I need a new Digital Camera

[He Man]

I'm a big canon fan, and i'm looking for something thats durable and can take a nice pic.  I tend to break alot of my stuff in less than a year and my Canon SD700 lasted me 18months. I found out the flaw that made all canons break when they see me. The motor that moves the lens is located on the bottom right corner, which is where it tends to get hit the most by me swiping by a wall, or dropping it. I'm totally down for another canon SD camera, ill just glue neoprene and put a shield of Stainless shield there to prevent it from breaking (3 of my canons have all failed due to lens failure, which i recently found out was caused by a broken gear from repeated drops/smashes) I also have a tenedency to get soaked with the camera in my pocket from rain or...leaving it in the washing machine.  but that has never casued any issues as far as i know.

Olympus has this waterpoof/freeze proof/ shock proof camera, but i purchased one of the older models (back in the 6megapixel days) and the picture quality was poor as shit, i'm not sure if it has gotten any better either. Dpreview has no reviews of it except for user reviews, and they all say that the battery compartment leaks in water, theres also no review for picture quality.

Aside from another Canon SD series, and the Olympus Stylus series, does anyone have any recommendation? I would love to buy a Canon G9, but id probably cry myself a river when i break it in the first week.

[Airborne]

If size isnt an issue just spend the extra 100 bucks or so and get a entry level digital slr. I have a gen 1 digital rebel and its been excellent. In my opinion your just wasting your time and money with pocket cameras, you can't expect miracles out of what are essentially point and shoots.

I cant freaking figure out how to post photos here from my picasa (it never works for this board) so give me your email and I'll send you a few pics to make you a believer.

[KnightofNi]

i have grown quite frustrated with my point ands shoot and am looking for a new one too. a friend has the canon s5 is. he loves it, but i want a bit more functionality. i think i'm going to bite the bullet and get a dslr (prob a nikon d40) and an 18-200mm lens.

the sony alpha look pretty good as do the rebels, but i havne't gotten to play with the canon.

depending on how into it you are, you can spend around $300 and get something liek the s5 is which does take good pics, or you can spend $400 on a dslr camera body and then another $400 -$800 on a good lens.

[He Man]

I have a Canon DSLR already, i think its the Rebel XT, not sure, i rarely use it except when im specificly looking to take pictures, but i cant lug that thing around with me (id break it in a second) I also had a S1IS and S2IS, that was the best digital camera i've ever owned in terms of controls/quality/and price, but again, its too bulky to carry with me anywhere, same thing happened as my SD, droped it  a couple times and i got a Lens error. The new S5IS looks like a great compact imitation SLR, but i'm looking for a durable point and shoot that can dish out some pics that look good. Nothing too noisy indoors, and can still produce vivid colors outside.

If i had a huge budget, id get the Canon G9. Slimmer than the S5, i think the only difference in the two is the huge 12x zoom vs the 6x zoom, i think they both share the same ccd and are both digic III equiped. But the G9 is a whooping $399. 

[Speeddog]

Canon Powershot S5-IS here.

Love it. It ain't no pocket camera.

These are all posted via flickr, so they're 800x600...full size ones are much nicer.

[Manny]

I used to be a Canon fan, but their newer stuff is largely made of cheap plastic parts. I won't buy a camera with a plastic bayonet. 

For a point and shoot, I've heard good things about the Coolpix line. And I've had good luck with the Cybershot stuff that I use at work.

[c_rex]

Loved my Powershot before it got stolen out of our baby's diaper bag.     It took great pictures for such a tiny camera.
I'm a knucklehead when it comes to photography but I like to have a little camera handy when I travel.  Wifey replaced the Powershot with some P.O.S. brick of an HP for my birthday.  "um... yes dear that is... exactly...what I wanted(?)"

I guess it was okay though because I had just bought her a fully decked out Canon Digital SLR, D20 I think it was.  She used to be a photo journalist and knows how to use these things.  Anyhow- the difference in photo quality between that camera and any other we've had is huge-mongous.  Even I can take decent pictures when it's set on auto-program.  Plus you don't have to wait for the picture and groan everytime you missed a shot because the battery was charging for the next photo.  It is a big rig though.  I still use the P.O.S. HP on occassion because it travels easier, and besides- I have a better chance of accidentally dropping it the more I carry it around. 

[mihama01]

For a small Digital SLR try the Olympus E-420. I found my Canon Rebel just too big.

The E-420 seems to be similar in size to the old 35mm film SLRs. i.e. a lot smaller than the usual Nikon/Canon/Sony they sell now.

[Big T]

Just went through the process of buying a new cam and went for the Canon G9..... Best bang for buck feature wise for a P&S.... 

Can do a lot of DSLR stuff with it..... Would buy it again, & again & again......

[ROBsS4R]

Check out www.dpreview.com

That should lead you in the right direction 

[mtnrider]

I have had a G7 for over a year now. It is a great camera. Buy the G9

[echelon]

Last week I picked up a Sony Alpha 350 with 8GB card. Its pretty inexpensive for its category and I am happy with the quality of the photos, image stabilization, and its battery life. 

Even fooling around, learning its limits I taken a couple of stunning photos (for me) that have become my screen savers.

I just wish it was smaller to pack/carry.

[TiNi]

i have grown quite frustrated with my point ands shoot and am looking for a new one too. a friend has the canon s5 is. he loves it, but i want a bit more functionality. i think i'm going to bite the bullet and get a dslr (prob a nikon d40) and an 18-200mm lens.

the sony alpha look pretty good as do the rebels, but i havne't gotten to play with the canon.

depending on how into it you are, you can spend around $300 and get something liek the s5 is which does take good pics, or you can spend $400 on a dslr camera body and then another $400 -$800 on a good lens.

you are going to love this camera 
i have the d50, it's great.

look for a package that includes a bag and an extra lens when you buy it... try b&h photo.

[He Man]

I finger banged the G9 today, and holy boy! that thing is awesome. Circuit City is selling it at 429.99 and my friend works there, so he's going to try to get me a discount. If i can get it around $350ish, thats the camera im gonna pick up!

The S5IS is defintely a step up from the S1 and S2 in many many ways, I would love to own a few cameras for different occasions, and this camera would be perfect for the " pack light, but powerful equipment" list.

[He Man]

Well if anyone is intrested in knowing, my friend got me a 10% discount at cirucit city, and can get me the camera for $383 + tax. but he bumped into the sales rep for canon, and theres going to be a price drop on the G9 supposely because of some new products being announed or being released in about a week or two. So im going to wait it out.

life sucks without a digital camera, its as bad as my friends who loose their cell for a week.