You know I think about this issue often, one of the resons I just bought the Panasonic LX7 advanced compact. I noticed one thing about sites like this one that is geared for people who use point and shoots and Bridge cameras..... they never seem to argue or fret over what camera or lens.....flashes...post proccessing and ect. They seem to enjoy their Photography more than those on here who have Billions of dollars "invested" in epensive DSLR's. Point and shoot and bridge camera Photographer rarely have fights over silly things, they just seem to be happier people in my own opinion. :)

Just curious to know if any/many of you are considering ridding yourselves of the DSLR gear and other InterChangable Lens cameras, in favor of the lighter P&S gear? This thought seems to come on me every now and again, and is currently in one of it's "on" waves. I'm thinking that a good superzoom (there are a few to consider), and a good smaller camera, might be a bit more fun than hauling the bigger stuff around.
Just wondered if this feeling was mine alone or others have at least thought about it, OR had actually done it.
If so, care to share your thoughts, and/or your specific gear now in use?
Like I said....just curious.

Well, I imagine it depends on what you are trying to achieve.

If image quality is not an issue, the super zoom ZSLRs (non-interchangeable 20x or 50x zoom lens) might be worthwhile - certainly one of those would reduce the "schlep" factor in carrying around gear. But the smaller imaging chip means greater DOF at a give aperture/focal length, and lower quality at high ISOs. On the other hand, if your outputting to screens (websites, e-frames, etc., then these might not be noticeable.

Another consideration to "lose weight" is a kit of "EVIL" gear (Electronic Viewfinder, Interchangeable Lens) like the Fuji XE-2, Nikon J3 or J3 or offerings from the other major manufacturers. These have larger CCDs which can offer more control over DOF as well as better low light image quality (well, high ISO anyway).

In fact, I'm currently renting the XE-2 and a few lenses in hopes that I will like it enough to get a setup for travel - the D600 and lenses are weighing me down, as it were (especially combined with the ginormous laptop I have to use for work). Sadly, so far I am not finding it appealing - nothing wrong at all with the image quality and all, but the ergonomics are just not right for me. Perhaps that will change with a little time, but my first impression is that it's just too small (I've been shooting Nikon for 40 years) and as nice as the 2MP EVF is, it's still not the same as actual photons going through the lens and getting reflected to my eye.

And this latter issue is something to consider - if you get a camera that "looks good on paper" but turns out to be less enjoyable to use, you will likely use it less over time.

All my photos are taken with a Canon S90 which fits in the palm of my hand and in all my pockets. You can look at my photos and see what you think. It is not exactly a P&S, it is more properly called an "enthusiast's compact camera." It has its limitations, but I have been happily using it for four years. There are newer ones I'd like to find room for in my budget, but it is still going strong.

My Nikon SLR and all its lenses and filters from film days are sitting in the camera bag in the closet. I will probably stick with compact cameras because they are easy for arthritic hands to carry and use, and even more importantly, always with me!