Replacing ancient FujiFilm 40i. Maybe with Panasonic.

[DeputyMoniker]

Budget:
$350.

Size:
The smaller the better. Those Canon Powershots are a pretty good size. It has to fit comfortably into my pocket. I'm so weary of carrying things in my pockets that I leave my car keys in my car. (I have a numerical keypad on the door.)

Features:
Very low shutter lag. I have to be quick, even when using flash.
Big and bright preview screen. I shoot in all kinds of natural light so a good screen is important.

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
Not sure. If MP's determine the quality of the photo, I'd like for it to be high. If it only determines the size of picture you want, I will never use it for larger than a 9x12 print.

What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)
3x-4x will work but 10x-12x would be better.

How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
10

Do you care for manual controls?
Not really. I just need a few like macro, flash, zoom, timer, and file size/quality.

What will you generally use the camera for?
Taking pictures of people/crowds walking around. Non-sports.

Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
No.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Yes. Sometimes I have to shoot people after dark while they are in their car.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
No but shutter lag is very important to me. The people I'm shooting usually aren't in the mood to have their pic taken.

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
No.

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
I have been looking at a couple Panasonics. I like the DMC-FX35K and the DMC-FX500K. They both look very good. The DMC-FX500K's minimum shutter speed is 60 1/2000. The FX35K is 8 1/2000. That sounds like the FX500K could have a lot of shutter lag compared to the FX35K. Is that true? I don't have a very steady hand...so maybe I should go for the DMC-FX35K for the quicker shutter. I hate having to take 3 shots because the first two were blurry.

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Image Stabilization. Wide angle would be nice every once in a while...I guess it isn't important though. I certainly wouldn't buy a bigger camera just because it had wide angle. (Being compact is important.)

Additional notes:
I really want for it to be a nice camera. The smaller the better. I want to know it is nice just by looking at it. Good brand, you know. It has to be fast...as fast as possible. Here are the most important things to me:
1. Speed. I have to take it out of my pocket, power it up, and take a pic very quickly.
2. Size. I hate carrying things in my pocket and a lanyard isn't always an option. Even having a lighter in my pocket drives me nuts. (If you think that's crazy, I have a hard time making myself close cabinet doors too...especially in the kitchen.)
3. Quality. Sturdy build, looks cool, etc.

Thank you, guys!!

[SmartWombat]

The DMC-FX500K's minimum shutter speed is 60 1/2000. The FX35K is 8 1/2000. That sounds like the FX500K could have a lot of shutter lag compared to the FX35K. Is that true? I don't have a very steady hand...so maybe I should go for the DMC-FX35K for the quicker shutter. I hate having to take 3 shots because the first two were blurry.

I would concentrate then on image stabilisation.
That will compensate for an unsteady hand without limiting your options by requiring a fast shutter speed (and therefore wide open aperture).

Shutter lag is totally different from the speed.
Lag is the time from pressing the button to taking the picture.
The shutter speed only concerns you when getting the right exposure.

[DeputyMoniker]

I would concentrate then on image stabilisation.
That will compensate for an unsteady hand without limiting your options by requiring a fast shutter speed (and therefore wide open aperture).

Shutter lag is totally different from the speed.
Lag is the time from pressing the button to taking the picture.
The shutter speed only concerns you when getting the right exposure.

Thank you for the reply.
Both cameras have Optical Image Stabilizer: MEGA O.I.S. (Mode 1 / Mode 2 ).
Lag and shutter speed are both a concern for me. Lag because I have to be quick. Shutter speed because of the blur. Does image stabilization effect the quality of the picture? Is 60 1/2000 shutter speed as bad as it sounds? (I'm comparing it to the other model which is 8 1/2000.)

[Photo-John]

New compact digital cameras don't have shutter-lag like you're used to with your old Fuji camera. They are much quicker. That doesn't mean they don't have shutter-lag, though. technically, all electronic cameras do. It's how much they have that varies. In the end, proper technique is always important. If you just press the button and hope to get the shot, you're going to have a lot of disappointment because you're asking too much of your camera. So no matter what you end up buying, please read our Point-and-Shoot Digital Camera Tips article. It will help you get the most out of whatever camera you decide on.

On to your question!

I just did a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35. You can read it here. It is very quick, and I really like the 25mm lens. However, I was disappointed in the image quality. Panasonic does some heavy processing with their compact digital cameras and I really don't like what it does to the images. Like I said, shutter-lag is not the problem that it used to be. So I would steer you away from the Panasonic. Take a look at Casio, Canon, Sony, and Olympus, or even the newer Fujifilm cameras. Right now, I think almost everyone has image quality better than Panasonic. That said, if you're only going to be printing up to about 9x12, then it may not be an issue for you. My personal point-and-shoot is a Canon PowerShot SD950 IS. It's reasonably quick and the image quality is awesome.

I agree with SmartWombat about image stabilization. I think it's critical if you will ever be shooting in low light. At this point, I don't like compact cameras that don't have it. I consider it an almost necessary feature because it makes such a huge difference in the variety of conditions you can shoot in and the number of usable photos you'll get.

Hope that helps. Let us know if you have more questions. And welcome to the site. I hope you stick around and share with us after you get your camera. We're about a lot more than just buying cameras here. Buying the camera is just the beginning :-)

[Glasstream15]

Thank you for the reply.
Both cameras have Optical Image Stabilizer: MEGA O.I.S. (Mode 1 / Mode 2 ).
Lag and shutter speed are both a concern for me. Lag because I have to be quick. Shutter speed because of the blur. Does image stabilization effect the quality of the picture? Is 60 1/2000 shutter speed as bad as it sounds? (I'm comparing it to the other model which is 8 1/2000.)

You seem to be a bit confused about shutter speeds. If a camera has a shutter speed range of 60 to 1/2000, that means that in very low light conditions when a long exposure is required, the camera can take a picture with the shuttert being open for as much as 60 seconds. That requires the camera to be on a tripod. In fact, any slow shutter speed, less than 1/30 without IS or 1/15 with IS will require the camera to be very steadily braced, like on a tripod. And that shitter speed require,emt increases as the zoom extends.

1/2000 second will only be usable in very bright light, sunlight, with lens apertures near wide open. The camera that lists the speed range of 8 to 1/2000 is only restricted at the tripod mounted very low light end, not the outdoor or flash range.

Your requirement of taking the camera from your pocket and snapping a picture is pretty much impossible. There is always a "start-up" delay on all digital cameras. My Canon S5IS, which meets all of your criteria except the size and the S5IS will NOT fit in any pocket, and it still takes a couple of seconds from the time I turn it on until I can take the first picture. And, if I plan to or need to use flash, that time is much longer as the flash system has to charge itself also. The "shutter lag" on the S5 is very short, but again, it's a comparatively huge camera.

The smaller and more compact the camera, the more likely you are to lose desired features. Start up times will increase, battery life will decrease, preview screens get smaller and dimmer, zoom range decreases, low light capabilities go down. For the type of pictures you are talking about, you really need a far larger and much more capable camera. But if you want a camera that you can hide and try to take pictures unobserved you will have to accept severe compromises.

[michalopher]

Its great . Thanks for sharing .