JP,
I suggest you browse a few of the digital camera review sites. There are some very good ones, the following being some I know of:
<A HREF="http://www.dpreview.com/" target="_new">http://www.dpreview.com/</A>
<A HREF="http://www.imaging-resource.com/" target="_new">http://www.imaging-resource.com/</A>
which includes an interesting camera comparison feature: <A HREF="http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM" target="_new">http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM</A>
<A HREF="http://www.dcresource.com/" target="_new">http://www.dcresource.com/</A>
Of course this will lead to information overload as there are SO many choices and new cameras coming out all the time.
I think you need to determine your major use for this camera, and tune your choice accordingly. If it is for on-line publication, you may not need that many megapixels since the image files get huge. If it is for making larger format hardcopies, then you will want lots of megapixels.
Optical zoom IS important. Moving up 2 feet when you are 30 feet away isn't going to help much, but a 6X vs. a 3X optical zoom IS going to make a big difference. On the otherhand, if you are doing mostly web publication, the digital zoom does help when you shoot at lower resolutions than the camera's maximum. This is only true with reasonably high megapixel cameras. For example, if I only want a 1024x768 image, I get full imager resolution at 3X optical plus 2X digital zoom (6X total) with my 3mp, 2048x1536 max resolution camera. Just remember that the digital zoom is just using less and less of the imager's pixels to make the image. You can get the exact same image by cropping the full resolution image later in your photo editing program. The advantage of the digital zoom is that you will get a smaller image file for the original which saves storage space.
Consider also the macro (close focus) capability. Some cameras do astounding things (especially the Olympus and Nikons from what I've seen). On the other hand, this may not be important for your usage.
Another consideration is low light capability, both image quality and ability to autofocus in low light. This is a "hidden" problem with most non-pro (read SLR) digital cameras in that thay are all "rangefinders", so the optical viewfinder is useless for focusing. The optical viewfinders are also quite inaccurate in framing the picture. So in low light, you either have to attempt to focus manually using the now very dim (but probably much brighter than the actual image??) LCD or you have to let the camera do it's best to auto focus for you. A good flash capability helps, but this is usually not that great on these cameras.
That said, there are lot's of good choices in your price range, but the more full featured cameras will be larger in general. I'd look at the Canon G2 and G3 (new) and also the near top of the line Sony's like the Sony DSC-S85. If the image quality has been improved (over the C-700) the Olympus C-720 also looks interesting.
I ended up with a Canon S30. I like the Canon color rendition better than most (VERY personal choice), and the size VS features ration is good. I feel the S40 offers little advantage (4mp vs 3.2mp) in that I think the lens becomes the limiting resolution factor.
Be aware that you can usually get adaptor lenses to (approximately) double (and more in some cases) the telephoto or wide angle capability of the basic camera lens. This isn't as convenient as more optical zoom, but it does do the job when you need it. I was even able to get an "adaptor" for adaptor lenses for my S30 even though it is not designed to allow this.
Lastly, I strongly recommend that you handle the camera in person before you buy it. Reviews and on-line purchasing is great, but if the camera just doesn't handle right for you, you might regret not trying it out first.
Good hunting!
BW
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by bw37 on 09/30/02 01:46 PM.</EM></FONT></P>
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