What's the best compact digital camera for taking pictures of my kids?

dpreview.com reported that SD870 IS has 0.1 second of shutter lag. This is not bad. If you don't use the LCD, the shutter lag will be much shorter.

The SD850 IS is a great little ultra compact camera (I own it's predecessor, the SD700 IS). It has a very short shutter lag of less than 1/10 of a second when pre-focused.

Seeing as the camera has no real manual controls, other than a few adjustments...one option that might be useful (if you have kids that won't stop moving) is the "Kids & Pets" mode (in the Scene Modes). It will apply a faster shutter speed (in good lighting such as outdoors). Or try following your subject with the the camera prefocused, before pressing the shutter button all the way down. In general, outdoor lighting will produce better looking images.

You will need a fast 1-2GB SD memory as a minimum. Sandisk Ultra II or Extreme III highly recommended. Format it before you use it (consult your Advanced User Guide).

good luck...

I would definitely get a canon or panasonic for compact, but if you really want to take good pictures of your kids, get a DSLR. I went through a few compacts before I was tired of getting blurred pictures or dark pictures. There is a world of difference between the two types of cameras, but once you see the difference in quality, you will never go back to point and shoot.

Howard

http://www.noodlecup.com/?p=13

Kids are fast -- you'll want a camera with a short shutter lag.

Go over here: http://www.dpreview.com/

These guys test cameras for shutter response. Look through the reviews.

HTH.

V2K1