Digital SLR Kit

[Brad Johnson]

Is there a digital P&S out there that is as quick as a film camera?

I think so, but the price is comparable to an SLR.  The only ones I've messed with that were relatively speedy were in the $500+ range.

The real problem is autofocus speed.  It's a function of the necessarily smaller lenses on most P&S cameras.  Less light transmission = slower focus.  It gets compounded when you start upping the pixel density on an already small sensor.  Higher density means smaller element.  Smaller element means less surface to gather light.  Less surface means less sensitivity.

They sure can come in handy, though.  A pocket P&S is a heckuva lot easier to tote all day than a glassed- and flashed-up SLR.

Brad

[mtnbkr]

AF speed and shutter lag are the two problems I have with most of the digital P&S cameras I've tried.  I can get past the AF speed issue if I can "prefocus", but not many P&S cameras do that anymore (my R1 could).  Shutter lag is a killer too.  I missed so many pictures of my daughter back when I tried using a digitoy due to lag.  That's one of the main reasons I went back to film (digital SLRs were MUCH more expensive then).

Chris

[only1asterisk]

AF speed and shutter lag are the two problems I have with most of the digital P&S cameras I've tried.  I can get past the AF speed issue if I can "prefocus", but not many P&S cameras do that anymore (my R1 could).  Shutter lag is a killer too.  I missed so many pictures of my daughter back when I tried using a digitoy due to lag.

Exactly my situation.  I'm not trying to do photography, I'm trying to get decent action shots of a high speed 3 year old.

David

[Iain]

http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/

[wooderson]

Is there a digital P&S out there that is as quick as a film camera?

The Ricoh, a couple of the high-end Canons, and the Leica/Panasonic cameras are just about the only options.

The Ricoh has a fast 28mm lens (equiv.), so even wide open, your hyperfocal distance is ~1.5m to infinity. You can have it autofocus, but the fastest way to use it is set focus and shoot.

[Harold Tuttle]

point & shoot digi cameras show the preview of the CCD on the screen

When you hit the button, it flushes the image and grabs a new file to the data buffer

SLRs do not preview the shot and when you hit the button the mirror tips and exposes the sensor.

Fast, Cheap, Good
pick any two...