Looking to buy a new camera

[BlackEleven]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz5/

You might want to check out the above camera. I own it and am very happy with it -- 12x zoom, 5MP and an amazing lens. I've taken some great photos with it. I can post some if you like.

[GrrlGoalie33]

I don't really have any advice on a specific camera, but here were my "must haves" for a digital point and shoot:

4MP or higher
Must have a decent optical zoom (digital zoom sucks)
Must use AA batteries. You can always find AA's if your battery dies, but you can't always find a proprietary battery (not for cheap anyway).

Beware of buying the camera in NY. Speaking from experience, if the price in the window is too good to be true, leave. You will spend the next hour in the store arguing with the guy at the counter. He will tell you that the price in the window is only that low if you spend another $200+ on overpriced accessories in their store.

[Bobblehead]

Olympus Stylus 720 SW

I bought this one before I went on vaction in the spring. Ars pointed to me to some great cameras which definitely helped me figure out what I was looking for, and I chose this because: it was in the price range, it was very compact for travelling, it had some anti-shock features so we didn't need to worry about it constantly (it was in my pocket while I zip lined and repelled), and it was waterproof so I got some neat pictures while snorkelling at Xel Ha.

[Fobby]

On Bestbuy, there are coupon codes that you can use. $15 off $150 BUYONL15270556134561, $35 off $350 BUYONL30270574767532, and $50 off $500 BUYONL50270593400503

Don't know if you will be able to find the S2 on BB, but the S3 IS is 579. with 50 off, that's only 30 bucks above your range, but you can't beat 12x optical zoom. Tho you will need to buy some batteris and a memory card...

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

Check out the Canon S2
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0061574&catid=
12x Optical zoom is huge as far as digi cams go; I haven't seen anything larger yet.
And it fits your budget, and is closer to the DSLR type cameras with decent shutter speed, and tons of manual options.

I got an S3 a couple of weeks ago and it's awesome. I have recommended it to a lot of people. Built in 12x zoom and the ability to add an adapter/hood for filters and lenses is key too.

One thing that I really like about it is it is not as menu driven as most compacts are. There are dedicated buttons for macro/iso/etc. you can get some amazing pics with the super macro mode which will focus on something right against the lens.