lehighjack Loc: somewhere in FL

As a travel camera, I have the Lumix LX 100 and love it. Not quite pocketable, but easily handled, the newer iteration you are thinking about is improved over mine. The camera feels like quality and produces, in camera, very HiQ jpegs. I liked the choice of picture configuration and again, the look of the shots. The fully Auto mode works well, though I use aperture priority. I was in Charleston SC this past spring with my daughter's tennis team and was delighted how easily the lx100 became a street photographers dream. The zoom is useful and one has the option to post process Raw images if desired. The viewfinder is very good and should be used for quick composition. Get the LX 100 II, SHE WILL LOVE IT, of course you might use it a lot as well. A very versatile camera.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

As always, I recommend reading reviews and comparisons. Either of the cameras you mention would be fine, but look for specific differences that might make a difference to your wife. I assuming she will have a say in this. : )

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Either camera will work. What she really needs is to take some photography courses with a concentration on composition. You can get the very best camera on the market, but if the person using it does not understand composition, it makes little difference.
Enjoy and keep on shooting until the end.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

There are adapters for the Fuji. Extremely popular camera. I love Fuji extremely user friendly. I have 2 of their cameras.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

I own Nikon Gear. But, I'm not one to think that everyone should own Nikon Gear. I went to a camera shop several days ago to browse around. Not Best Buy or Costco. I saw a Fuji XT-2 inside the glass display. It was the first Fuji I had in my hands. Nice camera it was. I told the lady that camera was superseded by the XT-3. She was aware of that. But, said the XT-2 was on sale, so to make room for the XT-3. She said she sold out of the Fuji XT-20. A hot seller. And are awaiting the newest model, the XT-30. Either of these cameras would be a good choice for a mirrorless camera. One of my friends owns a Sony a6000 with the two kit lenses that came with it. He loves it. For a while now, he has been hoping for a Sony a6500, but can't afford it now. Fuji and Sony are reputable mirrorless cameras. You can't go wrong with either Brand. No, these cameras are not fixed lens cameras. But, are compact in size.

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

A lot of good ideas given. The one thing that I think is a real must is to share what you have learned but let her see, feel and hold them and let her make the choice. It can make life better for both of you!

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

A lot of good ideas given. The one thing that I think is a real must is to share what you have learned but let her see, feel and hold them and let her make the choice. It can make life better for both of you!

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

I know you said fixed lens, but... if she’s used to the Tough, have her at least look at the Olympus e-m5 II with a 14-150 II lens. The touch screen menus are similar so she’s not starting from scratch and the lens reach is superb. Big plus is both are splash, dust and freeze sealed. That said! There are telephoto accessories for her Tough to extend her reach. They’ve even come out with the TG6, and added more megapixels and pro-capture. Last I looked, it was the same price as the TG5.

Deylight

The Fuji X100F all the way. The fixed lens will improve her photography even further.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

I’m not concerned much with "IQ", with image quality, because I shoot mostly snapshots, documenting things of interest, and I don’t print much. Most current digital cameras would give me satisfactory IQ for my needs. Even cameras that look like cellphones. 😊

truckster Loc: Tampa Bay Area

I bought a slighly used X100F on Craigs List. Love it. She would love tinkering around with all the different type of settings. It is fully customizable to suit her needs when she decides to get off automatic, but I will tell you, with my Nikon I shoot Aperture or Shutter Priority and some manual in RAW, but with the Fuji I find myself using as a point and shoot in full automatic and in jpeg almost all the time. I just found out how interesting some shots come out using the built in ND filter.

Good luck in your hunt. I would try to have her hold both cameras and see which one she like the feel of best. That might be the tie breaker if you are having a hard time deciding.

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

[quote=Raybo]Looking to buy something to upgrade for my wife. She's been using various iterations of the Olympus "Tough" line point and shoot. Used them while we were cruising on a sailboat in Central America a few years ago, and she has a ton of really nicely composed shots, albeit that the IQ is limited due the camera. She likes to use the "in camera" scenes and special effects. But she's also seen some of the stuff I get with a DSLR, and is about ready to get out of the "auto" mode, and actually learn the subtleties of Aperture, ISO and shutter speed.

I've been looking at some of the "super zooms" like the Panasonic FZ1000, Sony RX10 & Nikon Coolpix P900 lines, but at the cost and size, I figure it's best she just learns to hold the DSLR with an appropriate lens. But there's lot of time she won't want to haul that around, so I started looking at some of the fixed lens options.

The two that I've narrowed it down to in that category are the Fujifilm X100F and Panasonic LX100 II.




Both are great cameras! Each has their particular strengths... size, weight, lens, sensor size, resolution, & etc. No one should "choose" your camera for you. Below is a "professional's" comparison for ease of understanding, however, you likely already know all this I hope. After all is said and done, because there are so many similarities between the two, perhaps the most important issue is not so much weight, size, zoom or not, or the much-vaunted leaf shutter (of the Fuji), but the photographic product. It is pretty subjective since we all see things differently sometimes, however, for me, the Fuji has it hands down in this dimension. Perhaps a camera store might be a good source... they might let you try both out, if not, spend a buck and rent each for a day if you can.



Review:

Reasons to prefer the Fujifilm X100F:

More detail: Offers more megapixels (24 vs 16.8MP) with a 22% higher linear resolution.
Better image quality: Features bigger pixels on a larger sensor for higher quality imaging.
Richer colors: The pixel size advantage translates into images with better, more accurate colors.
More dynamic range: Larger pixels capture a wider spectrum of light and dark details.
Better low-light sensitivity: Larger pixels means good image quality even under poor lighting.
Better live-view autofocus: Features on-sensor phase-detection for more confident autofocus.
Better sound: Can connect to an external microphone for higher quality sound recording.
Longer lasting: Can take more shots (390 versus 300) on a single battery charge.
Easier fill-in: Is equipped with a small onboard flash to brighten deep shadow areas.
More heavily discounted: Has been on the market for longer (launched in January 2017).



Arguments in favor of the Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 II:

Flexible image proportions: Has a multi-aspect sensor that allows for alternative image shapes.
Better video: Provides higher definition movie capture (4K/30p vs 1080/60p).
More detailed viewfinder: Has higher resolution electronic viewfinder (2764k vs 2360k dots).
Larger viewfinder image: Features a viewfinder with a higher magnification (0.70x vs 0.43x).
More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (1240k vs 1040k dots).
Fewer buttons to press: Has a touchscreen to facilitate handling and shooting adjustments.
Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (11 vs 8 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
Better light gathering: Has a lens with a wider maximum aperture (f/1.7 vs f/2.0).
Wider view: Has a wider-angle lens that facilitates landscape or interior shots.
More compact: Is smaller (115x66mm vs 127x75mm) and will fit more readily into a bag.
Less heavy: Has a lower weight (by 77g or 16 percent) and is thus easier to take along.
Sharper images: Has stabilization technology built-in to reduce the impact of hand-shake.
Easier wireless transfer: Supports Bluetooth for image sharing without cables.
More affordable: Was released into a lower priced segment (23 percent cheaper at launch).
More modern: Was introduced somewhat (1 year and 7 months) more recently.


Cheers!

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

All I can contribute here, Raybo, is, your wife has a very good eye for subject matter and composition. Get her a good APS or Full frame sensor camera - she deserves it.

Stan

Paul Buckhiester Loc: Columbus, GA USA

Check out the Canon G1x III. Aps-c sensor.