Introduction

What a year this has been for advanced compacts. Canon's dominance in the category has been usurped, as the Sony RX100 redefined what the world can expect from a pocket-sized camera. The rest of the industry kept plugging along as usual, offering noteworthy but predictably safe updates of their existing models, including the Panasonic LX7, Nikon P7700, Olympus XZ-2, and Canon G15, S110, and G1 X (the last of which is a bit of an anomaly, with great test results but little commercial success).

Samsung has likewise re-entered the fray with the EX2F, a substantial upgrade over the EX1, with yet another fast lens. It looks and feels like a Canon G-series model, but adds a swiveling AMOLED monitor and WiFi connectivity (no viewfinder, though).

The EX2F hit stores last week for $499 which, wisely, is a little bit cheaper than Samsung originally announced. It is available in black.