Replacement for Canon Powersot S30

[ken a.]

I'll try and keep this brief, because at heart it is a variation of

everybody's favorite digital camera to dream about - a compact high

quality camera with manual control and minimal lag times. I realize

that it not easy to get something for nothing in the digital world,

but my reasonalby trusty Canon S30 has left me feeling frustrated

more than I would like recently. The frustrations primarily stem

from slow start-up times and slow focusing. I shoot many candid

shots and was used to using a Konica Hexar, Leica m4-2 and Nikon FE

in the good old days of film. I like the S30, but recently have

missed shots that I could have possibly nailed, but for the time lags.

 

I am reasonably aware of what is available for replacement, and what

features I would have to trade off to get others. Ideally I want a

camera with minimal start-up time and fast focusing. I would also

like manual control and hopefully the ability to write RAW files.

The two units that have caught my eye, based on start-up times and

fast focusing, are the Canon SD500 and the Olympus C-8080. Two very

different units which seem to offer good image quality. The question

at hand - is the C-8080 that much better of a camera that it is worth

giving up shirt pocket portability? Alternately, would I mind losing

manual control and RAW file format for the convenience of the SD500?

 

I could look at the S70, but I am not certain that it is

significantly faster than my S30. Or, I could consider a DSLR, but

they are almost twice the price of the C-8080 ($550), not exactly

small change. Plus, the thought of spending that kind of money only

to watch new DSLR's blow past with more performance for less money

does not sit well with my sense of long term value. In short, I have

less expectations of equipment with less money invested.

 

That Olympus feels very nice in hand, but I have not been able to

find one that I can try out. If the image quality from it was that

much better than today's 7MP P/S crowd, then I might forgive the

size. Otherwise, I might be better off with something in my shirt

pocket that can tag along wherever I go.

 

Any thoughts or words of wisdom? I just cannot get a handle on the C-

8080, despite all of the articles and reviews that I have read.

 

Thanks,

 

--Ken

[mike_elek]

My wife has the S50, which is two generations removed from your camera and two generations removed from the S70. She complained recently that she misses shots because of shutter lag. Perhaps, the S70 has improved in that area (I doubt it though).

 

Some cameras claim very short shutter lag, but once you start using the preview screen for composing and you combine that with indoor lighting, you can forget about that claim.

 

You simply can't worry about the price of digital. While you save money on film and processing, you can get caught up in the never-ending cycle of trying to stay near the top of the technology curve.

 

By the way, with the noise issue of the small sensors on P&S devices, I'd be inclined to buy a 5MP camera before I'd dump loads of cash on an 8MP model.

[wedding-photography-denver]

I have 5 Dslr's and one Fuji F10. I take the F10 everywhere now and I get nice shots, quickly. If you need M mode then the f10 is not for you, but it works very well....<div></div>

[sravan]

Try Canon S2 IS. It has one of the shorteest lag times in the non DSLR world.

 

I bought mine last week, but i dont feel any Lag time like i used on my older digital cameras.