Hi everyone,

I've been reading through the posts on this site, and it is all so very helpful, so thank you for that. I am looking to buy a new camera to replace my Canon PowerShot S400. The flap that covers the memory card is broken and I'm resigned to putting a rubber band around the camera to keep the flap in place. Figured rather than getting it fixed, I'd look into upgrading.

I was never extremely happy with the performance of the S400, especially in low light situations (indoor events such as Bar Mitzvahs, weddings,parties). Plus my photos always seemed soft rather than crisp and sharp. And blurryness was an issue from time to time (and I don't have a particularly unsteady hand).

I am looking for a good overall camera with video/audio capabilities. Size isn't super important, but I would like to be able to carry it around with me without too much of a hassle. I take pictures mostly of people, more often indoors than out.

In researching cameras, I see that the Fuji F10 has been recommended for low light situations.I'm not too crazy about the design or the xD card, though (although not enough to deter me from buying the camera if it's the best for my needs).

The style and image stabilization offered by the Lumix cameras draws me to them, but I am concerned about the noise people seem to experience in low light situations.

Basically, I'm looking for a great overall camera, for indoors and out. A decent zoom would be nice for performances, concerts, etc. Like I mentioned, I take pics mostly of people...also animals, and scenic shots from time to time.I would prefer to keep the price under $350 if possible.

I've narrowed it down to the following. ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated.



~ Panasonic Lumix LZ5

~ Panasonic Lumix TZ1

~ Panasonic Lumix FX9

~ Panasonic Lumix FX01

~ Fuji F10

~ Canon Powershot A540

~ Canon Powershot A620



Do any of these stand out in front of the others in terms of overall performance? And is the low light capibiliy of the Fuji that much better than the rest? Or are there others that I might look into instead?

Thanks in advance!

If you want the best picture quality in low light Fuji would be the winner. A lot of people have fears of buying a xD card because they are expensive. Really, they are not that more expensive compaired to SD card. If 1GB is enough for you to work with, you can fine one for about $40.

The only other camera that will stand out from the rest will be the panasonic TZ1 because it has a high 10x optical zoom.

One neat feature that the Panasonic FX01 is that it has a wider lense then a typicall PnS digital camera. Its not really considered wide angle but at 28mm is pretty good since most camera starts at 38mm. I just ordered this camera for my GF and I should be better it soon.
The panasonic FX9 seems very similiar to the FX01. The body and the size are the same but the FX01 has a bigger battery, wider lense, 16:9 video recording, and able to shoot at a higher ISO. Also the FX01 is a newier camera and it is $10 cheaper when priced at bhphoto.com
I beleive the LZ series is panasonic's entry level camera.

I cant say much about canon because I never used them because I dont like canon. Nothing is wrong with canon, they make great camera but for some reason I just dont like them.:lol:

WELL- those are all nice compact cams but the advantage of the Panasonic FZ 30 would make it a no brainer to me. Here are a few of the advantages:

12 x optical zoom lens (made by Leica)

Video at 640 or 320 and at 30 or 10 fps,

And with this cam you canZOOM in video

mode because it uses a manual zoom.

Oh - and can shoot video as much as the SD

card will hold.

Ah- and image stabalization too.

A fabulous cam. selling a bit under 500 when if you look hard enough.

Don't know if this matters or not, but the Canon A610 (one of my favorites) is on sale at my local OfficeMax for $230.