Help with camera selection.

[VBostn1]

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible. - $150-225.

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
I'm looking for a compact or subcompact

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? 7 -8 megapixels

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

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

Do you care for manual controls? yes

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for? indoors - people, some landscapes

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? - maybe 8 by 10inches

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? maybe 50%

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? not a lot

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate? like canon & nikon
Are there particular models you already have in mind? Canon powershot 720 / Canon pwershot 590 . Really looking for high quality image.

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

would like image stablization

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[David Metsky]

You've identified 2 of the three models that are under $200, have manual controls, and have IS. The last is the Panasonic LZ8. Slightly more expensive (if you find a good deal) are the Canon SX100, Nikon P60, and Fuji F50.

Of those I like the A720, but I'd also like to look at the P60 - I haven't seen reviews of it yet. The A720 is a solid choice.

[westslope]

Received an A720 the other day. So far looks rather solid and takes good images. It is slightly smaller and more compact than the 4-AA battery carrying A610 that it replaces.

[VBostn1]

Thanks for the help. How would you compare the image quality of the canon sx100 to the 720?