If you want to impress old-school film photographers, whip out a digital Leica and watch their eyes light up. You’ll be pestered with so many questions, you’ll think you were Ansel Adams or Annie Liebowitz. And who knows? With a bit of practice, you might be. The Leica D-Lux 3 has a classy, understated appearance on the outside, which belies what it’s got on the inside: the high performance of a modern technological marvel. 10 MPs are more than sufficient for 13x19 prints, and the Leica lens can take pictures in three formats: 16:9 (for viewing on a widescreen monitor), 3:2, or 4:3, at different resolutions. The goodies don’t stop there; the D-Lux 3 has the same type of lens-based blur-resistance as Panasonic’s cameras (Mega O.I.S.), and a large 2.8” LCD viewing screen. Though you can’t change lenses on the Leica, the 4x zoom does offer a very useful range in real-world terms: 28-112mm, or wide-angle to portrait. Of course, there are manual modes for experienced photographers who want to take control, but also program and auto modes for those who prefer a simpler, less-involved approach. Many P&S cameras don’t do a good job of manual focusing, but the D-Lux 3 has a dedicated joystick just for that. It also offers the option of shooting at f/2.8, which is great for bokeh (out of focus elements), and low-light situations. Unlike many P&S cameras (and some DSLRS like the D40), the Leica offers the option to shoot in JPEG or RAW (for additional control over white balance, tones, and saturation). The D-Lux 3 is definitely at the top of the P&S heap, and may even be preferable to a DSLR for some.

In an era of $500 DSLRS, it’s rare to see a point and photo retail at above this price point anymore. But with the S9100, Fuji is clearly trying to make a statement: namely that they can deliver a solution for buyers who want a professional-looking camera that’s easy to use, and don’t want to mess with changing lenses. The S9100’s pseudo-DSLR appeal is evident from its design, which utilizes a manual-twist zoom ring, instead of the T and W buttons or levers found on most point & shoots. That not only makes the S9100 resemble a more expensive professional camera, but provides precise, accurate zooming across the entire focal plane, which is a good thing because the S9100 offers a ginormous 10.7x zoom, from 28-300mm (film equivalent). Fuji’s Super CCD chip provides more vibrant colors right out of the camera, and with 9 megapixels, cropping and enlarging is no problem. The Natural Light mode is optimized for low-light, no flash photos – something you probably wouldn’t dare to try on most P & S cameras. Other advanced features include a Super Macro mode, which allows for shooting as close as four-tenths of an inch from the subject; a live histogram (for more accurate exposures), auto-exposure bracketing; video mode; a hotshoe connector for external flash; a tilting LCD display; 0.01 second shutter lag and 0.8 second start-up time; and an ISO range from 80 to 1600. It also takes AA batteries and a wide-angle conversion lens is available as an aftermarket add-on. Unfortunately, the S9100’s 2” LCD is the smallest in its class (some compact cameras have 3” monitors, so this is a real disappointment); more problematically, the camera has received very mixed reviews where image quality is concerned – possibly the result of pixel-stuffing – and at this price-point, we shouldn’t have to compromise in this area.