Camera for my sister.. fast start up, fast autofocus w/ IS, decent zoom under $400

[mb]

Title pretty much says it all. She wants a P&S digital camera for taking pictures of her kids.
Her priorities are:
Fast start up
Fast autofocus with image stabilization (will use auto mode 99.9999% of the time)
At least 5x optical zoom, 10x+ preferred (doesn't have to fit in pocket obviously)
Preferably under 1lbs including batteries (so probably no dslr - I think that would be a bit too much anyway)
Under $400 preferred, if under $300 even better


I've been out of the loop on cameras for a long time so I'm not even sure where to begin, especially for comparing start up times and focus times.

Thanks!!

Edit: This camera sounds promising, but I don't know how the 0.2 second compares to other cameras and there isn't really info on how fast it starts up. 0.2 seconds doesn't mean much if it takes 5 seconds to turn on.

 

[fralexandr]

you could look at the panasonic lumix zs5 and zs7 (startup 1.1s)
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp
dpreview has a buying guide pretty spiffy but most of the parameters you're looking for can't be selected

 

[corkyg]

The Ricoh you linked to is definitely interesting. It is new on the scene, and I'd like to see what comments users make in the DPReview.

 

[shortylickens]

Panasonic LX3 or LX5. Theres really not to much else thats the same bang-for-the-buck in the P&S arena.

 

[mb]

you could look at the panasonic lumix zs5 and zs7 (startup 1.1s)
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp
dpreview has a buying guide pretty spiffy but most of the parameters you're looking for can't be selected

Weird. I'm finding conflicting info on the ZS7. This review says it takes 2.5 seconds to start up, and half a second to focus.

Panasonic LX3 or LX5. Theres really not to much else thats the same bang-for-the-buck in the P&S arena.

The LX5 seems to be pretty fast but lacks the zoom she is looking for. I'll try to find out how important the zoom really is to her.


http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/ricoh_cx4_review/ This review on the Ricoh CX4 makes it seem pretty fast, with a 1 sec start up. So if the CX5 will be faster, I think that sounds like a winner. I guess I'll wait for that to come out.

Argh I hate the internet sometimes. That review says the CX4 turns on in ~1 second. This one says almost 3! http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/review/2010/09/27/Ricoh-CX4/p3
This one also says closer to 3, so I'm starting to believe that... http://www.cnet.com.au/ricoh-cx4-339305512.htm

 

[lykaon78]

You can get a Panasonic FH20. Its got an 8x zoom and is less than half her price range.