chrisbrewster

I use a compact (Fuji s5200) whose max zoom is 380mm equiv. I can confirm the previous poster's comment that this is at the low end of what you'll need. I'm going to try making myself unnoticeable to animals (in a good location) and just waiting-- the way hunters do it. Without waiting for them to come somewhat near, you need a major telephoto length. [Note, I chose this camera to get the highest ISO for shorter shutter speed. A tripod is a good idea, rather than image stabilization.]

With all the talk about high ISO and pocketable, no one has mentioned Fuji-- the current F11 and the upcoming F30. No other pocket cameras have these ISO's.

I disagree with the rather disagreeable responses so far. Just having requirements and reading reviews still lets some important concepts slip through the cracks. I've just been through this process and benefited from other people's knowledge and suggestions. The DCRP site has a forum just for choosing a camera and it's useful. Try to summarize your main requirements in the subject line. Here's the link:

http://www.dcresource.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=4

I've tentatively decided to get a Powershot s3 because I realized the

type of pictures that I most often miss are subjects that are too

small or distant, so I want a long zoom. (And antishake, and swivel

viewfinder.) But I've been thinking more about the sensitivity issue.

I don't really need 5 or 6 MP if I could have, say 3 or 4 with higher

sensitivity. And I mean usable ISO with low noise, not just the fact

that the camera takes a picture at a certain ISO. People complain

about the noise in the Powershot s2, and the s3 is supposedly better,

but are there 10x/12x-zoom cameras that have significantly higher

usable ISO ratings (even if at the cost of fewer mp's)? This issue

gets surprisingly little attention but it could affect the shutter

speed by several stops and therefore, for many shots, whether you'd

get a good result.