are there any good alternatives to digital slr? I specifically need the ability to take a picture when I press the button not a second later as is usually the case with compact cameras

Bridge camera?

yes if it is as quick to take a picture as an slr

I’d check out the Cannon G10 and the Nikon P6000. I think they are pretty reasonable – not cheap though

have they got a fast response?

They ought to, if any do – their Nikon and Canon’s take on a digital rangefinder (yes I know they aren’t actually rangefinders, but the look and feel is very much in that ilk). The Nikon seemed fairly quick when I played with it. Jessops have them and they’ll let you play with them if you ask nicely.

Iain

Get an SLR, you know you want to. My D300 will take 6 shots in a second, in fact you have to touch the button very lightly or it takes 2 shots before you lift your finger :o)

Lumix LX3 is nice if you’re happy with a wide-angled view of the world.

Get an SLR, you know you want to. My D300 will take 6 shots in a second, in fact you have to touch the button very lightly or it takes 2 shots before you lift your finger :o)

– But only if there’s a young lady with her arse to the camera ! 😉

Canon sx110 is pretty good for the price (£150 if you search).
If you choose the right settings shutter lag is negligable and I’ve found it at least 95% as good for biking use as a dslr without any of the weight or cost penalty.

Not being funny, but you are pre-focussing right? Pressing down the button half-way so it can focus, then pressing right down when you want the shot? Or are you just mashing the button when you want the shot and getting frustated as it focusses first?

Even the good compacts (and SLRs, unless set for manual focus) need the same for action pics.

Canon G9/G10 are really nice though, take good video too.

(and SLRs, unless set for manual focus) need the same for action pics

depends on the lens but most Nikkors usually focus fast

some compacts are terrible for the refresh rate (shutter lag). Olympus mju compacts, while taking nice photos, have about 0.5 sec delay between pressing the button and taking the picture. Quite frustrating when you only get the back half of a bike/rider in the frame.

I like the D300 for real photography (if digital is real) but there is a case for someing you can slip in your pocket for biking and boarding – hence why I was looking at the P6000.

but there is a case for someing you can slip in your pocket for biking and boarding

I find it hard to believe those things aren’t toys 🙁 There must be a reason a proper camera weighs 10 times as much :o)

I got a D60 for everyday snapping and that’s a slug in comparison too 🙁

Simon, while you might be happy carting several kilos of dslr around on a bike, for most a decent compact is more than adequate. My Lumix TZ3 will print up to A4 quite happily, which for the great majority of the camera toting public is all they want. Plus, I can get away with taking pics at most gigs I go to, whereas security would have words if I stood there at the front with a Nikon D700. I’ve even had problems with using a Nikon Coolpix 5700 bridge camera, which is itself a pain to carry on the bike, as it has to go in my pack, while the Lumix will sit in a small pouch attached to the shoulder strap. As far as shutter lag is concerned, I can’t honestly say I’ve noticed it with the Lumix, and for quick snapshots, well, you’re not exactly doing high-speed sports photography, so even a fraction of a second lag is hardly going to compromise a picture, is it?

Simon, while you might be happy carting several kilos of dslr around on a bike, for most a decent compact is more than adequate

sure enough, I’m just putting the opposite case. My D200 sits in a big pouch attached to the shoulder straps 🙂

Got an old flatbed scanner? Then don’t waste money, on a spensive new dijical cam!

State of the art cam!

Compact…

that should be:
Make a scanner into a camera

Ear, SFBarnes; here’s what you need, to capture those elusive ladies’ bottoms, in glorious detail:

Of course, it might be handy to have a small child to carry such a big lens around:

is that sigma real or a piss take!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sigma-200-500mm-f-2-8-EX-DG-APO-IF-AF-Lens-for-Nikon_W0QQitemZ290285512179QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCamera_Lenses?hash=item290285512179&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1301%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

^^ Postage: To United Kingdom — US $29.95

very economical I think, when you’ll pay more postage than that for a titchy lens from Hong Kong!

SFB – I turned the P6000 down because at the end of the day the lens wasn’t a big enough step up from the Olympus Mju I already have. The D300 and the multiitude of Nikon AF mount lenses that are out there simply are.

But for those of you who want a fast compact the Ricoh R10 was getting a good write up for being fast in Amateur Photographer – don’t know if it said it was good other than being fast; I stopped reading after that.

My Ricoh, an older GX8, has very minimal shutter lag, meaning the camera doesn’t faff about for ages before actually taking the picture. A useful feature, when photographing action. I would expect the new model follows suit.

That Sigma is 34 lbs!! Imagine hoicking that about with you…

Check out the Fiji site – fuji

I was going to get the S8000fd, but i was already committed to buying a S6500fd.
They are getting and selling the stock very quickly, so they dont have one for sale at the time i posted this, but they might have one tomorrow.

The S8000 got a very good review, but the newer S8100 didnt, but there are a few that might suit you.