Hi guys. I bought a Canon S400 a couple of days after it was released several years ago, and have happily taken thousands of photos with it ever since. It takes remarkably good photos by any consumer-level standard, but especially for a digital sub-compact. Unfortunately, it is starting to get buggy on me. It'll randomly tell me I have a "memory card error" and not let me take or review any pictures. Later it'll be fine again. It happens with any combination of batteries and memory cards I have, although it is more prone to happening when it is cold.
Anyway, I can't depend on this camera anymore, so it is time to get something new. I already have extra compact flash cards and batteries, so i was thinking of staying with this model. You're also hard pressed to find another subcompact with so many features and such good quality. I also might up the MP and go with the S500 instead. Still, this camera has been out for almost three years, so it seems like there must be something better out there.
I was going to go for the Canon SD series, but I hear their reliability problems are even worse. Their lens isn't supposed to be as good, and the LCD is supposed to be particularly susceptible to damage. I'd prefer to have at least as many features on my new camera as with the S400 (ISO controls, many white balance and flash options, exposures of several seconds when need- up to 15 on the S400, 3x zoom, panoramic mode and automatic picture orientation sensor). The Sony P200looks close, but the pictures really don't look any better in a lot of ways (unless you do big enlargements). I also don't like the proprietary Sony memory. I still haven't ruled that out yet though. Has anybody had them both?
Have any S400 users reading this made upgrades? What did you get, and what comparissons would you make?
Thanks for the advice.