Camera Labs

I am in the market to buy a new digital camera & would like to get one that has at least 10x optical zoom or better & I prefer one that is considered 'compact', & I value photo quality over movie quality. I would like a camera that offers at least manual controls as I'd like to learn how to take more control sometimes. I am looking for a camera that I can use to take photos inside & outside, landscapes, wildlife, & of course family photos. I'd like to try night photography too if possible.

My current camera is a Canon PowerShot SD110 IS with 3.0 optical zoom & 8.0 MPs. I have been very happy with the quality of the photos it takes, although they seem to come out a tad bit dark at times. My previous camera was a Canon PowerShot A80 & I love it--it took great photos! Prior to that, I had an Olympus digital camera.

So far I've been leaning towards the Sony Cyber-Shot HX9V, although some people complain about the image quality. I'm not a pixel peeper & if I print photos, the largest I print is usually 5x7 inches.

I've also considered the Nikon Coolpix s9100 but I've heard that a lot of people have had problems with it freezing up after a few months of use. Of course, there is the Canon PowerShot SX230 but I've read that the flash pops up all the time, even when you have it shut off.

What do you all think is best of the three I've mentioned? What others might be better that I should consider? I'm really confused by all the reviews I've read--information overload.

Thanks!

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Dreamspinner3

I have the HX9V. It is definitely not a camera for pixel peepers for various reasons. But for 5x7 prints, you're not really going to see much if any difference between modern cameras. More of my thoughts on it here. I would add, while it has a manual mode, they are of limited use and aren't fun to use. 99% of the time, this is point and shoot!

Also consider the Panasonic TZ series. I don't know which models are current.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.