what is the best point and shoot for lowlight?

[Camera101]

Budget

I would like to stay within $200 but if there is something great out there I could go up to $250

Size

* Size us not a main priority. but something in the A540 size range or smaller would be nice, but like I said if there is something really good that is bigger than I will go with that.

Features

How many Megapixels do you want?

Probably at least 5 or more Megapixels

* What optical zoom will you need?
Standard (3x-4x) is fine but more is always great.

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

9-10 Like I have said this is the most important aspect of the camera to me. so the very best I can get.

Do you care for manual controls?

Yes

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

Mainly indoor and low-mid light out door shots. I travel into Washington DC a good bit and a lot of the shots end up being taken at night. Mostly the shots will be of friends, panoramic views (setting sun rainbows etc) and a few of marble buildings at night.

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

Yes on rare occasions but I do plan on it

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

Yes almost all of the shots will be indoor and lowlight shots, although there will be some typical outdoor shots

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

No not really

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?

No I am fairly open minded with this, but I hear that HP does not make very good cameras in general. But of course that could be mis info

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

I was looking at the Canon A540 (love the G7 but to expensive) but it does not seem to have the best lowlight pictures

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

Any of those would be nice but not necessary.

I currently have been taking shots with my video camera and the pics are atrocious at best. I had a 3 MP Nikon camera but it was a little to basic and the pics were still pretty bad when taken at high resolution.

I guess after using the Nikon I am ready for the next level, up so to say. I could just save up for an SLR but their bulky size would make me hesitate to carry it around. I may end up getting one though and using the camera I get now as my portable one.

[tuthill]

You'd probably have better luck asking this in the Which Camera Should I Buy forum.

[Camera101]

Oh dummy me I thought I was posting in the what should I buy forum. Sorry I will post there.