Need Suggestions

[RickArnold]

I am looking for a small camera for my personal use so I don't drag my work cameras around. I have been researching some of them but am having a hard time finding something to suit my needs.

What I am looking for is for use with my kids and also be able to take some simple pictures of future shooting sites for planning purposes.

What I must have in one I decide on:

very low shutter lag (drives me crazy to press the button and have to wait)
Iso adjustment.
Speed and Aperture priority shooting modes.
Thin - something that can be placed in a pocket.

If it used CF cards it would be a huge bonus but not necessary

If anyone has run accross something that might fit, please fill me in.

Thanks

Rick

[Tony_Gamble]

Lots of us swear by the Ricoh GRD.

It uses SD cards. I'd have preferred to use my existing CF cards, but cards are so cheap these days that buying enough SD ones to store a whole holiday's images is not 'an arm and a leg'.

However, I need to point out that in common with so many p&s cameras it does not have an inbuilt optical viewfinder. For me this is a problem as I wear reading glasses and cannot compose a picture on the rear screen of a camera. But you can fit an optical viewfinder to the hot shoe and that works a treat.

OK the Ricoh may be slightly more than you intended to spend, but once you own one you'll find you use it more an more in preference to any 'pro' cameras you may own.

Tony
London UK

[fxgeek]

The sigma Dp1, which although isn't out yet looks like it could be a stonking little camera, being both reasonably compact and having a decent sised sensor. Its a fixed focal lenght lens though.

http://www.dcresource.com/news/newsitem.php?id=3403

[Tony_Gamble]

Thomas.

The Sigma looks lovely.

Sadly, I can't take seriously a camera that you have to hold a foot, or more, in front of your face to take a picture. And I am not a fuddy old pro in the minority.

Only yesterday lunchtime I was taking some shots, of a prize giving, in a bar. Whilst killing some time I got into chatting with some point and shoot owning snappers. Most said how annoying it was to have to use their new cameras in that way. They all agreed that putting a camera up to their eye to take the shot was so much easier than this new gymnastic that has been forced on them. Nobody claimed they preferred to compose the shot on the back of the camera.

And, as I said above, if you wear reading specs.......forget it!

Tony