[rob_brum]

Im looking for a new camera and looking at spending £300.

My shortlist currently is....

Ricoh GR Digital II
Ricoh CX2
Panasonic TZ7
Fuji Finepix F200 EXR

Im a complete newbie so it will prob just be point and click pics of my young son to start with, and then i might progress from there.

Any comments on the above list, or others cameras to think about?

Regards
Rob

[klythawk]

I'm a novice like yourself but chose the TZ7. I really like it, takes great pics using the Intelligent Auto setting, also plenty of different scene modes to help you along. Also it has a fantastic video mode, very simple to use, ideal for some short HD video clips of your son. Best advice i can give is demo all of them but i'm sure you'll like the Panasonic, it's great.

[SPRINGERS]

Dont forget the Panasonic LX3, ideal for landscapes, parties or any social event where you need a wide angle and large aperture lens. Also has a larger image sensor than all of the cameras that you have mentioned and should hold its value better! I hope this helps.

[Strobe]

They are all well reviewed cameras, and, as I recall, the CX2 and F200 EXR have this new fangled pseudo-HDR thing which is all the rage with posh compacts these days.

One thing I would say is that you are not comparing like for like models; for instance, the TZ7 has a 12x zoom and the GRD2 has a fixed 28mm fixed lens.
The GRD2 is also quite long in the tooth now.

I would second the LX3, and add the new S90 to your list if you can stretch the budget. Out of the 4 listed, the new Rioch CX2 does look seriously good.

[rob_brum]

Thanks for the comments so far,

I think i have narrowed it down to either the Ricoh CX2 or the LX3.

Any comments on these 2 will be appreciated, and ill do some reading up over the weekend.

Regards
Rob