I'm going crazy: background, and Canon S1-IS vs. A510 vs. Sony DSC-W1 vs. F828

[Wipeout]

Hey guys,
I'm new to the forum but not that new to digital photography. Under my belt are the Canon Powershot A70 (like the A510) and the Sony DSC-F828 (the huge one ). I owned the A70 for about 11 months until October when I let my friend borrow it and he lost it in Chicago. I looked for a replacement and settled on the Sony DSC-F828. I had the camera for three days before realizing how much money I had spent, and returning it. Now I am in need of a digital camera again. I will be taking a lot of outdoor shots, and a fair amount of indoor shots. I would REALLY like to have a good movie mode since I use it all the time. Here is what is keeping me from buying each one:
Canon PowerShot A510
movie mode isn't very impressive, and I will be using that a lot

Canon Powershot S1-IS
image quality, no AF-assist (grrrrr)
flip out LCD (I don't like it, and it's too small)
..but the movie mode is amazing!

Sony DSC-W1
image quality, purple fringing, no manual controls, expensive for what you get, have to use a Memory Stick.. but the same movie mode as on my F828.

Sony DSC-F828
it's damn expensive, and it's huge. Other than that, the infrared hologram AF-assist is amazing, nightshot is amazing, image quality is good, lots of manual settings, and the movie mode is very good too, with only some problems on continuous autofocus going way out of focus for a second.

I'm getting frustrated trying to decide between these cameras. I've used two out of the four, and I don't think I'll be buying the W1. I don't have the money for the F828 but it's such a good camera. I was also looking at the EOS-300D but I need movie mode, and I hate DV camcorders (I service them).

Insights?

[Wipeout]

A new pair of cameras has been added to my "comparison" list:
Konica Minolta Z3
Konica Minolta Z20

Still, any insights?

[Thon]

I own an Olympus C770UZ and this one has MPEG4 movie mode, not the best quality but not too bad.

It's a 10X ultrazoom, takes great pics but has no IS and AF assist, might not be your cup of tea. The advantage is the compact size.

The new Olympus C7070WZ might fit your requirements too. Has a widezoom lens, takes great pics (based on the C5060WZ), and have a decent VGA movie mode.

The Canon SD200/300 are probably the best that you can get for a great movie mode in a digicam. They are rather small and have some manual controls. Some photo quality complaints like soft edges.

Not many good digicams take great movies, but then again not many video cameras take good photos too. Maybe it's not the right time for an all-in-one camera solution yet.

[EAP]

I understand your frustration! I too am still searching for the digital camera that is perfect for my needs. Unfortunately, they don't make it yet.

Have you checked out the Olympus C-7000Z and the Pentax Optio 750Z? Jeff's reviews on these give them high marks. They both have AF assist lamps, both have good movie modes, both have a fairly long zoom and are both compact size. They have good photo quality, lots of manual controls, and fast performance. They're not cheap though: I don't know how much you're looking to spend.

I tried out the Canon A510 in the store and the movie mode is awful. You won't like it.

I tried the S1 IS in the store as well, and at the 10x zoom I couldn't take a clear photo. Even with image stabilization, and holding my breath and holding the camera as still as possible, the image "moved" in the viewfinder. Seems you need to be tripod-mounted to get a clear shot at full zoom.

You're going to have to make some compromises: to get excellent still photos and also a great movie mode, you're going to have to spend some money. Otherwise, you'll have to decide if a great movie mode is worth so-so still shots.

Good luck!