Digital Home Thoughts: Thirty Photos a Second with a Compact Digicam?

"Micron Technology is coming out with an imaging chip for compact digital cameras next year that will let amateurs maniacally click away like Austin Powers. The Boise, Idaho-based chipmaker has come up with an 8-megapixel silicon imager for compact cameras that will allow cameras to shoot 10 8-megapixel pictures a second or 30 2-megapixel shots a second. If camera makers adopt the chip, consumers will be able to capture those '60s-style photo montages made famous in "A Hard Day's Night." The chip will also be capable of capturing video in the 720p format, which is the entry-level version of high definition. Many current compact and even single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras do not provide this capability. Most cameras can take two to four shots a second at maximum resolution or 10 shots at lower resolution. Most also capture video at the 480-by-640 pixel resolution."

OK, when I can get a point and shoot that can record 720p, I may just have to break down and replace my main camera. I've always been a 'prosumer' point and shoot kind of guy; I've never felt the need for a DSLR, and this is a feature you're not likely to see on a DSLR anytime soon. 10 full-res pics a second would be nice too, though only marginally useful for me. The only time I really use the burst mode on my camera is when I'm having trouble holding the camera steady. Taking a number of pics in a row usually ensures that one of them isn't blurry. :? Expect to start seeing cameras with this 8-megapixel chip (and others like it) around this time next year.