which camera to buy

[thoughtful]

I am just looking for a good camera that I can use to take pictures of my friends and the places that I travel. I want something that is easy to use but that has great quality that I can email or print pictures and possibly have them enlarged and framed if they are good. I want it to be small, but am willing to get something a little bigger for the quality. Thank you in advance.

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? I would like to keep it under $400

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
I would like a small camera, preferably one that I could fit in my pocket and easily carry with me.

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
I would like something in the 5-7 megapixel range.

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)
I think standard zoom is all I would need, but more zoom would be better than less.

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
Very important, 9

Do you care for manual controls?
If they are easy to use. I would like to have at least some options but don't need the most high tech or advanced camera.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
I do a lot of traveling and would use it for that. Also I fly helicopters and would use it for pictures when I'm flying. Just need something for everday pictures of people, places, etc.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
If they are good pictures then I might.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Probably some low light and indoor group shots of people.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Some pictures at baseball games, but not a lot.

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
I had a Nikon Coolpix 775 and really liked it, but gave it to my parents and am looking for something smaller and slightly more advanced. Really liked the Nikon.

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
Been trying to find out about the Nikon Coolpix 7900 and the Coolpix S1, but am open to anything at this point.

[PhilR.]

The S1 is a cool little camera, but there is a trade-off when you go with an ultra-compact. One thing is image quality, and since this is a big thing for you, I doubt that any of the UC's will give you satisfactory images. Therefore, I think you would be better off with a compact such as the 7900, or other good compact, of which there must be about a hundred or so.

There is the slightly less expensive Sony P150/200 to consider, as well as the very interesting but more expensive Pentax Optio 750Z, which has more zoom, manual exposure modes, and an articulating lcd. A slighly larger camera is the Canon A95, which will give you an image about as good as you could expect, and has a full set of features for under $300.

In case you didn't know, there is a 5mp version of the 7900, called the 5900. If I were operating with a $400 budget, I would go with either the 5900 or the Sony, and have some money left over for an extra battery and larger memory card. In the end though, you won't go wrong with a Nikon...

PhilR.