Patco wrote:
It think it would have to be a fixed focal length lens, as an HQ full frame zoom would have to be much too large for a compact camera.
… to which Thom Hogan replied:
As I've written many times, that's not true. It is tricky to get the design of a zoom compact enough, but as I wrote quite some time ago, it is not only possible, but there are at least three ways I know of to get there. The one that should be obvious to everyone right now is to use the Kodak/Leica offset microlens bit, as this allows you to use designs that are aggressive in the rear portion of the optics. But there's complexity in all three ways I know to do it