Ultrazoom

[melside]

Budget
=> Max 300$

Size
=> Not so important. I don't want a DSLR and the smaller the better, but I'm not looking to fit it in my pocket!

Features
- megapixels
=> 6 and up

- optical zoom
=> 6x to 12x

- “image quality”
=> 9-10

- manual controls
=> definitely!

General Usage
- What will you generally use the camera for?
=> I'm an enthusiastic amateur, so a lot of stuff: landscapes, animals (wildlife), buildings, people, etc.

- 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?
=> Yes

- Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
=> Yes

Miscellaneous
- Are there particular brands you like or hate?
=> No

- Are there particular models you already have in mind?
=> I actually own a Canon Powershot A520 and I want to take it to the next level. I've looked for ultrazoom models (compact or not), and especially the new Fuji Finepix S1000fd, or the Kodak Easyshare Z812 IS. But I'm open to any model...

- Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
=> Optical Image Stabilization would be nice, wide angle a plus, good resolution for videos (ability to zoom during video not necessary but a definite plus), good countinuous shooting mode, fast startup.

Thanks!

[bascom]

Canon SX100 and Fuji S1000 seem like good small ultrazooms. But no ultrazoom will do great for a lot of low light and sports and/or action photos.

[melside]

Thanks bascom.

Is there anyone who owns a Fuji S1000 and could give his/her opinion on the absence of optical image stabilization?