what camera to buy?

[tubs]

Hi,
I am about to buy a new digital camera. For the past year or so I've been using a Minolta Dimage X, but I'm getting more and more annoyed at it. The things I want my new camera to be/have are;
small, about the size of the dimage x
fast, both startup time and shot to shot time
not cost more than $300
optical zoom, don't really care how much but at least some
take good quality pictures
3 megapixels
able to take good "action" shots. For example I want to be able to take pictures of my dog running, leaping in the air to catch frisbees and stuff like that and have the pics turn out looking like a dog, not just a black blur.

Anyone have any suggestions?
The two cameras I've been looking at the most are the Canon Powershot SD110 and the Casio EX Z3. Do they seem to fit in with my criteria? I find it very confusing to shop for digital cameras and I'm not sure I understand everything I read correctly, and sometimes the information is completely contradictory in different places. For example I have read on different sites (amazon, dpreveiw, dcresourse among others) that the max shutter speed for the Casio EX Z3 is 1/2000, 1/6400, and 1 second. So I have no idea which it is... Same with the SD110's max shutter speed, but different numbers.

I'd appreciate any advice!

[icd]

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[nyrmlieber]

The Kyocera compact digicams seem, according to what I have read, to have fast startup and shot times. Also, the New Dimage Xg looks good. I have thought about getting a really small camera too, but I found it difficult to choose, especially because stores don't usually have them all to try out. Could you tell me what annoyed you about the Dimage x? That might help me too.

Peter

[jesseboat]

I am also in the market for a compact digicam, but I have focused on the pentax brand. They are very small and are said to have terrific startup time. The shot to shot time isn't as great unless you focus, so basically is a couple seconds between each shot . I am looking at the optio s4, s40 and s4i, which are 4 mega pixals, but they have a line that is 3 mps too. The 4mps are all in the range of 300 bucks or a little over, so I am sure the 3mps are all cheaper. What attracted me to the s4 and s4i is the fact that they fint into an altoids tin, and people actually use that as their case. The s40 is a little bigger to accomadate AA batts, but even still it is very small and reviews say it has surprisingly long batt life. Let me know if you find a better camera, or if you have any suggestions on choosing between the 3 cams I mentions above.

Good luck,
Jesse

[Dwimmerlaik]

I have a digital elph S230, and my dad has that Canon SD110 and its a great camera, takes great pictures. I cannot emphisize enough how much better it is to get a camera with a rechargable lithium Ion battery. My canon lasts SOOOO long. Every camera that uses AA batteries that I have seen eat them up in less than an hour. My friends just got a 4 megapixel HP, and it takes great shots, but eats the batteries in 40 min.

Also, you cant beat the LCD's on the canons if you are going to use them as a viewfinder. They are the fastest pixel refresh rates that I have seen on a digital camera. VERY little ghosting when you move the camera.