Can't decide which ultracompact I want!

[PJS32000]

I will mostly be taking photos of landmarks/sights when travelling, people at gatherings, and periodically will shoot sporting events from the stands. This will be my first ever digital camera so I'm doing lots of research.

I'm looking at several models but having a hard time choosing:

Canon SD700IS
- Probably my favorite but also the most expensive.
- Optical viewfinder, IS, 4x zoom among favorite features.
- Wish it had battery meter on LCD.

Fuji F30
- Small enough to fit in pocket? Haven't seen this one in person yet
- No image stabilizer concerns me for sports photos.
- Uses xD cards which I hear are more expensive, haven't researched that yet.

Casio EX-Z850
- Love the movie compression, would use it for sporting events.
- Bad lowlight image quality.
- Again, no image stabilizer.

Panasonic FX01 (also considering waiting for FX07 or FX50)
- Seems like a great value.
- Haven't heard many reviews regarding photo quality.
- Wide angle zoom, widescreen movie format is cool.

Panasonic TZ1
- 10x would be great for sporting events.
- Bigger than others I'm looking at.
- Lens cap, ugh.

[bascom]

Your lists looks like good choices. You'll have to decide among those. What about the Canon A700 and Sony W50? A few thoughts:

Canon SD700IS
-Nice but poor battery life

Fuji F30
- Small enough to fit in pocket?
Yes but don't bend it or scratch the LCD.

- No image stabilizer concerns me for sports photos.
IS may not help with sports photos. I think high ISO matters more and the F30 has that.

- Uses xD cards which I hear are more expensive
Yes they cost a bit more than SD.

Casio EX-Z850
- Love the movie compression, would use it for sporting events.
I don't think it saves a lot of space.

Panasonic FX01 (also considering waiting for FX07 or FX50)
- Haven't heard many reviews regarding photo quality.
In general, Pana's have noise.

Panasonic TZ1
- 10x would be great for sporting events.
Yes. But in general, Pana's have noise.

[Nesster]

Panas do have noise but it's not the issue in real life that many make it out to be - go look e.g. on www.pbase.com where they have a 'camera database'; you can check out what kinds of photos ordinary people are putting up by camera model, and there's EXIF data too.

Battery life for me is important - of the cameras you list the Panasonic, the Casio and the Fuji have the longest lasting batteries (probaby in inverse order of my list).

I have a F10 and daughter has the FX8. The FX8 is noticeably smaller and easier to pocket, and it's bult like a gem too. When I tried out the FX01 I found more of the same, if anything it's even silkier. And the wide angle is a real boon (though: as macro is best at wide angle, do you give up something with the '01?) I'd travel happily with the FX8; the OIS works really well! Panasonic does color well (and I like the image processing): a bit warm and a bit saturated.

I do put my F10 in my pocket... or rather, I wear shorts with large pockets :D but it's not HUGE. Apparently the F30 screen's not as well shielded as the F10's. The high ISO capability is all it's advertised as. However I do miss OIS, as I find many of my off the cuff photos are a bit blurry (not holding the camera to eye...) The macro works great, the exposure's spot on usually, and Fuji does things with sharpening that really brings out every hair... the downside is that the bokeh also ends up being kinda sharp/busy, compared to the Pana. The F10 has a bit of problem with reds, ie. red flower on green leaves blows out easily. Otherwise the color balance is cooler than Pana, and less saturated. Sometimes you can see the pixel/noise lining up with the Fuji (but then, without flash, you'd see darkness and blotches only with the Pana)...

A brief play with the TZ1 was fun, I'd love to have that camera, but you are right: it's more of a carry-a-bag kind of camera than the others. Casio has advantages but for my eyes: I don't like its processing, I get an uneasy sensation looking at many of the Casio images on pbase. Plus Casio doesn't do macro as well as the others. Canon, I reject on the base of battery life, though I love the photo quality.

So I'd stick with either the Fuji or the Pana... Fuji with higher ISO can stop action and minimze camera shake. Pana OIS definitely is a huge PLUS in everyday shooting, makes real life resolution easier to achieve, but won't stop action the way Fuji may. I think of the Fuji as a sports car and the Pana as a sporty near-lux sedan. On a daily basis, I think I'd prefer the Pana, but then I think of all the situations where I appreciate the Fuji's ISO speed.

Hope this helps.

[BonjiB]

Tz1 all the way. I know it's "noisier" but for what it is it's a steal. 10x optical zoom with image stabilization in a compact camera for under 300 bucks. MOST people don't print pictures bigger than 5x7 and MOST of those pictures are 4x6 anyways. Noise doesn't manifest itself unless you get into enlarging. I don't know if you'll ever do a 20x30 print or not but if you don't think you'll ever go above 8.5x11 then the tz1 is a GREAT consumer camera. Iso 400 is noisier than some of the competition but cmon now, when are you going to notice noise on a 4x6 print of your grandmother blowing the candles out of her 80th birthday cake? (and yes, photography is about PRINTING the images not viewing them at 100% on a monitor and going "that's noisy.") It also HAS an iso 800 which does 4x6's very well when most point and shoots can't even say they have iso 800. Assess your needs and purchase accordingly. That 10x optical zoom is a godsent. It's like taking 30 or 40 steps towards your subject without getting off your butt. Even with my 20d MOST of my prints are 4x6 or 8.5x11. If you don't require more than that the tz1 is fantastic.

[JMBZ71]

Got to go with BonjiB and the TZ1. Hard to argue with 10X o/z and IS! If your primary concern is shirt-pocket portability, then the SD700IS or one of the others might be a better choice for you, but the TZ1 will fit in any coat pocket, golf bag or hunting/fishing vest. For outdoorsmen, sportsfans or travelers, the TZ1 has some great features at a street price of $300-$350.

JMBZ71

[PJS32000]

Thanks for the help guys. I just decided to go with my gut and get the Canon, even though it's the most expensive. The battery life isn't really a concern for me, I don't plan on taking hundreds of photos without being able to recharge and I think their pics look the best of the group. I ordered one from Dell for just over $400 with some coupons. I also ponied up and got a 2GB 150x SD card for about $33 after rebates and a $7 portable card reader.

If you have suggestions for small camera cases and LCD protectors I'm all ears. For the LCD, I'm looking at:

http://www.shieldzone.com/
http://www.daproducts.com/ - Better protection but I don't know if I like the idea of gluing anything to the camera.

As for cases I'm still pretty lost.

[blackpete]

Thanks for the help guys. I just decided to go with my gut and get the Canon, even though it's the most expensive. The battery life isn't really a concern for me, I don't plan on taking hundreds of photos without being able to recharge and I think their pics look the best of the group. I ordered one from Dell for just over $400 with some coupons. I also ponied up and got a 2GB 150x SD card for about $33 after rebates and a $7 portable card reader.

If you have suggestions for small camera cases and LCD protectors I'm all ears. For the LCD, I'm looking at:

http://www.shieldzone.com/
http://www.daproducts.com/ - Better protection but I don't know if I like the idea of gluing anything to the camera.

As for cases I'm still pretty lost.
You have chosen wisely,as regards the number of shots per charge,I prefer to use the viewfinder anyway,you soon get used to the small size and it then produces around 700 shots p/charge,way more than anything else out there.