Phil,
My old 5 mega pixel camera crapped out yesterday and I can't stand to be without a camera, so today I ordered a Canon Powershot A700 (
A700 review). After shopping around using Yahoo Shopping and Price Grabber, I ordered in from 6th Ave Electronics City (
6th Ave). They had the best price and good ratings on Price Grabber.
I spent several hours looking through the reviews on Steve's Digicams (
Steve's Digicams) and Imaging Resource (
Imaging Resource). I wanted a smallish camera, at least a 6 mega pixel, with a zoom lens. I also wanted one that took SD cards (which I already had) and AA batteries. My last camera used proprietary batteries which did not last long, were very hard to get, and were quite expensive. I wanted to avoid that hassle this time around.
Another important aspect for me is shutter lag. I have three little kids and it's hard to get them to sit still long enough to take their pictures. I've had older cameras that had so much lag that I missed a lot of good photo opportunities waiting for the camera to snap the picture or to take a second shot.
I prefer a small digital camera so that I can carry it around with me without much effort. I still have my Nikon 35mm cameras laying around if I need them, and someday I plan to get a Nikon SLR digital so that I can use all of my Nikon lenses. It was always a pain to lug around the 35mm camera, lenses and case, and there's been no real need for the big camera since I went digital. Someday, however...
I like my Nikons, so I was interested in getting one of their Coolpix models. After reading all of the review, I decided that they took too long to power up, had too much shutter lag, and most used proprietary batteries. I eventually ruled them all out.
Next I checked Olympus, but passed on those too.
I started looking at the Canons and was impressed by what I read in the reviews. I really liked the PowerShot SD700 IS. (
SD700 IS) It is tiny! and it got very good reviews. I like the idea of image stabilization and the all weather body, but it uses a proprietary battery. The best price I found on the SD700 IS was $450 including shipping.
Next I looked at the PowerShot S3 IS. It is basically an upgraded version of the S2. Like the S2, the S3 has image stabilization and a 12x optical zoom. (
S3 IS) Steve's lengthy review says in part;
Canon retained the S2's versatile 12x 36-432mm zoom lens, but increased resolution from 5.2 to 6.3-megapixels, raised the maximum sensitivity from ISO 400 to ISO 800, and increased the size of the LCD monitor from 1.8 to 2-inches. The camera's feature-rich exposure system is simple enough for a beginner, yet offers advanced photographers plenty of opportunity for creativity.
The best price on the S3 was $421 with free shipping.
After looking at the reviews for these cameras I decided to stop by my local Office Depot and take a look at them. The SD700 IS is really amazing. You will not believe how small it is, and that such a tiny camera could be so capable. Office Depot didn't have an S3, but they had the S2, which is almost exactly the same size. The S2, while not really large, is quite a bit bigger than the other cameras I had been looking at (and my now deceased Kyocera S5R). It's kind of in between the size of a 35mm and the pocket sized digitals. If I'd never had a small camera I probably wouldn't have cared, but the S2 (and S3) is just larger than I really want for my all around camera.
I left Office Depot with mixed emotions. I really liked the SD700 IS, but really wanted a camera that takes AA batteries. I didn't really like the size of the S2/S3, but the 12x zoom would be sweeeet, and it got great reviews.
When I got home I went back to Steve's list of 6+ mega pixel reviews and went through the list again (
6+ reviews). This time I noticed another Canon that I had passed over before. I started looking at the 6 mega pixel Powershot A700. The camera is a little bigger than the SD700, but is still a small camera. It has a 6x optical zoom and got outstanding reviews from Steve's and from Imaging Resource. Steve's review concluded with;
Bottom line - The Canon PowerShot A700 is an awesome consumer digital camera. One that I would highly recommend to anyone in the market for a fair priced model with loads of user friendly features and outstanding image quality and performance. Its 6x optical zoom will blow away the competition's typical 3x zoom, and with 6-megapixels, you can create beautiful 13x19-inch or larger prints. With an MSRP of only US$349, it offers an excellent value and is sure to be a very popular model this year.
On top of all that the A700 can be had for $286.06 (6 cent shipping for some reason).
By then I was torn between the medium sixed,12x, imaged stabilized, S3 and the small, 6x, non-stabilized, A700. I thought how nice the 12x would be on vacations and for taking knife photos. I also considered the ease of carrying the A700, the fact that it still has double the zoom of the camera I had been using, and the fact that it cost about $135 less than the S3.
I finally made my decision after comparing the sample photos on Steve's Digicams website; two photos taken with each camera. (
A700 samples -click on "Test Images" and,
S3 samples -click on "Test Images") I found the A700 images to be quite a bit clearer than the S3 images. That put me over the edge in favor of the A700 and I ordered it a few minutes later.
That is my saga of selecting a new digital camera. Hopefully the information will be of use to someone else.
Maybe I should try standing 1.1 meters away. 
Actually, I'm pretty sure I'm just going to get a different camera and sell this one to some sucker somewhere. 
I'm leaning strongly in the direction of the Canon S2. It looks like it has everything I'll need.
f course you should always add some "human interes" photos!They'll pour in a week or two .Then of course they'll have to take down the old one ! You can get battery holders for 2,4,8 batteries .Loose ones are dangerous !!......The AA size NIMH batteries first were available at 900 mAhours . They are now up to 2700 mAhours !!! It's impossible to keep up with all the changes.
, with little warning when it's going out... 
