I'm quite determined that the first present for myself with my bonus will be a digital camera. My current one, a Fujifilm Finepix 2800Z, had served me well for more than 2 years, and it's about time it retires. As much as I love its superb 6x zoom function, I don't really care for its shutter lag, poor performance under low light, and the low 2 million pixels resolution. Furthermore, the LCD screen had died on me a few months ago.

Besides the mandatory considerations like image quality, LCD viewfinder, zoom capability, in-built flash, I have listed my criteria for the new camera as follow, in order of importance :

1. Fast response : one big issue with most digital cameras is the lag time between releasing the shutter and capturing of the image, and the lag time the camera is ready for the next picture. This problem has been bothering me ever since I owned my Fujifilm. It is annoying not being able to capture THAT exact moment for the camera is always 1 second late. So for my new one, this is the most important feature.


2. Compactness : if you are like me who is always lugging a few bags and 2 active kiddos, you will understand the need for a compact camera. Although I love to have control over the images I take, from experience, I rarely venture further than point-and-shoot. And any additional functions and a big zoom lens will probably add bulk to the camera.


3. At least 4 million pixels resolution : it is nice to have high resolution pictures so that I can zoom zoom zoom in to do editing. But since I seldom print, 3 MP will do too, I guess.


4. Price : anything under S$1,000. DSLRs are obviously out.

The candidates I've shortlisted so far :

1. Fujifilm F700 : its reputed non-existence shutter lag makes me drool. Drawbacks are its 3 MP resolution and proprietary battery.
   
2. Canon G5 : need I say more? But it's a little over my budget, plus its shutter lag is a big boo-boo.


3. Casio QV-R51 : I've read good review on this relatively new camera, especially the impressive shutter lag and 5 MP resolution. Not sure about the reliability of the brand though.

I am going down to the IT Show tonight to look-see some more. Who knows, maybe I'll end up buying a totally different camera. :p

Where I did my research :
1) DP review
2) Clubsnap forum
3) Imaging-resource
4) Steve's digicams
5) Singapore digicam prices
6) Consultation from Peter :)