Stuck between two Canons

[jmac]

I am the current owner of a Fuji FinePix F10 and would like something with more zoom, more pixels, and less purple fringing (I get it far too often). I'm stuck between the Canon PowerShot A710 IS and the A570 IS. Both are good, except the 710 has 6x zoom while the 570 has 4x. What's really got me baffled is the image processor. DIGIC-II for the 710 and DIGIC-III for the 570. What's better? Any testimonials?

I already know which cameras I want, so I'm leaving off most of the questions in the sticky. Sorry guys.


Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? Would like 7+

What optical zoom will you need? I prefer the most zoom possible, without sacrificing quality. Because of this, Image Stabilization will be handy.

How important is “image quality” to you? No less than an 8.

Do you care for manual controls? I wish to be able to control some things manually, but for the most part, Auto works well for me.

General Usage

What will you generally use the camera for? Combo of indoor and outdoor people/pets/nature/sunrise/sunset/etc.

Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? I don't typically print photos but would like the option to, without too much NR grain or noise.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? I love night shots, so yes.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? Not too often, but there may be a time as my experience advances.

Miscellaneous

Are there particular models you already have in mind? Definitely. I am going to purchase either the PowerShot A710 IS or the A570 IS.


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

As a final note, I really wish the PowerShot A640 had IS, because from what I have seen it's a great camera. Shame.

[Turn]

bah megapixel this megapixel that

which camera has less noise
they both have Image stabilization, the A710 seems to have less noise, neither have flip out screen

the A570 only uses 2 batteries.

other than that I'd say A710 IS all the way
then again I did a quick read and wide angle? if your not zoomed in then its wide angle unless you want to get a lens for it

weather proof? must buy a case for it then :)

should read the review's for both and make your own judgement :)

[jmac]

[...]
other than that I'd say A710 IS all the way
then again I did a quick read and wide angle? if your not zoomed in then its wide angle unless you want to get a lens for it

weather proof? must buy a case for it then :)

should read the review's for both and make your own judgement :)

Actually, I have read the reviews. That's why I've posted here, to get others' opinions on which would be better suited for my needs/wants.

And sorry for my lack of deletion in the Misc. stuff. I really only need IS, not particularly the rotating LCD (though they are nice), nor the weather proof case/design.

[shahmatt]

If you like nightshots so much, you should be looking at some of Fuji's models rather than Canon, as Fuji's image sensors are much less noisier at higher ISO's.

Are you sure you need IS? IS would be useful only if your subject is still, as you will use a slow shutter speed. Subject movement will cause a blurry image.

[jmac]

The IS is nice for me, because I have a bit of a twitch while holding the camera. Many of my shots come out blurry when they should be perfectly sharp. Also, doesn't the IS help while in movie mode?

I do like the Fuji cameras...I'd stick with my F10, but I'm really wanting a bit more zoom and a lot less purple fringing -- those are really my only complaints about the F10.

Thank you for baring with me as I ramble on and try to narrow down my needs.

[Visual Reality]

The IS does help in movie mode. It basically prevents your sudden movements from being as "jarring" to the eye when watching the video. It sort of smoothes out your movements in real time, but not overly so.

[jmac]

Great, I was hoping it would help. One last question, though. What's the ado about the image processors?

Should I choose the newer A570 for its new image processor alone? Or, do the slightly less noisy and extra 2x zoom on the 710 make up for it?

I really do like these cameras and their quality. I'm almost too itchy on the buy button finger, though.