I like Cannon. I think they are the best on the market for the price. Sony has what some folks consider a better lens (Zies), but the Cannon’s have a better image stabilization. The Cannons use a “floating” optic vrs digital.
Two years ago I bought the Optura 200 MC and love it. If I were to buy a dig cam today, I’d give the Optura 500 a serious look. It’s one step down from the 600 and about half the cost. You can find the 500 for about $600. It’s got a 10X optical zoom and a 4 meg still picture pixel rate. My 200 has a 1.3 meg pixel rate for stills.
Some points to consider with these little buggers. 1) comfort 2) zoom 3) still shots 4) battery life 5) size 6) the screen illumination
You should really hold a few. I prefer the palm cameras like the one I have. Keep in mind that you will usually use the screen while shooting, but sometimes, you will have to use the view finder due to ambient light.
Get at least 10X optical zoom.
It’s pretty darn handy to have the ability to take stills so you aren’t packing around the dig camcorder and another camera. Make sure the camera has a separate memory stick for stills. Saving them to the tape sucks.
These things suck down batteries pretty quick. And they recharge slowly…..this is a biggie to consider.
Too small is sometimes just too damn small. Again, hold a few to see what’s comfortable for you to hold. Light is good, but too light makes them wiggly in your hand.
There is a big difference with screens. Some don’t work worth a crap in the daylight. My Cannon works remarkable well.
