Need help narrowing down a camera!

[ndagres]

There are so many options to chose from, I need help deciding what to buy as I know what I want but not sure which camera is best. i will basically make a decision based on the help and reviews I read here. I do not like red eye as most pics are of my family but would like to have a tool on the camera to reduce red eye if possible. Looking at mostly a canon, like a large lcd, video would be nice. Someone told me it is better to get a camera with AA batteries, is this true?

Budget

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

No more than $300

Size

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

Size not really an issue

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
I think no less than 6 (not sure)
* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)

I would like to zoom in on my kids- most pictures are family pics


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

10

Do you care for manual controls?
not really

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
pics of my kids/ family

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
not more 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?
not much
Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
Like Canon and Olympus

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
Like Canon and Olympus

Heard the Nikon is good, that the sony makes their lens

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

Image Stabalization would be nice
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[SpecialK]

If you really want to avoid red-eye, I would suggest a camera with a hot shoe that allows you to use an external flash. This will narrow down your choices dramatically.

[ndagres]

I would like to get some feedback if at all possbile

[zero_0_zero]

Based on your budget, your choices are:

Canon S3: 12x zoom, manual controls, image stabilization, AA batteries, swiveling screen, great movie mode. Excellent image quality (except at lowlight). $280

Kodak Z712: 12x zoom, manual controls, image stabilization, AA batteries. Good image quality (though poor lowlight performance). $200, cheapest on this list!

Fuji S6000: 10x zoom, manual controls, manual zoom, AA batteries, RAW support. Excellent lowlight performance, thanks to SuperCCD. $318, a bit above your price range.

[zero_0_zero]

Panasonic FZ8: 12x optical zoom, manual controls, image stabilization, good movie mode, RAW support. Excellent image quality, except in lowlight. $246

Kodak P850: 12x optical zoom, manual controls, image stabilization, RAW support, ultra-wide angle lens, hotshoe. Excellent image quality, except in lowlight. $225 (refurbished)