compact travel

[ajaxblu]

hello and thanks for offering your services here.

i currently own a canon S3IS, which i've loved. i'm ready to move up to a dslr, but that will have to wait for a year as i need to get a more compact travel cam now. the compact will have to suffice for all shots in place of the dslr till next year, but i'm aware there is no comparison in speed/sensor/IQ.



so for the compact, i'll be shooting landscapes & urban in/out shots abroad, and indoor/outdoor family/pets stills/video at home. so keeping in mind that i know these won't be dslr quality...


most important:
-lightweight travel (lesser weight is more important than lesser bulk, though of course the lighter the better)
-NO lens cap (my S3IS cap is a pain in the bum as it keeps falling off)
-as high an IQ as i can get with a compact

next important:
-something that can make an attempt at shallow dof in this class of camera
-fair amount of zoom (if IQ is high enough that i can crop and still print 5x7s, i could do with less zoom)
-video (preferably with the ability to zoom while recording, though not required). 30fps?

and:
-macro
-fps burst

no need for GPS or RAW

will purchase extra battery and high speed memory card. don't need bag.


i've recently purchased the samsung HZ30W and can still return it, but am trying to decide whether it's likely that one of the following would have better IQ...

-canon G10 (though zoom may not be enough)
-casio FH100 (drawback - no zoom during video)
-nikon P7000
-olympus SP560UZ (technology too old?)
-panasonic FZ35

possibly too big...

-panasonic FZ40
-nikon P100
-samsung HZ50W

or maybe there is a cam i'm missing that would be a likely fit?

thank you!

[ajaxblu]

sorry, forgot to mention -

I shoot my kids’ softball (side of field, dugout), soccer (short field) and indoor volleyball (just off floor). I know - very difficult, especially the VB.

i know a compact won’t have the low light ability, nor the speed to have quality shots like a dslr, and they juist will not compare, but better something than nothing as the compact will have to do till i can afford the dslr.

so the fact that i won't be able to grab a quality shot is why i requested fps burst, hoping to get a couple doable shots out of several in a burst. but again, fps not as important as the things listed above it.

thanks

[speaklightly]

alex-

You are correct Volleyball courts are most probably the worst lit of the sports listed. To get the photos that you seem to desire, a DSLR with a proven high ISO capability, such as a Pentax Kxor a Sony A-400 will be required.

Most P+S cameras can not even com close to taking those photos well.

Sarah Joyce