Tough decisions...

[EWS]

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
Under $600

Size
Compact...easily fits into pocket

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
Compact...easily fits into pocket
Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
At least 6 megapixels

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

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

Do you care for manual controls?
Yes

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Movies; vacations; parties; outdoor sports like rock climbing

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
No...other than playing video on 32" screen

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?
Nope

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
The Casio EX-Z750 and the Canon SD550

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Prefer image stabilizaiton but heard it does not matter if not using more than 3x zoom

Thanks in advance...

[mj_mad]

have you looked at the Sony P200, it has amazing picture quality and is a brilliant compact size, its 7.2mp and seems ideal for the criteria you have entered. It also does VGA (640*480) res video at 30fps which is idea for playing back on TV

[EWS]

Thanks for the post!!! I'll check it out...

[mj_mad]

have you checked it out? what did u think

[JTL]

have you checked it out? what did u think

I'd get the SD550 and start shooting and stop agonizing...there is no better general purpose point and shoot...

[EWS]

I am really leaning towards either the Casio Z750 or the Canon SD550. I did check out the P200 and it seems like a pretty good camera but the casio and canon seem a bit better... The casio has image stabilization and better battery life but the canon seems to take a bit better pics and night shots. Difficult decisions...

BTW, thanks for the post guys! The advice keeps me looking...

[Clyde]

I am really leaning towards either the Casio Z750 or the Canon SD550.

Of those two, I'd probably go with the canon. I had a s400 which spent over a year in my pocket bumping against coins and keys, but always took great pictures. Great little camera.

However, you might also consider the fuji f10. This would give you much more low light flexibility. Either way you should be happy...

Clyde

[EWS]

thanks for the advice...it seems most people prefer the canon over the casio but i heard canon has the e18 error often. although...the casio has its problems with lens operation as well. questions never end lol

[Firas]

I was comparing the two some time ago before I bought my PowerShot S2 and I came across a lot of posts regarding hardware failure (lens getting stuck and the like) on the Casio which scared me. My brother also asked me for a recommendation and I told him to get the Canon SD550 and he's been pretty happy with it so far. Just a heads up ...

[EWS]

thanks...i heard about the casio lens failure too. i also heard that the canon has an e18 lens error...as always, tough decisions lol