Point and Shoot with wide angle lens (28mm min), optical or electronicviewfinder, image-stabilization, and support for external flash (hot shoeor wireless)

My Realtor® brother-in-law called me for help choosing a camera that
will primarily be used for photographing houses that he has listed.

His basic requirements a

a) Image stabilization
b) Wide angle lens (start at 28mm)
c) External flash available (hot shoe or wireless)
d) Relatively small (no ZLR)

Preferred
a) Optical viewfinder
b) Li-Ion battery

He doesn't need super-high resolution, as mostly these will be posted on
his web site, or used in flyers.

After searching, the only model I could come up with _one_ model that
met even his basic requirements, the soon to be discontinued Canon SD800
IS, but surely there must be more.

SMS ???. ? wrote:
My Realtor® brother-in-law called me for help choosing a camera that
will primarily be used for photographing houses that he has listed.

His basic requirements a

a) Image stabilization
b) Wide angle lens (start at 28mm)
c) External flash available (hot shoe or wireless)
d) Relatively small (no ZLR)

Preferred
a) Optical viewfinder
b) Li-Ion battery

He doesn't need super-high resolution, as mostly these will be posted
on his web site, or used in flyers.

After searching, the only model I could come up with _one_ model that
met even his basic requirements, the soon to be discontinued Canon
SD800 IS, but surely there must be more.

I have this model:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz3/

Compact, with a 28 - 280mm image-stabilised Leica lens, Li-ion battery.
You could probably use slave flash, but I've not tested that.

David J Taylor wrote:

snip

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz3/

Compact, with a 28 - 280mm image-stabilised Leica lens, Li-ion battery.
You could probably use slave flash, but I've not tested that.

I guess there's nothing special about the Canon HF-DC1 that specifically
makes it better for the Powershot's than any generic external wireless
flash would work with any P&S camera, it just ignores the pre-flash.

The only minus on the Panasonic seems to be the lack of an optical
viewfinder, but that seems to be a compromise that will have to be made
very soon as they are disappearing from most ultra-compacts.

On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:59:05 -0800, SMS ???• ?
wrote:

David J Taylor wrote:

snip

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz3/

Compact, with a 28 - 280mm image-stabilised Leica lens, Li-ion battery.
You could probably use slave flash, but I've not tested that.

I guess there's nothing special about the Canon HF-DC1 that specifically
makes it better for the Powershot's than any generic external wireless
flash would work with any P&S camera, it just ignores the pre-flash.

The only minus on the Panasonic seems to be the lack of an optical
viewfinder, but that seems to be a compromise that will have to be made
very soon as they are disappearing from most ultra-compacts.

One of the Ricoh's might suit. Gx100?

On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:59:05 -0800, SMS ???• ? wrote:

I guess there's nothing special about the Canon HF-DC1 that specifically
makes it better for the Powershot's than any generic external wireless
flash would work with any P&S camera, it just ignores the pre-flash.

Wrong! (probably) Canon's HF-DC1 works with many, but not even
all of Canon's Powershot models, possibly because the HF-DC1 may
only be compatible with cameras having preflash delays within a
narrow band of time. That doesn't necessarily make it better, but
it sure can make it worse. Metz's external wireless flashes (and
possibly other brands) have user adjustable delays for cameras that
have extremely short or long pre-flash delays that makes them
impossible to use with some non-adjustable OEM external wireless
flashes. B&H has sold several models. One is/was Metz's Mecablitz
28 CS-2 digital.