If you look among the common compacts with a small fold-away zoom then the Sony RX-100 series would still seem to be the one to beat.
I Imagine you can get the RX-100 I very cheap these days. I've a few friends with one (cyclists and photographers) who like it a lot. It's not quite instant-on like a fixed lens camera but that seems the same no matter what compact you get.
If you look among the common compacts with a small fold-away zoom then the Sony RX-100 series would still seem to be the one to beat.
I Imagine you can get the RX-100 I very cheap these days. I've a few friends with one (cyclists and photographers) who like it a lot. It's not quite instant-on like a fixed lens camera but that seems the same no matter what compact you get.