P&S sensor size?

I am looking for a replacement for my tired old A80. It has a 1/1.8" sensor and has always taken great photos. Many of the newer P&S cameras seem to have the smaller 1/2.5" sensor.

How significant is the impact of a smaller sensor on these cameras?

I've used a few compacts, and at screen res, there's not a lot between them (noise wise). I think that the higher resolution seems to be more the culprit in this case - the older 4 - 6 megapixel cameras seem to produce a lot less noise. Blame it on the pixel peepers - any image at 100% crop is going to be at least a little noisy.

The modern processors more than make up for the reduced sensor size. If it's really important to you, replace the A80 with another A series - I think they still have the same sensor size.

Cheers.

msowsun wrote in post #5184246
I am looking for a replacement for my tired old A80. It has a 1/1.8" sensor and has always taken great photos. Many of the newer P&S cameras seem to have the smaller 1/2.5" sensor.

How significant is the impact of a smaller sensor on these cameras?

I don't think it's that simple. Base your decision on image samples, not the sensor size. Use your eyes instead of your calculator.

cdifoto wrote in post #5185587
I don't think it's that simple. Base your decision on image samples, not the sensor size. Use your eyes instead of your calculator.

Agreed. There are lots of other things, like how the camera processes the image, the lens, the MP, etc. that can impact IQ. I've got a couple of digicams (SD300, 800 and G9, and toyed with an XT) and done a ton of research, as I'm still not satisfied with my options.

It seems to me that sensor size might be a reasonable starting place IF you stay in the same camera family. SO, a Canon A series with a 1/1.8" sensor is more likely to produce better pictures (actually, better low-light pictures) than a Canon A series with a 1/2.5" sensor, but only if they have the same megapixels, and that's pretty hard to find -- two cameras that are exactly identical, except for the sensor size.

If you want some specific help, try detailing what you want to do with the camera, and some people may be able to give their recommendations.

For me, I'm looking for good zoom and IQ, and reasonable low-light handling. The G9 fits the bill, but is still a bit bulky for me. I'm also going to look at the Panasoniz TZ5 (I think IQ will suffer a bit, but it's got lots of zoom and is very compact) and the Fuji f100fd (which isn't out yet, but supposedly might have good IQ and low-light handling, but only moderate zoom). I think the Canon A650 has a good size sensor and good IQ, but the A series is too slow for me. Lots of people say the A720 and 570 also have nice IQ.