- Any of the Canon PowerShot G’s are worth buying. Early models G1 to G6 had wider aperture lenses, flip screens, took CF cards, had hot shoes and wrote RAW. All these are amazing features for cameras made between 2000 and 2004. I’d stick to these early models. Later models had bags of style, with black bodies and turned knobs, but slower lenses are more expensive and some had issues. The only models that were at all unpopular were the G7, which lacked RAW, and with some the G11, which saw a step down in resolution in exchange for better low light performance. The G10 is the model with the highest resolution to date and still sells for a pretty penny on the second hand market. If you want to show a collector how much you know about cameras, ask for the rare G4 or G8 models . There are a other Canons worthy of consideration. The IXUS 65 (SD630) was well regarded, but too common and besides, I still have my old Ixus 60 (SD600) anyway.
- Any Leica compact digital camera is an instant classic, but they hold their value and aren’t cheap. The Panasonic Lumix equivalent were half the price, did the almost exactly the same thing and are a better deal as a practical user camera. Many people have a soft spot for the DMC-LX3 because it was small and just about the best compact digital camera available until very recently. Buy that one if you see it very cheap.
Dan
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Dan has been a lifelong avid photographer and is a long-term small camera enthusiast. I follow Dan's daily insightful and entertaining Twitter coverage of all things photography and photo-gear related. You can find Dan on Twitter: @ZDP189. -Amin
It's interesting to me that this thread was revived now. ... But I totally understand the appeal of such cameras and hope that others will collect good examples. In this digital age, where almost everything is considered to be a throw-away item, I hope this era of imaging will be preserved.
Meanwhile, I'm still wrestling with the idea of picking up either a Panasonic GM1 or Ricoh GR.
I agree with the early Canon G Series. They were cool looking cameras - sort of a cross between a Rollei 35mm and an Argus C3. I saw a Canon G3 the other day and was impressed by its size. I like the boxy body. Anything smaller, and I'm prone to shaking it.