Digital cameras.. what's a good shutter speed?

i hate hate hate blurry pics.. so whenever i check out a camera i always look at the shutter speed.. problem is, i dont really know wat 1/1000 means.. is it better than 8/1000 or i dont know... any insights? thanks! and another thing... any suggestions on a good point and shoot camera? i love compact cameras... with big lcd screens. :) thanks!

Well this is kind of complicated. Yes, a slower shutter does mean its easier to be blurred, but a faster shutter speed doesnt necessarrily solve the problem. Ok well it does, but it creates another problem, which is exposure. A faster shutter speed reduces light, making a darker picture, which means you have to compensate by opening up the iris or adjusting the ISO levels. On most consumer models, this is done automatically, shutter speed as well, and most consumer cams dont have a lot of low F numbers. A lower F number allows more light in, which means that if the iris is wide open and its still not bright enough, the camera adjusts the shutter speed and makes it slower to get a good exposure. And a slower shutter speed will create... blurry pictures. So the solution to this isnt to get a camera with faster shutter speeds. Its to get a camera with lower F numbers (but usually this isnt displayed), or more commonly, a larger sensor, and higher ISO settings for the sensor (although this will reduce quality), and look for optical image stabilization. If the sensor can get a lot of light in, it will automatically reduce the shutter, or you can set it yourself so that it is a good exposure even at higher speeds. Im not too familiar with still camera because Im more familiar with video cameras, but I own a canon digital IXUS 800, which I got on vacation. Its the equivalent of a powershot SD700. Its a really good consumer cam, with a huge 2.5 inch lcd screen, and optical stabilization as well. Hope this helps!

Sony

About the fastest shutter speed you will ever get in a consumer product is 1/4000. The bigger the number on the right, the faster the shutter. Typical shutter speeds are, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000.
If you are wanting to stop motion, consider using your flash.
There are many drawbacks to using a high shutter speed.
1) you will most like have to use a low f/stop setting such as 1.4, 2.8 or 3.5. this allows more light to the CCD.
2) low f/stops means short depth of field. pretty much only what you are focused on will be in focus. The background and foreground will be blurry. Unless the subject is quite a distance from you.
tc

Blurry pics can also be because of slight camera shakes when the picture is taken....You might also want to check out some camera's that has a built in image stabilizer. Canon has quite few compact models which are excellent....The Canon SD700 has an image stabilizer built in.........other models to consider are canon sd600 and sd630.