OK. I knew this was too easy. A few local spots were advertising the A710 for 256 ish. Went there last night or called there and they were sold out. The 570s, also sold out. The joy of shopping at Christmas.
My last stop was Staples where they had sold the last 710 for 250 something but had the replacement 720 for the same price. I was assured that it was the exact same camera with the addition of an additional MB of resolution. This made me nervous after my new learnings about how all that really worked but this was the last one so I grabbed it just in case I might get skunked altogether. I have 30 days to return if need be.
So now I have a new question.
I went home and read some user reviews, couldn't find any pro reviews, and they were mostly good but there were a few who mentioned that picture quality was 'sometimes' a little bit worse than the 710. Lorenzo, I aslo thank you for your comments I read this morning since they are now relevant.
Via specs, it seems to have the same brand & size sensor, and the same lens. Most other picture type features seem identical but they did an an extra ISO level (1600) so I assume there must be a processor change of some sort.
Modding it for a raw format is not really a concern for me this go around. I want good photo quality but it doesn't need to be professional grade.
Should I return the 720 and go for the safe bet and order a 570 online (I'll save 80 bucks or so ((well probably only 40 after shipping)) or should I stop fretting on the details and call my Christmas DONE, as my wife would have been just as happy with an 80 dollar Wallmart camera.
Still thankful and appreciative!
PS
I should also mention that I found a few more 710s online but every place that I found advertising stock had the price ridiculously jacked up to near or over the 400 dollar mark. I guess they realized there is a demand for the older model and are taking advantage of it. I won't even call to barter because it just makes me angry.
Murph
