Last year, I 'bit the bullet' and splashed out on a Canon EOS 5D
semi-pro model - on the basis that I didn't want to spend the next five
or ten years looking to upgrade cheaper DSLRs and losing money as I
went. A camera for life, you might say. And in most respects, the 5D is
exactly that. With its 24/105 lens it takes truly excellent photos that
can be printed up to A2 (or even bigger) at superb quality.

What I hadn't reckoned on was the time it takes to get the camera into
a shoot-ready state in anything other than full auto mode. Really, this
isn't camera that likes to be rushed and it can be rather unforgiving
if things aren't set up absolutely right. (Maybe all cameras of this
quality are similar in this regard - this is the first time I've used
one regularly).

The other main problem with the camera is its size and weight (- the
latter not being something I remember being mentioned in any of the
reviews I read). Really, a couple of hours with the EOS 5D round your
neck and you need to think about booking an appointment booked with a
chiropractor. On a recent holiday to the US, I actually left the camera
behind on several days because I couldn't face lugging it around - not
something I'd ever normally do.

In fact, I've had to face facts and acknowledge that since I bought the
camera, I'm actually missing a good percentage of the shots I'd have
normally taken,  simply because I can't get into a shoot-ready state
quickly enough - or worse (I'm ashamed to say) because I convince
myself that a particular shot probably won't be worth the effort.
Needless to say, this is very antithesis of what digital cameras are
all about.

All of which brings me to the point of this post... I'm looking to buy
a second camera, preferably a compact model of around 8 megapixels or
more. What I really need is arguably the very opposite of the EOS 5D -
a small, light model that is super-intelligent, ready to use in a
couple of seconds and can be relied upon to produce decent results
under most conditions. OK, it may not produce anything like the same
quality as the EOS 5D, but I figure that if it allows me to nail the
more 'opportunistic' shots that occasionally come along, that's better
than not getting the picture at all.

Does anybody have any advice on a suitable model to buy? I've looked
through all the camera mags, but the sheer breadth of choice gets
bewidering in this area of the market. I particularly like taking night
and low-light shots and would ideally like a model that would be able
to deal with this and not try to 'correct' the exposure or fail to auto
focus. As I say, the smarter the better...

Having spent so much on the 5D, I can't really justify spending a huge
amount, but I do want a camera that I can keep with at all times and
will produce decent results in most situations without me doing all the
thinking for it.

Any advice would be gratefully received...

Nige