Narrowing down, I think, please assist

[music83lover2001]

I am looking for a digital camera to take family and vacation pictures in various settings (indoor and outdoor) and for the occassional listings on eBay. I want something with a pretty good zoom for (country music) concerts. I want more than 3x optical, which is mainly what i have been finding. I would like it to be as compact as possible while still having a pretty good zoom. I also would like to steer clear of lithium ion batteries, though I know one of the ones I am considering uses that type. They are more expensive and seem inconvenient for vacations and traveling. I have a budget of $350 tops for the camera itself, which I know may not be much to work with, but I really want to find something good since this is a major purchase for me and I can't afford to make a bad choice. I have found a few that I am considering. Although I have tried to research and read reviews of all kinds of cameras, I just don't know a lot about digital camera features and what I need and what I don't for my above described uses, so any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Here are the ones I am looking at.

Nikon Coolpix 4800
Fuji Finepix S3100
Canon Powershot A520

If there others that warrent my consideration, please suggest them. Thanks so much!

[sarah12334]

I'd also narrowed it down to the Nikon Coolpix 4800 or the Canon PowerShot A520... or so I thought. Like you, I want a small-ish camera that's not outrageously expensive but that has more than the standard 3x zoom. I also prefer AA batteries and plan on using the camera for lots of indoor shots and for vacations.

I'm still considering these two cameras. But I'm having trouble deciding.

The Nikon looks good on paper, and its Li-Ion batteries aren't a big deal because you can use a disposable lithium ion in a pinch - not as widely available as AAs but I could stock up before a trip if need be. But though I want more zoom than 3x, I probably don't *really* need the 8x zoom, and on the telephoto end it's bound to be pretty blurry since the camera doesn't have an image stabilizer. I'm not thrilled with the electronic viewfinder either (I'd prefer optical) and the reports of shutter lag are sending me running scared.

The Canon is also good on paper - I'd prefer maybe an additional megapixel and/or an additional 1X of zoom, but 4 and 4 should suffice for me. I like that it uses AAs and that it has an optical viewfinder. But I'm worried about reports of poor low-light focusing, and the redeye seems pretty bad in the tests. Since I take a lot of indoor low-light shots with a flash, I'm worried that maybe this isn't the best choice for me.

I've been doing research for ages now, and basically I've decided that my ideal camera simply does not exist. Here are some other cameras you may want to consider:

-Fuji E550 - 6mpx, 4x zoom, fast - but the pop-up flash would drive me nuts and low-light focusing seems even worse than the Canon A520

-Pentax Optio 750z - 7mpx, 5x, great-sounding features (especially the rotating LCD) but uses proprietary Li-Ion batteries and the reports of poor low-light focusing, sluggish performance and long shutter lag turned me away, plus it's over my budget (yours too I think).

-Kodak Easyshare DX6440 - 4mpx, 4x zoom, can use AA batteries or rechargeables, but seems to "overprocess" images - image quality seems poor compared to the Canon A520.

-Olympus C5500 Sport Zoom - 5mpx, 5x zoom, but a bigger camera (not as compact as the others), and again it has a pop-up flash which would drive me nuts.

-Konica Minolta DImage S414 - 4mpx, 4x zoom, uses 4xAA but review says it's very slow, long shutter lag and no AF-illuminator for low-light focusing.

-Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2 - 5mpx, 6x zoom with optical stabilizer, sounded like a dream come true until I learned that there's no viewfinder at all and the LCD is barely useable in low light, and that low-light focusing was poor.

I rejected all of the above but maybe one of them will be right for you?

Having said all that, I'm still considering the Canon A520 and the Nikon 4800 despite their flaws. I'm also thinking about the:

-Canon A95 - the 3x zoom is low but all the reviews have been great

-Sony DSC W5 - memory stick and only 3x zoom but fast and uses AAs

- Canon S60 - wide-angle is tempting; Li-Ion proprietary batteries are not

- Canon SD400 - pocketable but proprietary battery and only 3x zoom

- Nikon Coolpix 5900 - only 3x zoom but can use CP1 battery as option and good performance and redeye - I'm seriously considering this one

I'm not sure if this helps you at all but hopefully it will give you a few ideas.