Ergonomics
The cameras were all comfortable to hold and operate. While the Canon S110, the Nikon P330, and the Olympus XZ-10 are small, the Panasonic LX-7, the Ricoh GR, and the Sony RX100 II are comparatively larger and heavier. The most comfortable to hold, however, was the Ricoh GR, followed by the Olympus XZ-10. The Nikon and the Canon come next at a joint third, followed by the Panasonic LX-7. The Sony RX100 II, however, lacks a proper grip, and the camera has a slippery finish. Combined with the weight, holding the camera without the strap is very risky. All the cameras featured intuitive menus and controls.
Performance
Being premium products, the cameras have to perform well. The cameras were subjected to strict evaluation procedures for image quality and overall performance.
Autofocus: Autofocus performance was determined by evaluating autofocus speed and accuracy in bright as well as low light. Here the Sony performed like a champion, followed by the Olympus. The Canon and the Panasonic followed suit.
Darkening of Corners: Most lenses exhibit some darkening at the corners at the wide-angle end with the lens wide open. We evaluated the corner darkening of the cameras by photographing an evenly lit, white wall, with the lenses at their widest apertures and at the wide-angle end. Here the Canon S110 surprised us with the darkening almost absent, followed by the Panasonic LX7 and then the Sony RX100 II.
