A D2X with a f-1.2 lens will certainly focus a lot faster and more positively than any compact - it also costs ten times as much. However in many cases, low light focus speed is not much of an issue, as long as it does not lock up the camera until it decides it is in focus, before tripping the shutter.
These are tiny sensors and very short focal length lenses, even compared to 35mm. With large format cameras, we routinely shoot at stops of f-22 to f-64, and some lenses even have f-128. We do this just to get usable depth of field with these very large lenses.
When shrunk to compact digital size, the problem becomes being able to blur ANYTHING! For someone used to isolating a head in a crowd via a long lens and large aperture, it is a bit discouraging to find everything from the dust on the front element to the horizon sharp and clear.
My CP8400 allows me to over-ride the auto-focus, and it will take a shot every time I press the shutter release whether it thinks it is in focus or not. I don't recall every having an out of focus picture with either of the two preceeding cameras either - a CP990 and CP5000. I simply rely upon the extreme depth of field.
I have had many people send me shots where the user blamed the camera for lack of focus - specially the CP5700. In every case it was a matter of camera movement.
With their tiny size and minimal mass - well under 200 grams in this case - it is very difficult to hold these cameras still at low shutter speeds. Even your pulse can generate motion blur. Of course there is almost always something to rest the camera on, or steady your hand, but it does not occur to most to do so. It seems a bit counter to put a minute camera on a huge tripod, but that is the best solution.
Coolpix cameras do have a unique feature that really helps - Best Shot Selector. It is of no use for decisive moment photography, but can be a real picture-saver in other situations. It shoots a burst of up to ten shots, compares edge contrast and picks the sharpest. It really works. I recently did a series of street and interior shots in low light using ISO50 for maximum quality. Shutter speeds were very low and people were walking through the scenes. Very few images needed to be deleted due to motion blur.
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I might add that even at the telephoto end of the zoom, depth of field covered any focusing errors. I simply ignored it. At the wide angle end, depth of field is enormous. See "From Pansy to Infinity" well down the page at
http://www.larry-bolch.com/ephemeral/
This was using the wide angle component with the old CP5000, and you will see that everything from a flower about an inch and a half from the lens to the trees in the background is tack sharp.
The best way to shop for one of these cameras is in person - hands on in a camera store. Most of the complaints I have read in the forums could have been avoided had the buyer actually handled and compared cameras. Buying on line may save a little money, but the cost in frustration can more than nullify the savings.
The CP7900 and its competitors are good cameras, but some may fit your hands and way of working better. The user interface is far more important than low light focusing speed. Can you learn the camera in a couple of hours with manual and camera in hand, or is it going to take days of practice and reading? Are the controls convenient, do they lend themselves to being accidentally changed? Do they have so much fail-safe protect-you-from-yourself that the camera becomes a real hassle to use?
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