Please help me find a great camera!

[Adibidah]

Here is the list of things you may want to know:

Budget

My budget is $400 or under.

Size

I like the really small thin cameras but I don't think I'll find one to suit my needs. So size isn't a huge deal as long as I can do what I want with the camera.
Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?

I don't really know. Is more = better?

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

Standard would be a must, but the ultrazoom would be nice, too. What I really want is something that zooms as I film video.

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

I want the pictures to look nice - I'd say an 8 I guess. Currently I have a 35 mm SLR (that I barely know how to work) but it takes lovely pictures even though I am clueless.

Do you care for manual controls?

I have a SLR but I never use it in manual mode because I have no idea HOW to. It's something I'd like to learn, but I doubt I'll learn it soon - in between cooking, cleaning, and taking care of my family!

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

I want this camera to take great pictures of my two kids, ages 3 and 1. I want to take pictures inside and out. I'd like a self timer. My husband wants a camera that can record video of him playing paintball, and he wants it to be decent quality.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?

Not a huge priority but I'm sure if I get a good one of my kids, I'll want to blow it up.

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

Yes, more than likely.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

Paintball photos, which can be very fast moving!

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?

My SLR is a Nikon, and I like it. I don't have any hated brands.

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

I read a review of the Canon Powershot S1 IS 3.2 Megapixel 10x Optical/32xTotal Zoom Digital Camera and that seems to be my best bet so far, but I am very clueless about digital cameras. I want to make sure I get my best option.

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

I think that Image Stabilization and Rotating LCD are nice features. I would like to have them on my camera if possible.

Please give me some good recommendations! :) Thanks!

[Adibidah]

Just wanted to mention that I no longer need good video capabilities ... we'll probably just get a mini dv recorder or something.

[thebac]

Is there a reason why you desire an ultrazoom? Do you need the telephoto to get close for the paintball pictures?

Otherwise, I would recommend you take a look at something like the Fuji E550. If you're planning on taking candid pictures of children, fast performance is essential (for sports action shots, too), and the E550 gets excellent marks in reviews for that, and you won't break your budget. In addition, it gives you nice wide angle for indoor shots, and gets great marks for image quality.

The downside is that there is no swivel LCD, no long zoom, no image stabilization.

If zoom is important to you (maybe b/c you sit too far away from the action for the paintball pictures), it won't do, but with kids and action shots, there's nothing quite as frustrating as missing shots because of shutter lag.

If you do want the zoom, take a look at the Panasonic FZ series (but that's already pushing up againt your budget). The S1 IS beats almost any digicam in the video department, but the Panasonic is superior in many other ways (not the least of which is performance) among the ultra zooms.

If you think long zoom is not that important, check out the E550 review Jeff did for this site and the links that he has to other review sites, and post in the Fuji forum to see what E550 users think of their camera.

[Adibidah]

Great, thanks! I will read those reviews and get back to this post.

Yes, zoom is good for the far away paintball pictures. However, most of the pictures will be of the kids, both indoors and out.