In Search of New Camera

[Sandbob]

Budget

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

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you? I want something small to fit in purse.

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? 4-5+

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify) standard

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10) 7

Do you care for manual controls? Want something easy to operate

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for? g'kids, vacation, holidays

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? Not larger than 8x10

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? yes

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? Some

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate? Worried about E18 on Canon

Are there particular models you already have in mind? Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD) Image stabilization would be good, but not crucial

I have posted before and had decided on either Sony W70 or Canon SD 600. Have reservations about Sony due to screen cracking problems, so had pretty much decided to buy the SD 600 until I read today about E18 problems. I don't want to take that chance. Please help as I need the camera by Wednesday for g'sons Christmas pageant. I have a Canon Power Shot G-2, but find it too big, and want a second point and shoot that is a more flexible size. I also want something that doesn't have a delay between pics.

[flippedgazelle]

E18 problems are, I think, a thing of the past. I've had 2 Canons are the past 2 years (A85, A620) and both have operated flawlessly. I also know a couple of people who have Elphs with zero issues.

I've had the Kodak C875 for a few days, and I am impressed, with the exception of poor battery life. Of course, you can also buy the dock for it, which gives the camera a place to "live", recharges the batteries, and transfers images to your PC. The C875 is easy to use, plenty of scene modes, very punchy color. I got mine from Staples for $176 w/512mb SD card. Good deal there.

Depending on the kind of picture, there will always be a delay between pics, except in burst mode. Some cameras are worse than others. The Canon A710IS is a very fine compact camera, but has a 3-5 sec. delay in pictures taken with flash. It does feature image stabilization and a nice 6x zoom lens. The Fuji F30 is a great, too, but from what I have read, you have to be willing to use some of the manual modes to get the most out of it.