looking for a camera

[KristinaJoy]

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible. somewhere around $200. Very maximum would be $300. But would prefer to stick closer to the $200.

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you? I'd prefer something not too big...

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? I'm not really certain about the megapixels.

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify) 6x or more. Probably more.

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

Do you care for manual controls? yes

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for? taking pictures at places I visit

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? no

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? no

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? not really

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate? no

Are there particular models you already have in mind? possibly the Panasonic Lumix FZ7? I also looked at the Kodak Z710 or Z712.

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

[John_Reed]

Or you might consider the newer FZ8, which seems to be priced under your budget, at least according to Pricegrabber. (http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=48/form_keyword=dmc+fz7/mode=g_us_b_s/skd=1/rd=1) Good luck with your choice!

[Kenen]

I'd say the FZ7 would probably be pretty good. It has to closest price to $200 of the ultrazooms, that I know of anyway. It is at least $50 cheaper than the Canon S3...
You should try and get a chance to go to a camera shop and take a look at the FZ7 before you order anything though...

[KristinaJoy]

Oh, and possibly the Canon Powershot A710 as well...