Which one...

[smudgerooo]

I am looking to buy a compact 'ish' camera that i can use for general use.
I go to a couple of air shows a year and would like to get some half decent shots of the aircraft flying using the same camera.
Would the following super zoom compact cameras be any good for capturing some good shots at the shows or would i be wasting my time?

I currently just get some shots of the aircraft on the ground but would love to get some action shots also... I take a lot of scenery as well, as i travel to Scotland 5 or 6 times a year so i would want a camera that would be good for this sort of thing also...


Canon Powershot S5 is
Panasonic FZ18
Olympus sp560

If you have any suggestions opinions they would be great to hear. :)

[smudgerooo]

Budget

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

Size

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

A compact'ish size not as big as an SLR and i wouldnt want to carry a large bag around just for the camera.

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?

Enough to get a good quality image at A4 size.

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

Ultra zoom

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

8

Do you care for manual controls?

Some manual controls but would like the option to shoot totaly auto and still get a relatively good image.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

I take a lot of scenery pictures in Scotland.

I would also like to use the camera at the 3 or 4 airshows i go to a year.

General family snap shots.* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?

I possibly would if i got a really good shot. But dont think i would generally print at any more than A4 size

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

Most of the shots would be taken during good light conditions.Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

I will be using the camera at air shows and some motor racing events.Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?

No

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

Panasonic FZ18

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

Wide Angle, Image Stabilization and a good zoom or enough megapixels to be able to crop an image. I would also insist on a view finder as i cant seem to get good shots when just using the LCD screen.

-----------------------------------------

[TheWengler]

Both the FZ18 and the S3 seem to be good choices for you. On the FZ18 you get wide angle and on the S3 you get a rotating LCD. I don't know too much about the differences for video between the two but it's probably something worth considering in your decision.

Edit: Also, these cameras aren't really considered compact.

[David Metsky]

No ultrazoom has a "true" optical viewfinder. They all have electronic viewfinders which are essentially small LCDs that operate off the CCD. They're not as good as a real optical view finder, but there doesn't seem to be too much difference between them.

I'm not sure about the Panasonic but you can buy add on conversion lenses for the S3/S5 which will give you more zoom. You could use them for the airshows and take them off for regular use.