any good 3 inch LCD, quick response time point-and-shoot digital camera?

[cellular]

Hi all,

I really want a new digital camera for my overseas trip, with a large screen and a quick response time (where you don't have to wait too long to take the next picture, or to switch on initially so you can start taking pictures). I also want one that is compact in size, one of those bar type cameras.

So far, i have only considered the M1033 Kodak, as that is the only camera that i have seen with the 3"inch screen, but i don't know what the response time for it is. Does anyone here know?

Also can anyone recommend any other cameras that i should have a look at that has a large screen, quick response time, and is within the price range of R1000 - R2000, before i go out and buy the M1033?

Thanks guys!

[koffiejunkie]

I'm quite happy with my Sony DSC-T100 in that respect. The response is one of the reaons I wanted to replace my previous cam. It starts up pretty quickly (about the same as my DSLR) and provided the light isn't so bad that it has to hunt to focus, the shutter lag is very low. According to the reviews, it was one of the quickest at the time.

That particular range has had one major change - they put on a bigger screen, touch screen, to replace most of the buttons. I find this much slower to work with, because now you actually have to look at the "controls" to set anything. So I wouldn't consider it. It's also out of your price range.

But there is the slightly lower end model, the major differnce being 3x optical zoom instead of 5x. At the time it was the T20 or T70 - can't remember which. It's much cheaper but has more or less the same features. My previous house mate had one and I played with it quite a bit - couldn't really tell a difference.

[sdd]

Look at some of the new gen panasonics. They are small but also pack some nice optical zoom and optical stabilisation.

Read the reviews though ... I know noise is an issue with some of them.

[koffiejunkie]

For interest's sake, there is another thread about the Sony family I mentioned, and I posted a sample shot:

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?p=2211787#post2211787