Is there a compact camera with an opitcal viewfinder, large sensor and monitor?

There isn’t currently a single compact camera that has all the features you require. The Sigma DP2 and Leica X1 both feature APS-C-format sensors, but both have fixed focal-length lenses and lack in-built optical viewfinders.

The Olympus E-P1 has an interchangeable lens mount and an optional VF-1 optical viewfinder is available specifically for use with Olympus’s 17mm (34mm equivalent) pancake lens.

I would also recommend that you take a look at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, which, like the E-P1, has a Four Thirds-format sensor and interchangeable lenses, while an electronic viewfinder is available separately. The body itself is small, but as soon as you add a lens like the Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-50mm f/3.8-5.6 Asph Mega OIS (28-100mm equivalent) its bulk increases considerably. This is the paradox: the quality that you want to achieve isn’t currently possible in a truly ‘compact’ camera kit.

Of the more ‘traditional’ compact cameras, the new Canon PowerShot G11 has a larger sensor than most. It also features an optical viewfinder and 28-140mm equivalent focal length lens. See the full review published in AP dated 14 November 2010.

Richard Sibley