iso new compact camera -- and am lost!

[zimv20]

my current camera is a Canon Powershot S100 Digital Elph. i like it, but it eats batteries like mad -- my most recent replacement battery takes 4 shots before i get the low-battery warning. this happens to my Canon-brand replacement batteries after a month or so.

i'm considering buying more batteries, and i'm considering a new camera. i'll be heading to Spain soon and will be taking one or the other. if i buy new, i want something more compact than the S100.

required:

- compact size (smaller than my S100, lighter than 6 oz)
- good quality photos
- good optical zoom
- short time from turning on to taking photo
- short time between photos
- built-in flash
- good battery life (i'm considering buying several batteries and not taking a charger on the trip -- i'm interested in thoughts on this matter)

would like:

- optical viewfinder (are these falling out of favor?)
- intuitive controls, including:
a. easy to turn flash on/off
b. easy to switch to/from macro/micro
- manual control mode

don't care about:

- size of LCD screen
- movie-taking
- image stabilization

though this is "just" for holiday snaps, i do care about good quality with a minimum of fuss. i'm decent with composition, but clueless about f-stops and such, so though i'll occasionally play with a manual mode, it's not my main use case.

i'm partial to Canon, but absolutely willing to consider others.

budget is $400 USD for the camera, willing to pay extra for additional batteries and storage. if i can get what i want for less $$, all the better.

i hope my "search parameters" aren't too broad. i hit up dpreview.com but am still overwhelmed. i'm hoping to get a couple appropriate recommendations here so i can focus my research.

 

[Geniusdog254]

If you have a budget of $400 I would highly recommend the Canon Powershot SX10IS, I used its predecessor and absolutely LOVED it. It had fast autofocus, great shots even at high ISOs, just about everything you could want or need, I would definitely look into it. Either it or the SX20IS is also in your budget, although I don't know much about it. I love the Canon PowerShot line, even though I am currently coveting a Rebel, maybe someday lol

 

[feuerschlange]

my current camera is a Canon Powershot S100 Digital Elph. i like it, but it eats batteries like mad -- my most recent replacement battery takes 4 shots before i get the low-battery warning. this happens to my Canon-brand replacement batteries after a month or so.

i'm considering buying more batteries, and i'm considering a new camera. i'll be heading to Spain soon and will be taking one or the other. if i buy new, i want something more compact.

required:

- compact size
- good quality photos
- good optical zoom
- short time from turning on to taking photo
- short time between photos
- built-in flash
- good battery life (i'm considering buying several batteries and not taking a charger on the trip -- i'm interested in thoughts on this matter)

would like:

- optical viewfinder (are these falling out of favor?)
- intuitive controls, including:
a. easy to turn flash on/off
b. easy to switch to/from macro/micro
- manual control mode

don't care about:

- size of LCD screen
- movie-taking
- image stabilization

though this is "just" for holiday snaps, i do care about good quality with a minimum of fuss. i'm decent with composition, but clueless about f-stops and such, so though i'll occasionally play with a manual mode, it's not my main use case.

i'm partial to Canon, but absolutely willing to consider others.

budget is $400 USD for the camera, willing to pay extra for additional batteries and storage. if i can get what i want for less $$, all the better.

i hope my "search parameters" aren't too broad. i hit up dpreview.com but am still overwhelmed. i'm hoping to get a couple appropriate recommendations here so i can focus my research.

The Ricoh GX200 might be your camera.
It has everything, you ask for + the possibility, to use Ricohs excellent external accessory viewfinders.

On top the built quality and features including the possibly most advanced direct exposure control controls for a PS camera are the among the best, there are.

I use a GRDII, which is very similar regarding handling, features and built and I am very pleased (might get a GRDIII though for the even faster f1.9 lens and faster RAW shooting + new manual focus modes).

The top of the line Ricoh cameras (including the GX200) shoot Adobe DNG raw files, which makes them very compatible with all major image processing software. I use Lightroom for my GRDII files.

 

[zimv20]

thanks for the responses.

i've updated my original post to provide a better idea of what i find "compact." perhaps there's an industry-standard term for what i'm looking for, but i don't know it.

i want something smaller than my S100 -- i travel very light and being able to keep a camera in my front pocket is what i'm hoping for.

the S100 is 6.5 oz, 3.4" wide and over 1" deep. i'm looking for smaller/lighter than that.