We are using our canon compact camera, Ixus 70 i think it is, quite a lot lately due to our new arrival nine months ago. It works fine and the pictures seem very good and print out etc after cropping and zooming well enough with good detail. Generally we just want the full auto setting so kind of point and shoot for when those funny priceless moments arrive and you want to capture it quickly.

Trouble is the response time from pushing the button to focusing to actually take the picture is quite slow and we often miss the exact moment we wanted. Our smart phones are even slower and the picture quality of them is no where near as good as the canon so they arent an option. My dad likes his photography and his fancy canon DSLR has a virtually instantaneous response time but we cant be bothered with all the features and basic size of a camera like this.

My question is what is the best option for a small full auto compact camera that has a really fast response time? As long as it has a reasonable optical zoom and a decent screen on the back for viewing pictures and is full auto then we dont really need any other fancy features. A really quick resposne time is the key feature.

Oh yea, we dont want to spend a fortune either so something ideally in the compact range as these are nice and small as well which is important.

Cheers in advance for any advice.

I am afraid it is not as simple as that. Response not only depends on shutter and AF speed, something that will be slow on most compacts, it also depends on available light. Compacts will either get a blurry photo indoors or need to use the flash which, again, will lower the response considerably.

I am afraid that a dslr with a fast lens is the best thing you can get if you want great photos you will be proud of. You can get a 2nd hand dslr with a fast 50 1.8 lens from around only £150.

I'd look at something like this if it were me - very responsive little camera with great zoom range and a fairly sharp lens.

http://www.canon.co....rShot_SX240_HS/

Pansonic do some compacts with slightly quicker lens's but Im personally a Canon man.

Avoid the added weight and inconvenience of a DSLR and its accessories with a new born, would be my advice from experience also.

I am afraid it is not as simple as that. Response not only depends on shutter and AF speed, something that will be slow on most compacts, it also depends on available light. Compacts will either get a blurry photo indoors or need to use the flash which, again, will lower the response considerably.

I am afraid that a dslr with a fast lens is the best thing you can get if you want great photos you will be proud of. You can get a 2nd hand dslr with a fast 50 1.8 lens from around only £150.

Just dont want the hassle of carrying about a big camara and case and separate lenses. Most of the time the camera will be in SWMBO's handbag so size matters as they say but for the opposite reasons in this occasion.

I'd look at something like this if it were me - very responsive little camera with great zoom range and a fairly sharp lens.

http://www.canon.co....rShot_SX240_HS/

Pansonic do some compacts with slightly quicker lens's but Im personally a Canon man.

Avoid the added weight and inconvenience of a DSLR and its accessories with a new born, would be my advice from experience also.

Looks good. Which factors or features actually determine a quick response time? Is it processor power? I know sod all about cameras which you can obvioulsy tell. I know what a CCD is but have no idea what determines how quick a camera will shoot after it carries out all its auto focusing and light level analysis calculations. Obviously in smartphones and tablets its all about processing power hence why im assuming this is the key factor i need to look for. Is this true and if so what on earth is a good processor in a compact and where would this information be available for comparison between models? I suppose direct comparison by physically trying them in a shop may help but id kinda hoped there would be hard facts somewhere that i can read and then simply do my usual and order a camera online without having to visit the dreaded shops.

I suppose it is all a compromise of convenience and photo quality. I tend to go for quality but I understand that convenience is very important for some people.

Another option is a micro 4/3 Camera which will still be much better than any other compact but still small enough for a small bag.

http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/hardware/pocket-sized-power-micro-43-cameras/

Would go and test some cameras if I were you as it costs less to try and buy once.

Good luck with whatever you end up with

I suppose it is all a compromise of convenience and photo quality. I tend to go for quality but I understand that convenience is very important for some people.

Another option is a micro 4/3 Camera which will still be much better than any other compact but still small enough for a small bag.

http://photo.tutsplu...cro-43-cameras/

Would go and test some cameras if I were you as it costs less to try and buy once.

Good luck with whatever you end up with

These "4/3" cameras look quite good. I wouldnt have any issues taking one of those out with us. I suspect the missus may have other ideas as the reason we bought our current one a few years ago was because it was really small and when shes out with her mates and they all have their wee cherubs with them camera envy innevitably happens and its important to have a really small neat one thats simple to use. Sounds silly i know but she would probably be too embarrased to pull out a camera with a separate lens or even one of these 4/3 cameras as despite being quite small they do look bulkier than our compact. This would inevitably mean she may not take as much photos as she wasnt so keen to take the camera out and we have loads of funny pictures of the wee one when she is out with her chums.

Now i think about it having a 4/3 camera when im there may work and she can then still use the compact when on her own. Trouble is she still doesnt like how slow our camera is so she still has to persevere with it a lot of the time. I have to admit it is a pain as trying to capture a fleeting moment when the wee one pulls a funny face or something just becomes almost impossible or luck at best.

Maybe the best i can hope for is the fastest responding compact i can get even if it isnt "instant". Any improvement is still better than nothing i supose. Im kinda hoping a newer camera will be faster than mine anyway purely because the technology has improved over the last year or so. Would be intersting to find out what is the fastest compact on the market as most reviews ive seen tend to focus on the number of functions that the cameras have on them or how big the optical zoom is but in fairness i care less about these. 3x optical will do me and basic "auto" mode shooting is all i use. Yes more optical zoom would be nice but not at the expense of overall speed and response time. Im not looking to take portrait shots just want to capture the fun moments as they happen as the fun moments tend to be unexpected and you need to react quickly.

Our canon ixus70 seems to take about at least 2 seconds from pushing button to taking a picture when inside the house. This feels like an eternity and babies tend not to pose for the camera so you inevitably get one chance to capture it. Our wee one seems to react different with a camera in her face also so generally wont react the same a second time as she become so fascinated with the thing you are holding up rather than doing whatever it was that she did a second ago that was so funny but you unfortunately missed as your flipping camera is so slow.

Edited 11 March, 201313 yr by Jockdooshbag

we've got the Ixus 95 which itself is about 4 years old. I'll have a play at home and see how quick it is.

You might be worth trying out whatever the newest IXUS is to see if it's quicker

we've got the Ixus 95 which itself is about 4 years old. I'll have a play at home and see how quick it is.

You might be worth trying out whatever the newest IXUS is to see if it's quicker

we've got the Ixus 95 which itself is about 4 years old. I'll have a play at home and see how quick it is.

You might be worth trying out whatever the newest IXUS is to see if it's quicker

I am a canon fan mainly because my dad favours them but id buy any make of camera as long as its fast so am not bothered about staying loyal to the brand. Im not even bother by huge pixel counts as the images from the 7 megapixel seem good and even crop quite well.

Our canon ixus70 seems to take about at least 2 seconds from pushing button to taking a picture when inside the house.

Really?

My compact is 6 years old but is not that bad.

No offence to SWMBOs in general but I find I can get mine to take a far better picture if she gets it to focus with a half press first before actually taking hte photo and it reacts quicker as the focus is nearly 'there'.

Really?

My compact is 6 years old but is not that bad.

No offence to SWMBOs in general but I find I can get mine to take a far better picture if she gets it to focus with a half press first before actually taking hte photo and it reacts quicker as the focus is nearly 'there'.

I do this but it still seems slow. I can hold the button half down but when i do this there is a red / orange light that stays on and it distracts the wee one. Not sure what this light is, im presuming its something to do with a sensor for the flash or something. She ends up transfixed on this orange light and then stops whats shes doing.

Check what card spec and speed you're using in it. I have a backup SDHC I use with one of my DSLRs and it's noticeable how much longer it take to capture and save the file down to the card, compared with my usual everyday card.

I may have missed it, but have you stated a budget for the replacement. For a compact I'd go Lumix TZ30 and that's me as a Canon man

SWMBO has an earlier Lumix TZ, the TZ10 IIRC and it's brilliant for everyday and the lens quality and zoom, plus widescreen ability is outstanding.

Check what card spec and speed you're using in it. I have a backup SDHC I use with one of my DSLRs and it's noticeable how much longer it take to capture and save the file down to the card, compared with my usual everyday card.

I may have missed it, but have you stated a budget for the replacement. For a compact I'd go Lumix TZ30 and that's me as a Canon man

SWMBO has an earlier Lumix TZ, the TZ10 IIRC and it's brilliant for everyday and the lens quality and zoom, plus widescreen ability is outstanding.

Not really bothered by budget as generally compacts are all relatively cheapish. Dont mind paying a bit more for a camera that meets my specific needs. Never thought about the memory card. Its quite a big one from what i remember and normally i buy "sandisk" or whatever they are called. Are these good ones?

Didnt know memory cards had different speeds i thought it was just capacity. How do i check for speed of a card?

Edited 11 March, 201313 yr by Jockdooshbag

Depends what Sandisk card it is, but generally they're very good. There'll be some info on the card itself - the Class number and perhaps the read and write speeds.

Just a thought if you could try another card with the existing camera, to see if it was any quicker taking and saving the photo.

TZ30 can be had for sub-£200. Here's a few shopping examples: http://goo.gl/FQWX9

Depends what Sandisk card it is, but generally they're very good. There'll be some info on the card itself - the Class number and perhaps the read and write speeds.

Just a thought if you could try another card with the existing camera, to see if it was any quicker taking and saving the photo.

TZ30 can be had for sub-£200. Here's a few shopping examples: http://goo.gl/FQWX9

Cheers for this. I'll check the read and write speeds of the card tonight and then google and see how good these speeds are. Worth a try as SD cards are cheap so i can always order a quicker one if my is slow. Even if that fails its only a few quid.

The camera in the link you attached looks good although it does seem to have loads of features i dont need. I guess though that to get a faster compact it inevitably means getting a more expensive one and therefore all these features probably get added to heklp justify the cost. I would rather have the money spent on a camera's speed but i understand that these fancy features sell cameras as one with what im looking for probably isnt a popular option. i.e virtually no fancy features but fast as hell.

If you want proper fast, you'll have to go DSLR I'm afraid. And even then, you'll have to ditch the kit lens and spend as much on the camera getting a fast lens. Depends how fast you mean really

Fastest compact I can think of is probably the Canon Powershot G15 although I'd still say the TZ30's lens is better, certainly with the wide and ultra-zoom capability. All depends what you're going to use it for. The Powershot G-range also come with CMOS and processing capabilities that are as near to an SLR as you're going to get in a compact.

Here's some info on the current model, although anything from a G9 upwards would probably suit you, if you can find ex-display stock:

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_Camera/PowerShot/PowerShot_G15/

If you want proper fast, you'll have to go DSLR I'm afraid. And even then, you'll have to ditch the kit lens and spend as much on the camera getting a fast lens. Depends how fast you mean really

Fastest compact I can think of is probably the Canon Powershot G15 although I'd still say the TZ30's lens is better, certainly with the wide and ultra-zoom capability. All depends what you're going to use it for. The Powershot G-range also come with CMOS and processing capabilities that are as near to an SLR as you're going to get in a compact.

Here's some info on the current model, although anything from a G9 upwards would probably suit you, if you can find ex-display stock:

http://www.canon.co..../PowerShot_G15/

The missus would never whip that bad boy out from her handbag. In her words "id be mortified". It does kinda look like an "enthusiasts" version of a compact. Sounds perfect when you read the specs but never underestimate the importance of "fashion" when women are involved. Needs to be small, neat and discrete.

Sounds like the holy grail im looking for doesnt exist. Im sure i can still improve on what i have though, just want to get the best compact i can in terms of outright speed even if it isnt instant.

Was just about to say the same thing - I can understand what you want/need, but I don't think it exists. Because with a fast lens and processing comes a higher price tag, and inevitably more features to maximise the use of the camera and justify the price tag. Swings and roundabouts really

I'd spend £200 on a Lumix TZ series, confident in the knowledge it would do what you needed, is well made and also has a raft of features available if you want them. If not, leave it on 'auto'

Was just about to say the same thing - I can understand what you want/need, but I don't think it exists. Because with a fast lens and processing comes a higher price tag, and inevitably more features to maximise the use of the camera and justify the price tag. Swings and roundabouts really

I'd spend £200 on a Lumix TZ series, confident in the knowledge it would do what you needed, is well made and also has a raft of features available if you want them. If not, leave it on 'auto'

I dont mind paying £200 and yea if it has heaps of features i wont use then im not totally bothered by that either. The lumix looked ok TBH. Think i may actually take our camera into a shop and try it back to back with a few others just to see ni real terms how slow it is. I hate going to shops though its so old fashioned. Might try and convince the missus to pop in and try them during the day although i tend not to trust the missus when it comes to "electronic" purchases. Not in a sexist way, just that i tend to research things myself first so i have some limited knowledge rather that believing the sales pitch in some shops. She would probably buy a pink one FFS.

I'm no expert but IMHO the TZ30 is an astonishing camera & it suits your requirements in a way that couldn't have even been imagined but a few years ago.

It is incredibly fast focusing & has fantastic low-light capability. Sure it has stacks of stuff that most of us never use but, then again, you can walk into Currys & walk out with one for £199.99 - not bad considering its £341.99 price tag from the Panasonic shop:

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/Products/LUMIX+Digital+Cameras/Superzoom+Cameras/DMC-TZ30/Awards+%26+Test+Results/8616270/index.html?trackInfo=true

If you want proper fast, you'll have to go DSLR I'm afraid. And even then, you'll have to ditch the kit lens and spend as much on the camera getting a fast lens. Depends how fast you mean really

Fastest compact I can think of is probably the Canon Powershot G15 although I'd still say the TZ30's lens is better, certainly with the wide and ultra-zoom capability. All depends what you're going to use it for. The Powershot G-range also come with CMOS and processing capabilities that are as near to an SLR as you're going to get in a compact.

Here's some info on the current model, although anything from a G9 upwards would probably suit you, if you can find ex-display stock:

http://www.canon.co..../PowerShot_G15/

Ive used a Powershot G11 for the last year or so and I highly recommend them - used it alongside a Canon DSLR and the photos produced under a lot of circumstances werent as varied as many might have you believe! Great performer imo

We've got an Ixus 70 and it can be a little bugger. It just won't take a picture until it can find something to lock focus onto. It can be quite frustrating.

The only thing you can do really is either try before you buy or do your research. I've found it rarely pays to buy a cheap compact camera. You can find many with very large pixel counts but they won't necessarily take good pictures, especially indoors. Pixel count doesn't guarantee a good sensor.

The Ixus 70 is actually a very good little camera when it works. Quite tough too with it's metal body.

another vote for the lumix range. You won't go too far wrong with the TZ30 as it's nice and small and has descent performance for what it is. Panasonic are normally up there performance wise and generally have a wider angle zoom on them at the low end which is important when you want to get everything in on indoor shots. It should give the the extra performance you're looking for while still satisfying SWMBO on the compact and easy to use front. Personally I wouldn't worry too much about the speed of the card as this normally determines how fast the camer transfers the data from it's buffer to the card after you've taken the photo and will only be an issue when you're trying to upload data faster than the camera or card will allow e.g. on HD video as you won't have the frames per second performance a DSLR will have. Poor performance on compacts is usually down to auto focus shortcomings and shutter delay, which is part of the inbuilt cameras performance and nothing to do with what card you put in it after.

So something with a quick auto focus is what i need then. Presumably some must be better than others?