so unsure - what do you all think?

[cookingbrat]

I want to get a new digital camera but there are so many to chose from and the info is all so confusing. Was hoping you all could point me in a direction. I would like to keep the price around $300, have something fairly compact so that i can keep it in my purse, and to be able to use it at my little one's soccer games and events. The problem with the camera that I currently have (an older kodak easy share) is that the zoom does not get me remotely close to getting a pic of him while playing and also if he moves at all the pic is completely blurred. Any suggestions?? Any input would be greatly appreciated!!!!!

[cookingbrat]

Budget

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

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you? rather compact but not at the total expense of quality

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? not sure - good, whatever that is

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify) I would like to have zoom that is rather good in quality to capture the kids at a distance in school and sporting events

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

Do you care for manual controls? doest matter

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?kids events, vacations

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? no

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? outdoor mostly but my home lighting is poor and it will be used there as well on holidays etc

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

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate? just want a good camera

Are there particular models you already have in mind? sony cyber shot? Canon power shot? doesnt really matter

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
not particularly worried about any of these specific things

[AndyfromVA]

I recommend the Panasonic TZ5. Amazon has it on sale for $279. It's got a long optical zoom and takes good looking shots. It's not an ultracompact but it will fit into a purse.

[KCook]

The Canon A720 is easy to find for under $200, and sports an optical viewfinder -

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=1082

Kelly Cook

[pas49ras]

I would look at the TZ-5 as Andy recommended, you will like its long zoom.