Buying a digital camera

I'm on the verge of buying a digital camera for the first time. Just a point-and-shoot I'd like to use for my trip to Vegas in a couple of weeks. I've been doing research online and talking to a couple of salespeople (at Staples and Best Buy) and have narrowed it down somewhat:

This Canon Powershot is the leader in the clubhouse. However, it is on the high end of my price range and I wonder if I can get a better bang for the buck with a different one. Practically all the online reviews rave about this one.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001SER492/ref=s9_simx_gw_s1_p23_t3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=0AERXB9C5GAV9HS1Z7EW&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470939031&pf_rd_i=507846

The other ones I have been considering:

Sony Cybershot. Gets pretty good reviews and a costs less for an increased MP (12.1) and zoom (4X) although I think the Canon specs (10MP. 3X zoom) are more than adequate. However, the thing with this is that it takes the Memory Stick cards, which I've read are more expensive and not as accessible as the SDHC cards for the others:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Cybershot-DSC-W220-Digital-Stabilization/dp/B001O9ARDG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1246991617&sr=8-1

The other is the Nikon Coolpix. It's the lowest price camera among my "finalists," but the online reviews are all over the map, with many saying it's horrible and quite a few other saying it's great.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Coolpix-S220-Digital-Plum/dp/B001PK6C7Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1246991828&sr=1-2

So, any of you out there that can give my any insight on any of these for a novice person getting his first camera, it would be appreciated.

 

Oh, I almost forgot: How many pics can I reasonably expect to carry in the camera's internal memory? How many in the 4GB memory card I plan to buy along with the camera?

 

I just bought a my second camera on Ebay. $70 bucks for a new (floor model) Casio Exilim with 7.2 megapixels. It's a bargain if you don't mind the scratches.

The number of pictures is dependent on how many megapixels you have. My 7.2 megapixel camera can hold about 250 photos on a 2gb card (or at least that's as high as I've gotten before.)

 

Canon or Nikon.

Frequent www.fatwallet.com and www.slickdeals.net a few times a day for deals.

 

I don't know the technical term for it, but pay attention to the time it takes between shots. With the flash, my camera (a Nikon) takes for-freaking-ever to reset for the next shot. I can't even express the number of great moments I've missed waiting for that damn thing.

 

Shutter speed?

 

I purchased my first digital camera before a trip to Chicago earlier this year. I think I did more research on that camera than any other gadget I've ever purchased. I toyed around with some in-store floor models in addition to reading reviews on CNET.

In the end I went with the Panasonic DMC-TZ5. I chose it because I've had few issues with other Panasonic-made gadgets, Panasonic is one of the few manufacturers that uses glass lenses, and the camera can also shoot HD video. The viewscreen is larger than what comes on most cameras. There are a variety of different photo modes and settings. Capturing still photos from video is simple. I also like that you can view two photos side by side on the viewscreen. It has 10x optical zoom which is higher than the 3x to 5x zoom that seemed to be standard for most other cameras. Digital zoom bumps up to 16x but is a pain in the ass unless you're using a tripod. 9.0 megapixels translates to excellent looking photos. The camera also came with the necessary cable to connect the camera to a computer via USB as well as a cable to hook it up to the RCA inputs of a television or other video source.

I picked one up at Best Buy on sale for $225 [$75 off] although several online retailers had them available for under $200. I highly recommend it for the variety of features as well as its ease of use.

 

It's not just that, though. It's the power recharging for the next flash. And it seems like it takes forever to refocus. It's maddening. I can probably take two pictures a minute.

 

We just bought the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H20. Less than a week into it, and we like it quite a bit.

 

The Panasonic camera I discussed above has a "burst mode" that takes three to four pictures a second without the use of the flash. I've taken photos in low light settings without the flash and they've come out fine. As a matter of fact, I rarely use the flash on my camera at all.

 

My camera (a Sony) has a similar sort of issue that drives me nuts -- any time you take a picture using the flash, the time between pushing the button and the camera actually taking the photo seems like forever. It's enough of a problem to keep us from buying another Sony.

This camera replaced a Canon; I'd go back to that brand. In addition to it being an excellent camera, Canon provided excellent service. Once the camera got dropped and knocked something out of wack (technical term), and they fixed it for free even though it was out of warranty.