
I initially started with evaluating five different compact models: Samsung TL500, Panasonic LX5, Leica D-Lux 5, Nikon Coolpix S8100 and Canon S95. The Panasonic LX5 and Leica D-Lux 5 are almost identical cameras – take a look at this post over at leicarumors.com. The Nikon S8100 doesn’t really fit in this category because it does not support RAW files – I will do a separate comparison between the Nikon S8100 and the Canon S95 over at nikonrumors.com. At the end, I was left with three serious compact cameras for my review: Samsung TL-500, Panasonic LX5 and Canon S95.

There are other compact models from different manufacturers, like the Nikon P7000 and Canon G12, but they are bigger, with an OVF and wouldn’t really fit in this compact comparison. The new Olympus ZX-1 would be relevant for that category but unfortunately it was not yet available at the time this review was written.
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