To ultrazoom or not: S5200, FZ7, A620, A540?

[jmd18]

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
$300

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
Size does not matter.

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
5Mpx

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)
Would *love* ultrazoom, but I don't think my budget will allow it especially if image stabilization is strongly recommended for an ultrazoom. Something between 3x and 10x would be good, again, if I can get away without having image stabilization.

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

Do you care for manual controls?
Yes, I would like a digital camera that I can "grow into" as I learn about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, exposure, etc. I've always wanted to learn about photography, and I like the instant feedback of digital.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Nature photos (most of the time), portraits (most-some of the time), sporting events and concerts (some of the time), social gatherings (some of the time).

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
No bigger than 8x10, if I develop skills to take photos worthy of putting on display.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Not many indoor or night photos,but it would be nice to attach camera to telescope to photograph celestial bodies...but that would be rare since I don't have a telescope now.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Yes, some of the time.

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
I've heard good things about Panasonic and Canon. I have an unexplainable aversion to Sony...for no particular reason.

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
* Fuji S5200 (concerned about lack of image stabilization and I probably won't be able to use a tripod in many situations; I wonder if Fuji will update this camera in a few months)

* Panasonic FZ7 (concerned about "noise"; out of my price range for now)

* Canon 620/540 (no long zoom)

* Canon S2IS

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Image Stabilization would be nice.

Thanks!

[JTL]

Don't worry, be happy...:)

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?omid=122&ref=pricegrabber&utm_source=PriceGrabber&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CNPSS2&sku=CNPSS2

[John_Reed]

At $303.00, not far over your "ceiling," and a helluva camera to boot, with manual controls for every function including focus. Butterfly Photo (http://www2.butterflyphoto.com/shop/product.aspx?ref=pricegrabber&sku=DMCFZ7S) offers them at that price. Check it out?

[AlexMonro]

The Fuji doesn't have IS, but the higher ISO sensitivity (with relatively low noise) might allow the use of a faster shutter speed, which not only serves a similar purpose to IS in reducing camera shake, but also helps freeze the motion of a moving subject, so reducing motion blur. The S5200 only came out last October, so I don't think it'll be superceded for a while.

However, the FZ7 has faster autofocus, which can be helpful for action shots, and can push the ISO to 1600 at lower resolution, which would probably still be adequate for medium sized prints.

[jmd18]

Thanks! I didn't know that the Panasonic was around $300. I suppose I should get my hands on each of them--S5200, S2IS, and FZ7--and try them out. It's going to be a tough decision! The S2IS and FZ7 are tied with S5200 a close second.