Looking for a Point & Shoot with good zoom capability

[jsnowash]

Hi, we're looking for our first digital camera. Ideally, we would like something with decent image quality, good zoom capability, and some manual control options. Below are my questions to the questionairre.

Thanks!

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Budget

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

< $500

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?

Probably looking for a point & shoot, but doesn't need to be super small.

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? 6 - 8 is probably fine for us.

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify) Zoom is a high priority, something between 6X - 12X

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10) 8

Do you care for manual controls? Some manual controls would be good.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

Mostly snapshots. Some likely to be action shots.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? Probably not.

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

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

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

Models we've considered: Canon A710IS, Canon SD, or waiting for new Canon models, A650IS, A720IS or SX1000. Have not checked into other brands yet.

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

Woud prefer Image Stabilization with high zoom.

[griptape]

The Canon G7 or G9 would be another good option to add to your list. Full manual control, 6x zoom, image stabilization, great image quality, and smaller than a super zoom. It is more expensive than the models you listed though.

[David Metsky]

I assume you meant Canon S3 or S5, not SD. The SD-series are ultracompacts with less zoom then you are looking for.

How are you going to be using this camera? Are you trying to take action pictures of players on the court? Or of the kids running around the backyard?

[jsnowash]

Yes, sorry.... I mis-typed. I meant S5, thought S3 might be a possibility too.

To answer your question, "action" photos are more likely to be of kids running around in the yard than on the court.

[David Metsky]

I think that the A720 or the A650 would be the right choices. They're smaller and less complex/confusing then the S3/5, but have good zoom, IS, and take nice shots (or should, they haven't been reviewed yet). The A710 or A630 would also do pretty well if you wanted to save some money.

I would go pick them up in a store and see about the size before you buy. I have found that you tend to carry and therefore use a smaller camera more often. The A720 is a nice size for the features.

-dave-

[bascom]

I agree Canon A720 or A650 sound best, but SX100 may be good, too. Do you need a viewfinder? Swivel LCD? 6x or 10x zoom?

[jsnowash]

Swivel LCD is a nice touch, but not really a necessity as far as I'm concerned. I think I would prefer a longer zoom, but 6X might be long enough, especially if the 10X zoom will cause problems with closer, wider shots. I don't have enough experience with ditital cameras to say whether lack of a viewfinder is an issue for me or not... I went and looked at an S5 the other day. It has a lot of features I like, but it may be just a little bulkier than what I was hoping for. The A720 & SX100 look interesting at this point, but I seem to change my mind daily. I may just have to wait and see what the reviews have to say... Any guess when we might start to see some?

[kristal]

May I jump in here? It seems you are looking for much the same type of camera I am. I currently have a Kodak Z700, which is fine for most situations, but am ready to upgrade. I also want to stay within a similar budget and want something with better optical zoom capability.

I want to learn more about photography, but am in no position to make the leap to a DSLR, let alone figure it out. I just want to take nice pictures of family, scenery, and my flowers, and be able to experiment. I will not be making enlargements, but do like to be able to crop without sacrificing quality. I also want to be able to take indoor photos in poor lighting, for example, in church or at kids' school programs and birthday parties. My current Kodak is awful at this, and if I knew how to adjust it, maybe it would get better.

I am considering the Kodak Z812 with 8mp and 12x optical zoom. I like the ease of use use with my current camera, and this one has many more features and benefits, such as Image Stabilization (critical for me), face recognition, ability to attach lenses, and the ability to convert video images to still. I don't think the 8mp is necessary, but don't know how to get more optical zoom without also increasing the mp.

I am also interested in the Canon S3 that you mentioned. The reviews for Canon are much more favorable than for Kodak. I have read in many forums that the S5 has a few more features than the S3, but also dropped some features to keep the price down. If I were to go Canon, I think it would be S3.

I've looked into Nikon as well, but am not sure they offer what I need at a price I can afford.

I hope you get some more input here, so I can make up my mind someday, too.