adobe's standard DNG format.
A standard JPEG is convenient for uploading to the Web, sharing with friends, or getting prints. Unfortunately, a lot of shadow and highlight detail that was captured by the sensor can be lost with a standard JPEG.
With the RAW format, the photographer has the option of bringing out that shadow or highlight detail in an image editing program on a personal computer (or letting a professional lab do it and make a really great print).
It is important to note that unless you are prepared to spend an evening reading the manual and learning the settings I don't recommend you buy one of these cameras. If you don't do your homework first your results will be the same as if you had used a simpler compact camera.
Panasonic LX2 (28-110mm F2.8-4.9 image-stabilized Leica lens; good for wide angle). Canon G7. 35-210mm F2.8-4.8 lens; no RAW capability; very bad noise at high ISO Ricoh GR Digital. This has a fixed focal-length 28mm equivalent lens that will be superb for wide-angle scenic photos. It is not clear if this camera is going to be sold in the United States.
This product category seems to have gone out of favor and therefore there isn't much to choose from. Camera companies are concentrating their energies on the "SLR-like" category (below) and SLR category. Find the latest digital camera information by using Google Search, just add the Camera you want to look at in finer detail, and you will find a whole bunch of reviews to help you decide or not whether it is the camera you are really looking for.
About the Author:
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