I've looked at the latest reviews, along with a lot of older comparisons, and found that the Canon Powershot SX_0 IS series and the Pansonic DMC-FZ series have been battling for the top of the heap since the mid-2000s. The DMC-FZ100 was a bit of dud, though, so watch out for that one if you're looking into the used market. I would also be wary of the SX50 if you're going to be shooting indoors often. The 50x (1200 / 24 = 50) zoom might seem like it would be great to have, but the price is a pretty slow (small maximum aperture) lens. I think Canon should have introduced a new series for such an extreme zoom, and then done a more conservative iteration of the SX40. The DMC-FZ200 takes the opposite approach - it has a much less aggressive telephoto specification, but maintains a relatively fast f/2.8 aperture through the entire zoom range. Both Sony and Nikon offer a model with built-in GPS, but in the Nikon the price is a rather low battery life. The other brands' products are entirely meh. I really don't understand Fujifilm's strategy, which seems to be spray out a ton of mediocre models plus an occasional very expensive oddball (which is still expensive when discounted by $200 from list). And why anyone would buy a Leica-branded Panasonic camera baffles me, too, though apparently buyers at least get better software and warranties from Leica than from Panasonic.
In the chart below, I've included the previous five years of cameras to show how the category has advanced in terms of zoom and megapixels. I've also included the current (as of mid-October 2012) street price for cameras released in the past two years. The cameras are arranged more-or-less in series, except for Fujifilm and Kodak models, which aren't worth looking at anyway.
| Brand \ Year | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon | SX500 IS 16.0MP # 24-720mm $300 | |||||
| S5 IS 8.0MP 36-432mm | SX1 / SX10 IS 10.0MP 28-560mm | SX20 IS 12.1MP 28-560mm | SX30 IS 14.1MP 24-840mm | SX40 HS 12.1MP 24-840mm $315 | SX50 HS 12.1MP 24-1200mm $480 | |
| Casio | EX-FH20 9.1MP 26-520mm | EX-FH25 10.1MP 26-520mm | ||||
| Pro EX-F1 6.0MP 36-432mm *** | ||||||
| Fujifilm | SL240 14.0MP 24-576mm n/a US? | |||||
| S5700 Zoom 7.1MP 38-380mm | S2000HD 10.0MP 28-414mm | S1500 10.0MP 33-396mm | S1600 12.2MP 28-420mm | SL300 14.0MP 24-720mm $190 | ||
| S1000fd 10.0MP 33-396mm | S1800 12.2MP 28-504mm | S2950 14.0MP 28-504mm $170 | ||||
| S2500HD 12.2MP 28-504mm | S3200 14.0MP 24-576mm $190 | S4200 14.0MP 24-576mm $160 | ||||
| S8000fd 8.0MP 27-486mm | S8100fd 10.0MP 27-486mm | S2800HD 14.0MP 28-504mm | S4000 14.0MP 24-720mm $160 | S4500 14.0MP 24-720mm $170 | ||
| IS-1 9.1MP 28-300mm | S200EXR 12.0MP 31-436mm | HS10 10.3MP 24-720mm | HS20EXR 16.0MP 24-720mm $500 | HS30EXR 14.0MP 24-720mm $320 | ||
| S100fs 11.1MP 28-400mm | X-S1 12.0MP 24-624mm $600 | |||||
| Kodak * | Z712 IS 7.1MP 36-423mm | Z812 IS 8.1MP 36-432mm | Z980 12.0MP 26-624mm | Z981 14.0MP 26-676mm | Z990 12.0MP 28-840mm $200 | |
| Z1012 IS 10.0MP 33-396mm | Z5010 14.0MP 25-525mm $140 | Z5120 16.0MP 26-676mm $180 | ||||
| Z1015 IS 10.0MP 28-420mm | ||||||
| Leica | V-Lux 2 (Pansonic DMC-FZ100) | V-Lux 3 (Pansonic DMC-FZ150) $629 | V-Lux 4 (Pansonic DMC-FZ200) n/a | |||
| Nikon | L100 10.1MP # 28-420mm | L110 12.2MP # 28-420mm | L120 14.1MP # 25-525mm $210 | L810 16.0MP # 23-585mm $200 | ||
| P80 10.1MP 27-486mm | P90 12.1MP 26-624mm | P100 10.3MP 26-678mm | P500 12.0MP 23-810mm $320 | P510 16.0MP ** 24-1000mm $400 | ||
| Olympus | SP-550UZ 7.1MP 28-504mm | SP-565UZ 10.0MP 26-520mm | SP-590UZ 12.0MP 26-676mm | SP-600UZ 12.0MP # 28-420mm | SP-610UZ 14.0MP # 28-616mm $190 | SP-620UZ 16.0MP # 25-525mm $200 |
| SP-560UZ 8.0MP 27-486mm | SP-570UZ 10.0MP 26-520mm | SP-800UZ 14.0MP # 28-840mm | SP-810UZ 14.0MP # 24-864mm $250 | SP-820UZ 14.0MP # 22-896mm $330 | ||
| Panasonic | DMC-LZ20 16.1MP # 25-525mm $250 | |||||
| DMC-FZ18 8.0MP 28-504mm | DMC-FZ28 10.1MP 27-486mm | DMC-FZ35 12.1MP 27-486mm | DMC-FZ40 14.1MP 25-600mm | DMC-FZ47 12.1MP 25-600mm $260 | DMC-FZ60 16.1MP 25-600mm $349 | |
| DMC-FZ100 14.1MP 25-600mm | DMC-FZ150 12.1MP 25-600mm $480 | DMC-FZ200 12.1MP 25-600mm $550 | ||||
| Pentax | X70 12.0MP 26-624mm | X90 12.0MP 26-676mm | X-5 16.0MP 22-580mm $280 | |||
| Samsung | HZ25W 12.5MP 26-624mm | HZ50W 13.8MP 26-676mm | WB100 16.2MP 22-580mm $230 | |||
| Sony | DSC-H3 8.1MP 38-380mm | |||||
| DSC-H7 8.0MP 31-465mm | DSC-H10 8.1MP 38-380mm | |||||
| DSC-H9 8.0MP 31-465mm | DSC-H50 9.1MP 31-465mm | DSC-HX1 9.1MP 28-560mm | DSC-HX100V 16.2MP ** 27-810mm $370 | DSC-HX200V 18.2MP ** 27-810mm $480 |
# - no electronic viewfinder (EVF).
* - Kodak is kaput, so don't expect support if you buy one.
** - built-in GPS.
*** - due to its unique high-speed video features, the Casio Pro EX-F1 still sells for over $1000 used.
Note: no consideration has been taken, given, or otherwise discussed wrt. this review. However, camera manufacturers should feel free to shower me with products at their earliest convenience.
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