Choosing a replacement Digital Camera

• The baseline - Specs of current Kodak CX4200 camera:
         Specs
         2.0 megapixel
         No optical zoom whatsoever
         shutter lag: Crazy - can be up to 30 seconds between shots, if shots come in rapid succession.
         Weight (inc. batteries)          250 g (8.8 oz)
         Size  (WxHxD)    109 x 64 x 45 mm (4.3 x 2.5 x 1.6 in)
         Released: August 2002.

• What is good about current camera:
• Size & Weight (Do not really want anything much heavier or larger, as the current dimensions are about the max that can be carried in a ski jacket pocket, or in Bec's handbag; Any larger and we probably won't take it with us, which defeats the point of having a camera - I have a lovely old plain-film SLR that I don't use very much, for this reason)
  
• Things want from next camera (and are not good on current camera) :
  
• Motion blur compensation / image stabilization.
• Much faster response time / much less shutter lag.
• Better photos in low light.
• Zoom capacity (would like plenty of optical zoom, preferably 10 or 12x zoom; don't care about digital zoom, never use it).

Looked at the specs and reviews for the following cameras:

• Fuji Finepix S5600 (aka FinePix S5200 Zoom) -
         Cheapest price is around $409.
         Image stabilizer: No.
         5.1 megapixel
         10 x optical zoom
         weight = 371 grams, excluding batteries and XD memory card
         Dimensions      110 x  84  x 110 mm (4.4"w x 3.3"h x 4.4"d)  - very large camera, and heavy too.
   

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 -
         cheapest price is around $577.
         5.0 megapixel
         12x optical zoom
         Image stabilizer: Yes ("Mega O.I.S")
         Weight      326 g
         Size (WxHxD)     102 x 68 x 85 mm (4 x 2.7 x 3.3 in)   - Note width and height almost identical to current Kodak camera, but nearly twice as deep...
   

• Nikon Coolpix S4 -
         cheapest price is around $537.
         6.0 megapixel
         10 x optical zoom
         shutter lag: around 2 seconds without flash.
         Review.
         Image stabilizer: No.
         Weight      205 g
         Size (WxHxD)     112 x 69 x 37 mm (very good) Very good weight and dimensions; Uses a swivel lens to achieve this.
         Cons: Picture Quality, shutter lag, no image stabilizer.

• Konica Minolta's DiMAGE Z5
         cheapest price is around $695.
         5.2 megapixel
         12 x optical zoom
         shutter lag: around 1.5 seconds without flash.
         Review.
         Image stabilizer: Yes (Anti-shake)
         Weight      340 g (excluding batteries)
         Size (WxHxD)      108.5 x 80 x 84 mm  - Note width and height similar to current Kodak camera, but nearly twice as deep...; Quite heavy.
         See also: Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6 (6 Megapixel version of this camera - weight and size are the same)
   

• Canon's PowerShot S2 IS
         cheapest price is around $499.
         5.0 megapixel
         12 x optical zoom
         shutter lag: around 1.5 seconds without flash.
         Review.
         Image stabilizer: Yes
         Weight      405 g (excluding batteries)
         Size (WxHxD)      113 x 78 x 76 mm  - Note width and height similar to current Kodak camera, but nearly 1.5 times as deep...; Very heavy.  

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Digital Camera
         cheapest price is around $555.
         5.0 megapixel
         10 x optical zoom
         Reviews: None yet? Camera too new perhaps (released Feb 2006)
         Shutter lag: Unknown.
         Image stabilizer: Yes ("Mega O.I.S")
         Weight (inc. batteries)          250 g (8.8 oz)
         Size  (WxHxD)    112 x 58 x 40 mm  - very good dimensions and weight.
  
  
• Others that were rejected:
         Canon PowerShot S3 IS - too heavy (410 g)
         Fuji FinePix S9000 - no image stabilizer
         Kodak EasyShare P850 - too heavy (403 g), quite large
         Nikon Coolpix 8800 - insanely heavy (600 g), very large (116.8 x 83.8 x 121.9 mm)
         Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom - no image stabilizer
         Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 - insanely heavy (674 g)
         Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H2 - too heavy (438 g), quite large (109.2 x 81.3 x 91.4 mm)
   
•  One other possibility I haven't checked out yet:
• Kodak EasyShare Z612 - 300 g, 104.1 x 73.7 x 68.6 mm
  
  
• One web page I found particularly useful was the Digital Camera Timeline. This is because the newer models tend to have better zoom, and better LCDs, so start from the most current models, and work backwards. Also has list of specs on most digital cameras

• Summary:
• For me the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 Digital Camera looks like the best fit, although a few reviews plus some info about the shutter lag situation would be good.
• The Nikon Coolpix S4 is probably the runner up, because it lacks image stabilization.
• Next step would be to go to a store, and try taking some photos with top 3 or 4 choices.