Which Compact Camera is Best?

[ncknight]

I saw the Panasonic 5MP camera with a 2.5' screen that seems to be what I am looking at but I would like to know what other better options there may be. I am looking at the following factors in order of priority.

1.) Response Time, my Nikon Coolpix 2100 sometime takes almost 10 seconds to respond to a button press which includes focus and whatever time which is totally unacceptable.

2.) Thin, there has been a few thin cameras I used like the Pentax which was comfortable to the hand and yet full functioned

3.) Good low-light shooting capability, understanding that Sony has an edge on this but I don't fancy having an MS based camera.

4.) Rugged, this camera is to be used in the field for onsite shoots of industrial equipment and locations.

5.) Colour quality, my Nikon Coolpix 2100 comes out greyish pictures 90% of the time which I have to fix all the time.

No preference on CF or SD card usage, preferably on AA batteries as I am in the field and would prefer to have the capability to buy off the shelf batteries.

Thanks for the help!

[d7t3]

1. most newer cameras should have better response times than 10s.
2, 4, 6. thin, rugged, AA batts: i'm not sure these can happen together. what thin camera has AA batts? anyway the digital ixus range and the fuji 810 may satisfy you.
3. try the fuji 810 for high 800iso shooting? it's supposed to start up fast too.
5. for colour my personal experience is that canon's colour is good. so maybe an ixus 30 or 40?

[megaweb]

Originally Posted by ncknight 1.) Response Time, my Nikon Coolpix 2100 sometime takes almost 10 seconds to respond to a button press which includes focus and whatever time which is totally unacceptable.

10sec to focus ? Did you focus too near to the object ? You have to understand your camera min. focusing distance.

Originally Posted by ncknight 2.) Thin, there has been a few thin cameras I used like the Pentax which was comfortable to the hand and yet full functioned

Thin camera ? Usually small and thin camera does not have good quality esp. under low lighting. Maybe other can give better comments

Originally Posted by ncknight 3.) Good low-light shooting capability, understanding that Sony has an edge on this but I don't fancy having an MS based camera.

I guess all digital camera suffers low lighting focusing issue. Best is to use an external flash.

Originally Posted by ncknight 4.) Rugged, this camera is to be used in the field for onsite shoots of industrial equipment and locations.

I think you should look for high budget and prosumer digital camera for rugged built.

Originally Posted by ncknight 5.) Colour quality, my Nikon Coolpix 2100 comes out greyish pictures 90% of the time which I have to fix all the time.

I think all new cameras have better and accurate WB.


Just my 2 cents worth.

[tao]

agree with megaweb that for ALL the slim and super small digicams such as FX2/7, IXUS 30/40, mju mini, T33, etc... image quality and performance in terms of responsiveness and shutter lag is compromised.

generally, these small cameras have small sensors and lens which means worse low light performance and more grainy & less sharp images. so it is a compromise one must be willing to accept when buying such pocket sized cameras.

[ncknight]

Thanks for the reply from all of you guys. So understanding that image quality (clear and comes out non-grey images, not nessary to be so colour precise) and slim. So based on what I see Fuji and Canon Ixus is good and Panasonic doesn't compare?

Originally Posted by tao agree with megaweb that for ALL the slim and super small digicams such as FX2/7, IXUS 30/40, mju mini, T33, etc... image quality and performance in terms of responsiveness and shutter lag is compromised. generally, these small cameras have small sensors and lens which means worse low light performance and more grainy & less sharp images. so it is a compromise one must be willing to accept when buying such pocket sized cameras.

[LazerLordz]

Get a FinePix S5500 or S7000.Powerful zoom, SLR-like grips, manual modes and rugged construction.Though you might not be able to slip them into your pocket