My sister asked me what camera I'd recommend for her, and I'm not sure, as I don't shoot a lot with P&S's, and the ones I do use are not what she's looking for.
She wants a new P&S that, above all, is quick...doesn't have that sluggish delay between pressing the button and taking the picture. High ISO quality isn't terribly important...a usable ISO 800 would be great. Price is an issue...I'm thinking probably under $200 or so, but if there's a perfect camera for her she'd probably go a little more.
Image quality and a good flash are also important to her. Size isn't a big deal...if it's a little big that's ok.
Might be a lot to ask for a cheap P&S, but any suggestions, examples, and advice would be appreciated.
If I were to buy a point and shoot today it would be either the Canon G10 or the Panasonic LX3 but at that budget I honestly don't know what options are out there.
The LX3 would be my top choice and if she can stretch the budget to either I'm sure she would be very happy.
At the premium P&S level, G10 and LX3 are considered to be pretty much the best a P&S could be. However they are $400+ cameras. With a more modest budegt, Canon A590IS is a solid product with great quality and good set of controls. Your sister could try out a canon A590 in store and see if she likes its feel.
In general if you want good quality for a reasonable price, then Canon A series is typically a very safe bet. They are not the trendiest cameras or full of fancy gadget features but are solid in terms of IQ, performance and photographic control.
If she doesn't shoot in full auto then the Panasonic LZ8 is pretty quick. It has really good ISO up to 400 (and usable to 800), full manual control and has a great macro mode. Less than $150.
