Just Can't Decide..Help Please!

[elwiedeeiaye]

Hello!
I bought a canon sd1000 today and already returned it. It wasn't all that i wanted..and I just didn't like the feel in my hands...and that's pretty important since in order to use it you need to be pretty comfortable with it in your grip.
So..I've narrowed my choices down to:
Canon sd850
Canon a720
(but if there's something better you'd like to reccomend that fits my buget and such..feel free to tell me about it)

Budget
<$300

Size

compact

Features

3x or more optical zoom
image quality is very important...9
manual controls...sure..but don't really need a bunch

General Usage

indoors, outdoors, sports, friends, family, pets, nature
i won't be making any huge prints
i will be shooting a lot of indoor pics


Miscellaneous

i like sony and canon the best..most familiar with them.
Image Stabilization is a must



bascally ive read hundreds of reviews and still can't decide. the sd850 is smaller and i've read it's fast between shots whereas the Canon a720 has been said to in nearly all reviews, to be very very slow (esp when using flash) and i take a lot of indoor shots. but in the a720's favor..it has 6x optical zoom.

I just can't decide! Please help with any opinions..experience..etc. I would really appreciate it!

[swpars]

bascally ive read hundreds of reviews and still can't decide. the sd850 is smaller and i've read it's fast between shots whereas the Canon a720 has been said to in nearly all reviews, to be very very slow (esp when using flash) and i take a lot of indoor shots. but in the a720's favor..it has 6x optical zoom.

I just can't decide! Please help with any opinions..experience..etc. I would really appreciate it!

Ask yourself how much you need that 6x zoom.

[David Metsky]

If you didn't like the SD1000, why do you think you'd like the SD850? They're essentially the same camera, with the SD850 having IS and a few more bells and whistles.

You can save a few bucks on the A570, similar to the A720 but 4x zoom.

[KCook]

I wus wondering the same thing as David about SD1000 vs SD850 :confused:

Assuming you don't require an optical viewfinder, also try the "feel" of some Fujifilm cameras. They do not seem to have made a wholesale conversion to ultracompact slimline designs. Yet.

Kelly Cook

[AndyfromVA]

The Panasonic TZ3 is a good all-purpose camera with a 10x optical zoom. It runs on a rechargeable lithium battery, has a 28 mm wide-angle lens and a 3 inch high rez LCD screen. It's well within your price range.