Best IQ in non-SLR

[bobg3590]

Suppose I don't care about zoom range or megapixels (with 6 as a minimum), which cameras have the best combination of lens and sensor to give the top image quality? What are your two top picks for that?

[TheWengler]

in good lighting or bad lighting?

[Spookonthe8ball]

Canon S3 or Fuji 6000 would be my pick with the limits of your question.
Spook

[bobg3590]

About good or bad light, I admit I try to do images in both kinds, and have a F30 for interiors. But for the purpose of this question, I'd say good light.

For the person who mentioned the Canon S3 or the Fuji 6000, I think both cameras excel in versatility - that is, zoom range combined with good image quality. But if you exclude versatility, since it is not part of image quality per se, then what?

BTW, I should mention my own prejudice in asking this question. I am thinking of greatly simplifying my approach to photography, in which I would trade off zoom range, good viewfinders, etc etc etc, in favor of resolution, low distortion, and color accuracy pure and simple. Just the best digital tool, but with no bells and whistles that might justify or excuse a drop in imager quality.

[Spookonthe8ball]

bobg3590, if ya already have a Fuji F30 and the iq doesn't work for you, then you need to upgrade to a Nikon D40 dslr. Put it in auto and fire away. It isn't very large and doesn't cost much more than the P&S of the day. If you want to stay real simple, the new Canon A lines have about as good production of nice images as anybody in that type of camera.
Spook

[TheWengler]

Well I've owned the S3 and it does have very good IQ. Is it the best out there? I don't know. Does your budget allow for a jump to a DSLR?

[erichlund]

Got it in one. Leica M-8 with pretty much whichever lens you would like to use and definitely shoot RAW. The sensor, at 1.33 crop is bigger than any APS-C or smaller camera. JPG engine is pretty average, by all accounts, but that's fixed by shooting RAW.

Better results than any "P&S". OTOH, more expensive than almost any dSLR, so maybe that's not what you had in mind when you said best non-dSLR.

[coldrain]

The Canon G7 and G9 have very high image quality for compact digital cameras.

Most Canon compact digitals have very good IQ.

[reppans]

The Canon G7 & G9 have the larger image sensor, as does the A640 & A650, and so should have better image quality than the Canon S series which has the smaller image sensor.