Canon A540 or A630?

[LoveMD]

I have a budget of about $250 with which to buy a good all around digital camera. For my needs 5-8 mp is fine resolution. After reading up I have come down to either the A540 or 630, unless of course someone can change my thinking.

Most of my photos will be just general family/life pictures and some outdoor pictures...but mostly people shots. The 4x zoom is fine and I dont really have need for anything greater.

I believe the 630 is newer, but I was curious if there are any differences in terms of image quality or if newer is truly more advanced. I have heard two complaints about the 540 (LCD in sunlight, the lens sticks for some people, and flash recharge being slow). I guess the 630 with the rotating LCD might help in sun situations. Does it share the same lens sticking problem, is the flash recharge better?

I like that the 540 is smaller and uses less batteries, but I also like the 630's rotating LCD and the fact that its newer and possibly some problems the 540 has might be solved.....so I am stuck. Can anyone point me to a solution? I am will to consider other cameras if something performs better.

Thanks so much for any help.

[bascom]

A540
6MP
1/2.5" sensor
LCD with 85k pixels
Max. Aperture: F2.6 - F5.5
2 AA batts
smaller and lighter
$175-$200

A630
8MP
1/1.8" sensor
swivel LCD with 115k pixels
Max. Aperture: F2.8 - F4.1
4 AA batts
$275-$300

I haven't heard of any lens sticking problem with the A540. I think it uses the same lens and motor as the A630. And I don't think the A630 is more advanced because it uses the same preocessor. However, the A630 does have a slightly bigger sensor which should give better image quality, but looking at the galleries in the reviews here I don't see any difference. Also, the LCD of the A630 has more resolution so it's less prone to the sunlight problem of the A540. And the A630 flash recharge is better because it uses 4 AA's.

So is the better, swivel LCD, a bigger sensor and faster lens of the A630 worth the extra $100, or do you prefer the smaller size and lower cost of the A540? Personally, I'd lean towards the A630 but I can see why people would prefer the A540.

[LoveMD]

I appreciate your taking the time to help me out. I think having a better LCD and one that swivels (I go to concerts from time to time), as well as the better flash recharge and bigger sensor is worth the extra jack.

The only thing I liked the 540 for was its size, but i dont think the size difference will come into play too much for me.