Upgrading G12 - advice needed

I am at the point of upgrading my G12.

Nice little camera, loving the manual settings and the image quality is not too bad... I am getting annoyed by ergonomics of the camera - small grip and with my fat fingers I am accidentally pressing the buttons on the right side and changing everything...

I am looking at the Canon, Fuji & Panasonic Lumix. I need the camera for the travel when I can't (don't want) to carry around my DSLR gear.

What would I ideally need from the camera: fast lens, quite 'pocketable' so it fits into the skiing jacket, view finder, basic adjustments easily accessible and RAW handling.

What are you thoughts / advice? Budget around £500...

If the G12's grip is a bit small for you then a lot of contenders can be ruled out.
I'd look at the Olympus Stylus 1 and the Nikon P7800. Both have EVF's and 28-200 equiv. lenses although the Olympus lens is a straight f2.8 whereas the Nikon is f2.8 to f4. The Olympus grip was comfy to my (large) hands when I handled it prior to buying my current camera. Both are around 400g and pocketable in a large pocket-depends on the jacket I guess! £350 for the Nikon and £400 for the Stylus 1. The other option might be a mirrorless-system camera but I don't know much about these, so 'couldn't comment.
Btw, I've got a Canon G1x and it is a much better fit for me than the G15 I had before this. The grip was the main factor for me, although the improved I.Q., having used medium format cameras in the past certainly helped!

Thanks Fastest! I will have to check Olympus... That wasn't on my wish list!
Good to hear that G1X has better grip!

DT Visual wrote in post #17267745
Thanks Fastest! I will have to check Olympus... That wasn't on my wish list!
Good to hear that G1X has better grip!

It's the size of the camera as well that helps with the overall fit in the hand. You may decide that with the size of the G1x (or G1x Mk11), you aren't far off the size of your Dslr;calling it pocketable is questionable. I keep my G1x in a Thinktank case that has a shoulder strap. An ideal Dslr replacement for me but it's not for everyone...

I have just bought a Panasonic GX7 - it is dearer at £600 but the lens is slightly offset to the left (when looking from behind) so there is more room for a handgrip.

I have large hands and have the same issues as you mention - the GX7 is superb in this respect and has a much larger grip than anything else I tried.

The IQ is brilliant as the camera has a large four thirds sensor and speed of operation of the camera are in a different league to Canon's offerings.

I tried and failed with a G1X Mk II which was defective but also showed me the cameras performance was not for me. I already had another Panasonic so tried the GX7 and really love it.

You have a ying and yang problem. True pocketablity causes poor handling, mean small. Cameras like the g1x or a fuji xe1/2 give you something nice to grab, but would be tough in a ski jacket. To me, for your requirements I would go handle a sony rx100mkiii if you want a carry all, and put a small sony grip on it.

I have had all 3, and take the sony when riding my motorcycle, beach, and the fuji for,everything else. My 7d is down to just sports.

Thanks John57 and mark2009!
I will have to look at GX7. I know that I dismissed it for some reason, but I can't remember now why! Maybe because it would need more lenses with it?

G12 is not a small camera, but still you can fit it in a jacket pocket... So I am not after a camera which will fit into my trouser pocket... Just something which is not too bulky!

DT Visual wrote in post #17267389
I am at the point of upgrading my G12.

Nice little camera, loving the manual settings and the image quality is not too bad... I am getting annoyed by ergonomics of the camera - small grip and with my fat fingers I am accidentally pressing the buttons on the right side and changing everything...

I am right there with you on the ergonomics of my G11. I love the camera and all the manual settings, but using it is very frustrating. I will be following your thread to see what you decide on.

A short update: I've got now Panasonic LX100 - after days of comparing and physically handling at the shops Canon G7, Canon G1x, Fuji x30, Sony RX100 iii and Panasonic LX100.
I found G7 and RX100 iii too small and fiddly for my use. Fuji was a big contender, but couple of things were working against it: it is a bit bigger than Panasonic LX100 and it has a smaller size sensor.
The ergonomics of LX100 are quite good, much easier to handle than my previous G12. It is not trousers pocketable, but it fits into the jacket pocket nicely. Added bonus is 4K video... Week of the ownership and I am satisfied with the choice...