New camera recommendation needed

Hi,

I've been looking for a new digicam, as although my Pentax Optio S4 is
great, I want a few more features (I'll keep the S4 for times when I need
something highly-portable). What I'm looking for is (in no particular
order):

- Good movie mode, 640x480 @ 20fps
- 35mm+ lens (I've seen lots that are 38+), less than 35mm would be great.
- Very good quality pictures (obviously).
- 4MP minimum.
- focus assist.
- more manual features than the S4 (shutter speed, aperture).
- SD memory preferably (definitely not xD - way too pricey!).
- Reasonably compact (not as small as the S4, but I still want it to fit in
my Jeans pocket).
- £350

I've been looking for hours on steves-digicams and imaging-resource, and
ruled out most of the models from Fuji, Canon and Sony because of one reason
or another. Can anyone recommend something I haven't considered?

Thanks in advance,

Neil

Hi Neil,

Wow, that's a tall order! Obviously, except for your "compact"
requirement you may want an SLR-type camera rather than a point and
click type in order to have the advanced movie mode and more manual
controls. Obviously the former is going to be somewhat more expensive,
but it sounds like you may be ready for a step up from your current
camera.

If you check out a digital camera reviews site take a look in the
Advance or Experienced section to get the type of features you're
looking for.

For a camera similar to yours, check out:

- Canon Powershot S60 (about $440 US):
http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B00028CECM

You may have seen this one already, but it has Focal Length: 5.8 (W) -
20.7 (T)mm zoom lens (35mm film equivalent: 28 - 100mm), Movie Mode
(10 fps at 640x 480 -- seems most are about 10 fps in this price
range). For more exposure control, it has 13 shooting modes, including
subject-based modes and semi-auto modes such as aperture priority --
it seems there are very few of these compact cam's (if any that i know
of) that have fully manual aperature settings -- Which is why I would
recommend that you take a step up and get more of an SLR-type camera
(see below)...


If you want an SLR type camera, which has a lot of manual controls,
interchangeable lenses, etc. (though not quite as compact of
course)... Check out something like:

1) Nikon Coolpix 8700 8MP (about $US 859 )
http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001EY1GY

I have this camera and it's great! If you're getting more serious
about more control in your digital photogrpahy, this is a great
camera. This is an SLR type camera -- a nice step up from what you
have now.

In terms of what you're looking for specifically: It has Movie Mode --
four movie modes actually: TV movie (640 x 480 pixels; 30 fps) with
audio, Small movie (320 x 240 pixels; 15 fps) with audio, sepia movie
(320 x 240 pixels; 5 fps) with audio, and time-lapse movie (640 x 480
pixels; 30 fps). Image quality is awesome at 3264 x 2448 images for
poster-size print enlargements. The 8x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens (f/2.8
- 4.2) offers a focal range of 8.9-71.2mm (equivalent to 35-280mm in
35mm format)

2) Canon PowerShot Pro 1
http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001G6U5C

I'm not as familiar with the cam, but I hear it's an awesome camera if
you're getting serious about digital photography. I have the Coolpix
(#1 above) so I'm not as familiar with this PowerShot, but both are
somewhat similar -- just depends on the exact features you want. You
can read comments about it from people who own it to see if it fits
your needs.

You can also browse cameras by brand in the lower right side of the
page to check out some other brands you didn't mention, like Casio, HP
and Kodak. Though Canon really makes the most popular digital cameras
by far, you can find some gems.

Good luck!

-aa

"Neil" wrote in message ...
Hi,

I've been looking for a new digicam, as although my Pentax Optio S4 is
great, I want a few more features (I'll keep the S4 for times when I need
something highly-portable). What I'm looking for is (in no particular
order):

- Good movie mode, 640x480 @ 20fps
- 35mm+ lens (I've seen lots that are 38+), less than 35mm would be great.
- Very good quality pictures (obviously).
- 4MP minimum.
- focus assist.
- more manual features than the S4 (shutter speed, aperture).
- SD memory preferably (definitely not xD - way too pricey!).
- Reasonably compact (not as small as the S4, but I still want it to fit in
my Jeans pocket).
- £350

I've been looking for hours on steves-digicams and imaging-resource, and
ruled out most of the models from Fuji, Canon and Sony because of one reason
or another. Can anyone recommend something I haven't considered?

Thanks in advance,

Neil

Hi Neil,

Wow, that's a tall order! Obviously, except for your "compact"
requirement you may want an SLR-type camera rather than a point and
click type in order to have the advanced movie mode and more manual
controls. Obviously the former is going to be somewhat more expensive,
but it sounds like you may be ready for a step up from your current
camera.

If you check out a digital camera reviews site take a look in the
Advance or Experienced section to get the type of features you're
looking for.

For a camera similar to yours, check out:

- Canon Powershot S60 (about $440 US):
http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B00028CECM

You may have seen this one already, but it has Focal Length: 5.8 (W) -
20.7 (T)mm zoom lens (35mm film equivalent: 28 - 100mm), Movie Mode
(10 fps at 640x 480 -- seems most are about 10 fps in this price
range). For more exposure control, it has 13 shooting modes, including
subject-based modes and semi-auto modes such as aperture priority --
it seems there are very few of these compact cam's (if any that i know
of) that have fully manual aperature settings -- Which is why I would
recommend that you take a step up and get more of an SLR-type camera
(see below)...


If you want an SLR type camera, which has a lot of manual controls,
interchangeable lenses, etc. (though not quite as compact of
course)... Check out something like:

1) Nikon Coolpix 8700 8MP (about $US 859 )
http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001EY1GY

I have this camera and it's great! If you're getting more serious
about more control in your digital photogrpahy, this is a great
camera. This is an SLR type camera -- a nice step up from what you
have now.

In terms of what you're looking for specifically: It has Movie Mode --
four movie modes actually: TV movie (640 x 480 pixels; 30 fps) with
audio, Small movie (320 x 240 pixels; 15 fps) with audio, sepia movie
(320 x 240 pixels; 5 fps) with audio, and time-lapse movie (640 x 480
pixels; 30 fps). Image quality is awesome at 3264 x 2448 images for
poster-size print enlargements. The 8x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens (f/2.8
- 4.2) offers a focal range of 8.9-71.2mm (equivalent to 35-280mm in
35mm format)

2) Canon PowerShot Pro 1
http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001G6U5C

I'm not as familiar with the cam, but I hear it's an awesome camera if
you're getting serious about digital photography. I have the Coolpix
(#1 above) so I'm not as familiar with this PowerShot, but both are
somewhat similar -- just depends on the exact features you want. You
can read comments about it from people who own it to see if it fits
your needs.

You can also browse cameras by brand in the lower right side of the
page to check out some other brands you didn't mention, like Casio, HP
and Kodak. Though Canon really makes the most popular digital cameras
by far, you can find some gems.

Good luck!

-aa

"Neil" wrote in message ...
Hi,

I've been looking for a new digicam, as although my Pentax Optio S4 is
great, I want a few more features (I'll keep the S4 for times when I need
something highly-portable). What I'm looking for is (in no particular
order):

- Good movie mode, 640x480 @ 20fps
- 35mm+ lens (I've seen lots that are 38+), less than 35mm would be great.
- Very good quality pictures (obviously).
- 4MP minimum.
- focus assist.
- more manual features than the S4 (shutter speed, aperture).
- SD memory preferably (definitely not xD - way too pricey!).
- Reasonably compact (not as small as the S4, but I still want it to fit in
my Jeans pocket).
- £350

I've been looking for hours on steves-digicams and imaging-resource, and
ruled out most of the models from Fuji, Canon and Sony because of one reason
or another. Can anyone recommend something I haven't considered?

Thanks in advance,

Neil

Try www.dpreview.com for the most complete site on digital photography
that I have ever come across.(camera reviews, forums etc)...Aloha
"Anna" wrote in message
om...
Hi Neil,

Wow, that's a tall order! Obviously, except for your "compact"
requirement you may want an SLR-type camera rather than a point and
click type in order to have the advanced movie mode and more manual
controls. Obviously the former is going to be somewhat more expensive,
but it sounds like you may be ready for a step up from your current
camera.

If you check out a digital camera reviews site take a look in the
Advance or Experienced section to get the type of features you're
looking for.

For a camera similar to yours, check out:

- Canon Powershot S60 (about $440 US):

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B00028CECM

You may have seen this one already, but it has Focal Length: 5.8 (W) -
20.7 (T)mm zoom lens (35mm film equivalent: 28 - 100mm), Movie Mode
(10 fps at 640x 480 -- seems most are about 10 fps in this price
range). For more exposure control, it has 13 shooting modes, including
subject-based modes and semi-auto modes such as aperture priority --
it seems there are very few of these compact cam's (if any that i know
of) that have fully manual aperature settings -- Which is why I would
recommend that you take a step up and get more of an SLR-type camera
(see below)...


If you want an SLR type camera, which has a lot of manual controls,
interchangeable lenses, etc. (though not quite as compact of
course)... Check out something like:

1) Nikon Coolpix 8700 8MP (about $US 859 )

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001EY1GY

I have this camera and it's great! If you're getting more serious
about more control in your digital photogrpahy, this is a great
camera. This is an SLR type camera -- a nice step up from what you
have now.

In terms of what you're looking for specifically: It has Movie Mode --
four movie modes actually: TV movie (640 x 480 pixels; 30 fps) with
audio, Small movie (320 x 240 pixels; 15 fps) with audio, sepia movie
(320 x 240 pixels; 5 fps) with audio, and time-lapse movie (640 x 480
pixels; 30 fps). Image quality is awesome at 3264 x 2448 images for
poster-size print enlargements. The 8x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens (f/2.8
- 4.2) offers a focal range of 8.9-71.2mm (equivalent to 35-280mm in
35mm format)

2) Canon PowerShot Pro 1

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001G6U5C

I'm not as familiar with the cam, but I hear it's an awesome camera if
you're getting serious about digital photography. I have the Coolpix
(#1 above) so I'm not as familiar with this PowerShot, but both are
somewhat similar -- just depends on the exact features you want. You
can read comments about it from people who own it to see if it fits
your needs.

You can also browse cameras by brand in the lower right side of the
page to check out some other brands you didn't mention, like Casio, HP
and Kodak. Though Canon really makes the most popular digital cameras
by far, you can find some gems.

Good luck!

-aa

"Neil" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I've been looking for a new digicam, as although my Pentax Optio S4 is
great, I want a few more features (I'll keep the S4 for times when I
need
something highly-portable). What I'm looking for is (in no particular
order):

- Good movie mode, 640x480 @ 20fps
- 35mm+ lens (I've seen lots that are 38+), less than 35mm would be
great.
- Very good quality pictures (obviously).
- 4MP minimum.
- focus assist.
- more manual features than the S4 (shutter speed, aperture).
- SD memory preferably (definitely not xD - way too pricey!).
- Reasonably compact (not as small as the S4, but I still want it to fit
in
my Jeans pocket).
- £350

I've been looking for hours on steves-digicams and imaging-resource, and
ruled out most of the models from Fuji, Canon and Sony because of one
reason
or another. Can anyone recommend something I haven't considered?

Thanks in advance,

Neil

Try www.dpreview.com for the most complete site on digital photography
that I have ever come across.(camera reviews, forums etc)...Aloha
"Anna" wrote in message
om...
Hi Neil,

Wow, that's a tall order! Obviously, except for your "compact"
requirement you may want an SLR-type camera rather than a point and
click type in order to have the advanced movie mode and more manual
controls. Obviously the former is going to be somewhat more expensive,
but it sounds like you may be ready for a step up from your current
camera.

If you check out a digital camera reviews site take a look in the
Advance or Experienced section to get the type of features you're
looking for.

For a camera similar to yours, check out:

- Canon Powershot S60 (about $440 US):

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B00028CECM

You may have seen this one already, but it has Focal Length: 5.8 (W) -
20.7 (T)mm zoom lens (35mm film equivalent: 28 - 100mm), Movie Mode
(10 fps at 640x 480 -- seems most are about 10 fps in this price
range). For more exposure control, it has 13 shooting modes, including
subject-based modes and semi-auto modes such as aperture priority --
it seems there are very few of these compact cam's (if any that i know
of) that have fully manual aperature settings -- Which is why I would
recommend that you take a step up and get more of an SLR-type camera
(see below)...


If you want an SLR type camera, which has a lot of manual controls,
interchangeable lenses, etc. (though not quite as compact of
course)... Check out something like:

1) Nikon Coolpix 8700 8MP (about $US 859 )

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001EY1GY

I have this camera and it's great! If you're getting more serious
about more control in your digital photogrpahy, this is a great
camera. This is an SLR type camera -- a nice step up from what you
have now.

In terms of what you're looking for specifically: It has Movie Mode --
four movie modes actually: TV movie (640 x 480 pixels; 30 fps) with
audio, Small movie (320 x 240 pixels; 15 fps) with audio, sepia movie
(320 x 240 pixels; 5 fps) with audio, and time-lapse movie (640 x 480
pixels; 30 fps). Image quality is awesome at 3264 x 2448 images for
poster-size print enlargements. The 8x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens (f/2.8
- 4.2) offers a focal range of 8.9-71.2mm (equivalent to 35-280mm in
35mm format)

2) Canon PowerShot Pro 1

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001G6U5C

I'm not as familiar with the cam, but I hear it's an awesome camera if
you're getting serious about digital photography. I have the Coolpix
(#1 above) so I'm not as familiar with this PowerShot, but both are
somewhat similar -- just depends on the exact features you want. You
can read comments about it from people who own it to see if it fits
your needs.

You can also browse cameras by brand in the lower right side of the
page to check out some other brands you didn't mention, like Casio, HP
and Kodak. Though Canon really makes the most popular digital cameras
by far, you can find some gems.

Good luck!

-aa

"Neil" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I've been looking for a new digicam, as although my Pentax Optio S4 is
great, I want a few more features (I'll keep the S4 for times when I
need
something highly-portable). What I'm looking for is (in no particular
order):

- Good movie mode, 640x480 @ 20fps
- 35mm+ lens (I've seen lots that are 38+), less than 35mm would be
great.
- Very good quality pictures (obviously).
- 4MP minimum.
- focus assist.
- more manual features than the S4 (shutter speed, aperture).
- SD memory preferably (definitely not xD - way too pricey!).
- Reasonably compact (not as small as the S4, but I still want it to fit
in
my Jeans pocket).
- £350

I've been looking for hours on steves-digicams and imaging-resource, and
ruled out most of the models from Fuji, Canon and Sony because of one
reason
or another. Can anyone recommend something I haven't considered?

Thanks in advance,

Neil

"Neil" wrote in message
...

I've been looking for a new digicam, as although my Pentax Optio S4 is
great, I want a few more features (I'll keep the S4 for times when I need
something highly-portable). What I'm looking for is (in no particular
order):

- Good movie mode, 640x480 @ 20fps
- 35mm+ lens (I've seen lots that are 38+), less than 35mm would be great.
- Very good quality pictures (obviously).
- 4MP minimum.
- focus assist.
- more manual features than the S4 (shutter speed, aperture).
- SD memory preferably (definitely not xD - way too pricey!).
- Reasonably compact (not as small as the S4, but I still want it to fit
in
my Jeans pocket).
- £350

I've been looking for hours on steves-digicams and imaging-resource, and
ruled out most of the models from Fuji, Canon and Sony because of one
reason
or another. Can anyone recommend something I haven't considered?

Assuming you don't find your perfect camera you will have to compromise on
something, which will mean reconsidering cameras you rejected earlier. This
is not so much meant as a suggestion that you buy the same camera I did, but
just offering another point of view.

I bought the Sony DSC-P93. 5MP, 640x480 @ 30fps until your batteries run
out or the card is full (about 45 mins). I didn't really want memory stick
pro because of the cost - it seems to be nearly twice the price of CF - but
looking at the cost of camera plus 1GB memory card it didn't look so bad.
The movie mode was quite appealing too.

I just bought another 1GB card for £122 and the camera is available from
pixmania for £172, total £294, leaving you change from the £350 target to
buy a case, spare batteries, etc.

It has what Sony call an Auto Focus Illuminator. Is this what you mean by
focus assist? Macro focus down to 10cm, manual focus and manual exposure
available if you want it. Captures up to 9 shots at 1.6fps at full
resolution. The lens is the 35mm equivalent of 38-114mm, so it doesn't
quite do the wide angle you wanted.

The introduction of the DSC P150 7MP has caused a price-drop in the rest of
the range.

I suppose my point here is to look at the whole package instead of the
camera or the memory in isolation.

--
Joe

http://joe.hotchkiss.com

"Joe Hotchkiss" wrote in message
...
"Neil" wrote in message
...

I've been looking for a new digicam, as although my Pentax Optio S4 is
great, I want a few more features (I'll keep the S4 for times when I
need
something highly-portable). What I'm looking for is (in no particular
order):

- Good movie mode, 640x480 @ 20fps
- 35mm+ lens (I've seen lots that are 38+), less than 35mm would be
great.
- Very good quality pictures (obviously).
- 4MP minimum.
- focus assist.
- more manual features than the S4 (shutter speed, aperture).
- SD memory preferably (definitely not xD - way too pricey!).
- Reasonably compact (not as small as the S4, but I still want it to fit
in
my Jeans pocket).
- £350

I've been looking for hours on steves-digicams and imaging-resource, and
ruled out most of the models from Fuji, Canon and Sony because of one
reason
or another. Can anyone recommend something I haven't considered?

Assuming you don't find your perfect camera you will have to compromise on
something, which will mean reconsidering cameras you rejected earlier.
This
is not so much meant as a suggestion that you buy the same camera I did,
but
just offering another point of view.

I bought the Sony DSC-P93. 5MP, 640x480 @ 30fps until your batteries run
out or the card is full (about 45 mins). I didn't really want memory
stick
pro because of the cost - it seems to be nearly twice the price of CF -
but
looking at the cost of camera plus 1GB memory card it didn't look so bad.
The movie mode was quite appealing too.

I just bought another 1GB card for £122 and the camera is available from
pixmania for £172, total £294, leaving you change from the £350 target to
buy a case, spare batteries, etc.

It has what Sony call an Auto Focus Illuminator. Is this what you mean by
focus assist? Macro focus down to 10cm, manual focus and manual exposure
available if you want it. Captures up to 9 shots at 1.6fps at full
resolution. The lens is the 35mm equivalent of 38-114mm, so it doesn't
quite do the wide angle you wanted.

The introduction of the DSC P150 7MP has caused a price-drop in the rest
of
the range.

I suppose my point here is to look at the whole package instead of the
camera or the memory in isolation.


Thanks Joe. I did consider the P93 but wasn't sure about the 38mm minimum.
Does it make much of a difference in your opinion? The mem. stick pro is
also a bit of a downer.

I think I'm going to have to compromise on the video, probably making do
with 320x240 @ 30 fps.

Neil

"Joe Hotchkiss" wrote in message
...
"Neil" wrote in message
...

I've been looking for a new digicam, as although my Pentax Optio S4 is
great, I want a few more features (I'll keep the S4 for times when I
need
something highly-portable). What I'm looking for is (in no particular
order):

- Good movie mode, 640x480 @ 20fps
- 35mm+ lens (I've seen lots that are 38+), less than 35mm would be
great.
- Very good quality pictures (obviously).
- 4MP minimum.
- focus assist.
- more manual features than the S4 (shutter speed, aperture).
- SD memory preferably (definitely not xD - way too pricey!).
- Reasonably compact (not as small as the S4, but I still want it to fit
in
my Jeans pocket).
- £350

I've been looking for hours on steves-digicams and imaging-resource, and
ruled out most of the models from Fuji, Canon and Sony because of one
reason
or another. Can anyone recommend something I haven't considered?

Assuming you don't find your perfect camera you will have to compromise on
something, which will mean reconsidering cameras you rejected earlier.
This
is not so much meant as a suggestion that you buy the same camera I did,
but
just offering another point of view.

I bought the Sony DSC-P93. 5MP, 640x480 @ 30fps until your batteries run
out or the card is full (about 45 mins). I didn't really want memory
stick
pro because of the cost - it seems to be nearly twice the price of CF -
but
looking at the cost of camera plus 1GB memory card it didn't look so bad.
The movie mode was quite appealing too.

I just bought another 1GB card for £122 and the camera is available from
pixmania for £172, total £294, leaving you change from the £350 target to
buy a case, spare batteries, etc.

It has what Sony call an Auto Focus Illuminator. Is this what you mean by
focus assist? Macro focus down to 10cm, manual focus and manual exposure
available if you want it. Captures up to 9 shots at 1.6fps at full
resolution. The lens is the 35mm equivalent of 38-114mm, so it doesn't
quite do the wide angle you wanted.

The introduction of the DSC P150 7MP has caused a price-drop in the rest
of
the range.

I suppose my point here is to look at the whole package instead of the
camera or the memory in isolation.


Thanks Joe. I did consider the P93 but wasn't sure about the 38mm minimum.
Does it make much of a difference in your opinion? The mem. stick pro is
also a bit of a downer.

I think I'm going to have to compromise on the video, probably making do
with 320x240 @ 30 fps.

Neil

"Anna" wrote in message
om...
Hi Neil,

Wow, that's a tall order! Obviously, except for your "compact"
requirement you may want an SLR-type camera rather than a point and
click type in order to have the advanced movie mode and more manual
controls. Obviously the former is going to be somewhat more expensive,
but it sounds like you may be ready for a step up from your current
camera.

If you check out a digital camera reviews site take a look in the
Advance or Experienced section to get the type of features you're
looking for.

For a camera similar to yours, check out:

- Canon Powershot S60 (about $440 US):

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B00028CECM

You may have seen this one already, but it has Focal Length: 5.8 (W) -
20.7 (T)mm zoom lens (35mm film equivalent: 28 - 100mm), Movie Mode
(10 fps at 640x 480 -- seems most are about 10 fps in this price
range). For more exposure control, it has 13 shooting modes, including
subject-based modes and semi-auto modes such as aperture priority --
it seems there are very few of these compact cam's (if any that i know
of) that have fully manual aperature settings -- Which is why I would
recommend that you take a step up and get more of an SLR-type camera
(see below)...


If you want an SLR type camera, which has a lot of manual controls,
interchangeable lenses, etc. (though not quite as compact of
course)... Check out something like:

1) Nikon Coolpix 8700 8MP (about $US 859 )

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001EY1GY

I have this camera and it's great! If you're getting more serious
about more control in your digital photogrpahy, this is a great
camera. This is an SLR type camera -- a nice step up from what you
have now.

In terms of what you're looking for specifically: It has Movie Mode --
four movie modes actually: TV movie (640 x 480 pixels; 30 fps) with
audio, Small movie (320 x 240 pixels; 15 fps) with audio, sepia movie
(320 x 240 pixels; 5 fps) with audio, and time-lapse movie (640 x 480
pixels; 30 fps). Image quality is awesome at 3264 x 2448 images for
poster-size print enlargements. The 8x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens (f/2.8
- 4.2) offers a focal range of 8.9-71.2mm (equivalent to 35-280mm in
35mm format)

2) Canon PowerShot Pro 1

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001G6U5C

I'm not as familiar with the cam, but I hear it's an awesome camera if
you're getting serious about digital photography. I have the Coolpix
(#1 above) so I'm not as familiar with this PowerShot, but both are
somewhat similar -- just depends on the exact features you want. You
can read comments about it from people who own it to see if it fits
your needs.

You can also browse cameras by brand in the lower right side of the
page to check out some other brands you didn't mention, like Casio, HP
and Kodak. Though Canon really makes the most popular digital cameras
by far, you can find some gems.

Good luck!


Anna,

SLRs are just too big for me, I'm the type of person who likes everything to
fit my pocket (currently Phone, Palm Tungsten & Optio S4).

Thanks for your input, the S60 is probably going to be the one I get, but I
want to investigate the Canon hot pixel problem I've heard about.
Compromising on the video quality certainly widens the choice a lot.

Thanks,

Neil

"Anna" wrote in message
om...
Hi Neil,

Wow, that's a tall order! Obviously, except for your "compact"
requirement you may want an SLR-type camera rather than a point and
click type in order to have the advanced movie mode and more manual
controls. Obviously the former is going to be somewhat more expensive,
but it sounds like you may be ready for a step up from your current
camera.

If you check out a digital camera reviews site take a look in the
Advance or Experienced section to get the type of features you're
looking for.

For a camera similar to yours, check out:

- Canon Powershot S60 (about $440 US):

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B00028CECM

You may have seen this one already, but it has Focal Length: 5.8 (W) -
20.7 (T)mm zoom lens (35mm film equivalent: 28 - 100mm), Movie Mode
(10 fps at 640x 480 -- seems most are about 10 fps in this price
range). For more exposure control, it has 13 shooting modes, including
subject-based modes and semi-auto modes such as aperture priority --
it seems there are very few of these compact cam's (if any that i know
of) that have fully manual aperature settings -- Which is why I would
recommend that you take a step up and get more of an SLR-type camera
(see below)...


If you want an SLR type camera, which has a lot of manual controls,
interchangeable lenses, etc. (though not quite as compact of
course)... Check out something like:

1) Nikon Coolpix 8700 8MP (about $US 859 )

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001EY1GY

I have this camera and it's great! If you're getting more serious
about more control in your digital photogrpahy, this is a great
camera. This is an SLR type camera -- a nice step up from what you
have now.

In terms of what you're looking for specifically: It has Movie Mode --
four movie modes actually: TV movie (640 x 480 pixels; 30 fps) with
audio, Small movie (320 x 240 pixels; 15 fps) with audio, sepia movie
(320 x 240 pixels; 5 fps) with audio, and time-lapse movie (640 x 480
pixels; 30 fps). Image quality is awesome at 3264 x 2448 images for
poster-size print enlargements. The 8x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens (f/2.8
- 4.2) offers a focal range of 8.9-71.2mm (equivalent to 35-280mm in
35mm format)

2) Canon PowerShot Pro 1

http://digital-camera.review-center....SIN=B0001G6U5C

I'm not as familiar with the cam, but I hear it's an awesome camera if
you're getting serious about digital photography. I have the Coolpix
(#1 above) so I'm not as familiar with this PowerShot, but both are
somewhat similar -- just depends on the exact features you want. You
can read comments about it from people who own it to see if it fits
your needs.

You can also browse cameras by brand in the lower right side of the
page to check out some other brands you didn't mention, like Casio, HP
and Kodak. Though Canon really makes the most popular digital cameras
by far, you can find some gems.

Good luck!


Anna,

SLRs are just too big for me, I'm the type of person who likes everything to
fit my pocket (currently Phone, Palm Tungsten & Optio S4).

Thanks for your input, the S60 is probably going to be the one I get, but I
want to investigate the Canon hot pixel problem I've heard about.
Compromising on the video quality certainly widens the choice a lot.

Thanks,

Neil