P&S Good IQ, Large zoom, compact

[aschulze]

Budget
up to $350

Size
-compact (no larger than an old Canon A70)

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? - 5+

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify) - preferably 4-5+ (I would really like a longer zoom than 3)

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10) - 9

Do you care for manual controls? - not terribly

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for? - shots in low light places (bars, clubs), traveling , city shots, portraits, 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, often

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? No

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate? Like (but not limited to) Canon, or Nikon

Are there particular models you already have in mind? Canon 790IS, 890IS

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? - Image Stabilization

[SpecialK]

Maybe a Panasonic TZ-5.

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_tz5-review/

You can go down to the last few paragraphs for the summary.

[tkbslc]

If you liked your Canon A70, you might check out the new A720. It has a 6x zoom. I agree that the Tz5 or Tz4 from panasonic would also be excellent choices.

[AndyfromVA]

The new version of the Canon A720IS, probably called the A730IS, is expected to be announced sometime next week.

[KCook]

Sony W130 has a 4X zoom that is f/2.8 . Here is a link to another thread on low light camera selection - Please, help picking a camera!! (http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40354)

Kelly Cook