[supercat]

Digital slr are coming down in price and that will solve the "slowness" problem. I could see them as low as $500 in the next couple of years.

A bit out of my price range. And I don't know why digital SLR's would be faster than any other sort of digital camera.

Do you know of any reviews that give side-by-side speed-related specs for different cameras? DPREVIEW.COM does include very nice detailed speed reports for each camera, but doesn't seem to include that data in the side-by-side comparisons.

[cupcakes]

I don't have comparison sites, but trust me supercat, the SLR makes a big difference. I used to hate the slowness as well and hubby had to convince me of the difference in picture taking. I just picked our camera up and it took a picture with enough light instantaneously if focused. In the dark, it took it after a couple flashes to throw light in. It is definitely comparable to a camera that uses film in regards to how quickly it takes the pictures.