Have my standards for a point and shoot camera become ridiculously high?

Here's the deal: my Nikon was fried yesterday. A lens error. I took it into a camera shop, they tried, said they couldn't do it. The camera model is from four years ago and I have recently begun to notice that it really is noisy, even at 50 ISO in bright daylight. so I want to upgrade.

Here's some of the specs that I wanted in a new camera:

• 6-50mm focal length, or thereabouts
  
• SD media
  
• Dimensions similar to the Nikon (4.2x2.6x2.2) since I put it in my pocket and the Nikon was almost too big for my pants pocket
  

• The A and SD series are far too short focal length-wise
  
• The S5 IS is far too huge, 1" taller and 0.5" wider than the Nikon
  
• The SX100 has poor flash recycling times
  
• The Coolpix P80 is just as big as the S5 IS
  

• Similar length (7.44-44.4mm)
  
• Almost the same dimensions of the Nikon (0.2" wider but 0.5" shorter)
  
• Uses lithium-ion batteries
  
• Can mount Speedlites (I have a 420EX)
  

Have you also considered the
Fuji F100fd http://www.dcresource.​com …ji/finepix_f100​fd-review/
or the
Fuji F50fd http://www.dcresource.​com …uji/finepix_f50​fd-review/
or the
Sony W300 http://www.luminous-landscape.com …ameras/shirt-pocket.shtml

Yes, your standards are too high. You can't have everything, and you certainly can't under 200$. The W300 looks ideal to me.

hbdragon88 wrote in post #6030791
Here's some of the specs that I wanted in a new camera:

• 6-50mm focal length, or thereabouts

Trying to compare specific focal lengths in a variety of digital point-n-shoot cameras is a mistake. The reason is that many of the cameras have different sized sensors in them. Thus, for a variety of cameras each one may have to be set to a different physical focal length to achieve the same field (angle) of view.

To do an honest comparison of point-n-shoot lens focal lengths, you will need to reference some common denominator. The easiest way to compare the focal lengths of point-n-shoot cameras is to compare the "35mm Equivalent" focal lengths that are almost always advertised for the cameras.

I'm waiting for detailed reviews of the Panasonic LX3 to come out. It looks promising on paper, though no cheaper than the G9 really. It does have a fractionally larger sensor (still in the teeny-tiny range of all the digicams) and a faster f/2.0-2.8 lens.

SkipD wrote in post #6036891
Trying to compare specific focal lengths in a variety of digital point-n-shoot cameras is a mistake. The reason is that many of the cameras have different sized sensors in them. Thus, for a variety of cameras each one may have to be set to a different physical focal length to achieve the same field (angle) of view.

To do an honest comparison of point-n-shoot lens focal lengths, you will need to reference some common denominator. The easiest way to compare the focal lengths of point-n-shoot cameras is to compare the "35mm Equivalent" focal lengths that are almost always advertised for the cameras.

Ah, you make a good point there. A quick search of Wikipedia (hoping that they're not erronous with fact data like that!) does not reveal a camera that falls within the 36-300mm range within the compact size that I want, except for the SX100; the G7/9 come closest at 35-210mm, the rest fall within 35-150mm or thereabouts.