High IQ compact with flip down screen ?

[FrankG]

I just rented the CanonG1X to try out and it almost fits the bill perfectly but I'd love a straight flip-down screen rather than one that twists out to the side of the camera.
I like to look down on it like with an old TLR Rollei.
Oh yes, a faster aperture and longer tele end would be nice too.
Thanks for pointing me at some other units as I'm not familiar with the world of compacts.
Thanks

[marcmccalmont]

Doesn't exist
Marc

[JohnBrew]

Try a NEX-5n or NEX-7.

[uaiomex]

I bought today a G1X. One of the reasons was the full vari-angle screen. I decided over others like NEX 5 and 7 and Olympus EPL3 because they are not full-tilt. They are only usable for horizontal shots. This feature alone, made me decide for the G1X.
If the Nex 7 had a full-tilt screen I would gladly pay the asking price (twice as much). I don't understand why Sony gave the A65 and now the A57 a full VA screen and not to the Nex7. I don't understand either why Canon didn't give the 5D3 a VA screen. So, I'm passing for the time being buying dslrs or expensive glass.
I wanted a good hi-iso IQ P&S camera for a long time anyway. G1X is the closest to my ideal compact camera. Hard to resist and since there are no eligible new dslrs this year, it was a done deal since the announcement.
Eduardo

[BernardLanguillier]

If i am not mistaken the new Olympus OM-D 4/3 does that to, but it may not be compact enough.

Cheers,
Bernard

[BJL]

If you want more telephoto range than the 4x of the Canon G1X, while still having a sensor about that big and a screen that can be tilted up, then fixed lens compacts are out, and the options have mostly been mentioned: Olympus OM-D E-M5, Sony NEX 5 and NEX 7. I believe that the screen of the Panasonic G3 and GH2 can be tilted up for the top-down viewing style, but it must be rotated out to the left, so that might not suit you.

Keeping compact probably means having a second telephoto lens, and in that domain, the Micro Four Thirds lens system offer far more options and better compactness than NEX, inclusing both do-it-all wide to telephoto zooms like a 14-140 and a 14-150, and various pure telephoto options like 40-150, 45-175, 45-200, 75-300, 100-300.

But none of those is that compact, so a plan for compactness probably involves two lenses, a compact standard wide to moderate telephoto and a pure telephoto zoom that stays at home some days. Or maybe one or two primes for days when compactness is the priority and a wide ranging zoom for other occasions.

[John Nollendorfs]

Frank:
About a year ago, I bought the Nikon D5100 sight unseen just because it has a large articulated screen. The camera has been a delight to use because of this feature. It is relatively small and light weight, and the image quality of the 16MP sensor is outstanding. Even the 18-55 kit lens is quite sharp and a great value for the price. The bulk of the camera might be a negative for you, but it might be something to consider. Most of the time I have the screen tucked in to protect it. But it's no problem to swing it out for the occasional review. For the high over head, or low ground level shots using Live Viewl, the articulated display is unmatched. I don't understand why they don't put these type of displays on all the cameras!