Best wide angle capability on a compact digital?

[Traveling Realtor]

I use my camera to shoot interiors for my job as a realtor (post on web) and to take shots while traveling - mostly scenery and some groups/people shots. Need something small and with a fast shutter "lag". Looking at the Easyshare V705, the Canon SD 800 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC - FX 30. There are others that also have a 28mm equivalent. (V705 Dual lens has a 23). Less $$ is better than more so if I leave it laying on a table in some cafe I'm not devastated.
Any suggestions or experience ?
Many thanks!

[John_Reed]

I use my camera to shoot interiors for my job as a realtor (post on web) and to take shots while traveling - mostly scenery and some groups/people shots. Need something small and with a fast shutter "lag". Looking at the Easyshare V705, the Canon SD 800 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC - FX 30. There are others that also have a 28mm equivalent. (V705 Dual lens has a 23). Less $$ is better than more so if I leave it laying on a table in some cafe I'm not devastated.
Any suggestions or experience ?
Many thanks!It should come in at about the $300 level "streetwise." But relative to the others, it has a true 28mm focal length for any aspect ratio, 4:3, 3:2, and 16:9. The FX30, for example, will have ~31mm FL for the 16:9 aspect ratio, which is an excellent format for pseudo-panorama shots, where you'd like all the wideangle you can get. Besides, the TZ3 also has more zoom reach, so you can frame a special chandelier when you need it as well. Just a thought, I don't think either one of the new Pannies is actually available for purchase right now.

[Riley]

there is a series of cameras by Kodak that have ultra-wide 24mm lens
check out the P880 and P850

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0508/05080202kodak_p880p850.asp

do you need interior views as well ?
PS: I shoot real estate for a living

cheers

[coldrain]

While one of the cameras Riley comments on is not a wide angle camera at all (the 850), the other one is wide angle, down to 24mm. It is however slow in operation and not exactly compact either! Good image quality though, with quite little barrel distortion and not the noise you get from the panasonic wide angle cameras.

The best bets in image quality for 28mm wide angle are the compact Canon S80, which has less distortion than the compact competition and has generally very good image quality (dpreview even calls it "DSLR like"). You may have to shop around a bit to find it, but it is worth it. It comes with very nice panoramic assistant mode.

Also very good, but more expensive and less compact, is the Canon G7.

Most compact and still good image quality is the Canon 800 IS.

Samsung had a cheap and interesting series of wide angle compacts too, I am not sure about the model numbers anymore.