Need to Replace Pentax PZ20 35mm

[tdawgnok]

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Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.Right now, I'm open, would like to spend as little as possible, but know that a $59 digital camera isn't gonna do what I want.

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
Size doesn't matter

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify) I will probably only print 4x6, and some 8x10's however, I would like to have the equivelent of my 300mm zoom that I currently have


* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
not sure, probably 8. I want the pictures to look good on a monitor

Do you care for manual controls?Doesn't matter

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?family photos and vacations as well as for pictures at Nascar Tracks

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?Largest would be 8x10

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

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?Yes, pictures at Nascar Tracks and kids sports games

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?Nope

Are there particular models you already have in mind?Nope

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

[tdawgnok]

Can anyone help me with this?

[Jason25]

Well, it sounds like you'll want an ultra-zoom camera. The main ones (most popular) are the Panasonic FZ5, FZ20, FZ30, Sony DSC-H1, Fuji 5200 and Canon S2 IS. If you want to shoot indoors without flash, all of them have issues in one way or another under these conditions. Outdoors, all of them will produce good results.

If you want to spend as little as possible, the FZ5 (~$300) will serve you well, though low-light images can be especially grainy. It does have a very fast lens and focusing system though.

The Fuji will generally perform better in low-light than the rest of the gang due to having a bit less image noise at higher ISO levels (which it has more of). This camera doesn't have Image Stabilization like the rest of the gang, however.

Ultimately it will come down to personal preference!

[tdawgnok]

Does the FZ5 work well WITH a flash???