Another one of those "what should I buy?" threads

[andrgo]

Edit .

[bascom]

How much zoom do you want? What size? Please fill out the questionaire.

[andrgo]

Budget
$300-$400 USD

Size
Probably bigger (I'm a "bigger is better" believer.)

Features
How many megapixels will suffice for you?
6+

* What optical zoom will you need?
I'm not too sure about the optical zoom...

* How important is “image quality” to you?
Very important, I'd say 7+ (on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best.)

Do you care for manual controls?
Yes, manual is just as good as digital I think.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Lots of nature/outdoors photos, as well as pictures of people and animals.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
I plan on doing a few poster-sized ones, yes.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Some indoors ones yes, and maybe a few low-light ones here and there.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
No, I don't plan on it.

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
I've had good experience with Canons and Sonys that I have owned/used. I've heard Nikons are good also. I just want a reputable name brand, not something unheard of or something known for problems.

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
Nope, that's why I need help selecting one.

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Maybe (and I stress 'maybe') weatherproof and wide-angle, otherwise those aren't very important factors.

[bascom]

For lots of nature/outdoors photos, I would think an ultrazoom would be best. Canon S3 and Sony H2 are good ones. The Fuji S6000 has wide angle but cost $500 now.

[andrgo]

I've been looking at the H2 and H5 right now. If I get the H5 instead of the H2, what will I gain? Would it be worth getting the H5 over the H2?

[Paul79UF]

I'm Canon biased....so I'd suggest a Canon S3 IS

[RichNY]

I've been looking at the H2 and H5 right now. If I get the H5 instead of the H2, what will I gain? Would it be worth getting the H5 over the H2?

The feature that you will most notice on the H5 is a better LCD screen which is really nice if you are going to have people wanting to look at your pictures after you snap them. If you are just taking pictures for yourself, the H2 screen is more than adequate and served me well this summer.

I'd probably recomment the Canon S3 IS though.

[andrgo]

Is the Canon S3 IS more similar to the H2 or the H5, or is it in-between?
Why do you guys like cannon better?

Thanks again for the help, I appreciate it.

[Militaris]

All three cameras are very similar there is not much between them. Often the deciding factor is on features such us memory card format, ergonomics and price.