Shoutbox

I'm looking to buy a new camera, I'll be doing a lot of traveling starting January and want a digital camera for around ~250 (Definitely less than 300 though). I've read great reviews about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7... but I can't decide.

I've also considered the Nikon Coolpix S8100 and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5 (Though the Sony doesn't convince me, it has much less zoom, and I think the only difference is that it's compact? I really don't care that much about size).

I'll shoot some videos so I want it to have good video quality, but it won't be it's primary use.

This is a questionnaire some other forum had, just posted there but I figured one of you guys might know about cameras...

Camera Type

• Are you looking for a compact point & shoot camera, a DSLR, or something in between? (Or perhaps you haven't decided yet — that's okay!)
- Size isn't that important. I care about image quality.

• Is this your first camera? First ever, or first digital?
- No

• Are you interested in a high level of control, or would you prefer to let the camera do as much "thinking" as possible?
- Undecided, I mean if it has really efficient auto-settings then that's great, but it's not that big a deal. Image quality is the most important.

• If you had to choose, would you prefer a more versatile (large "×") zoom lens, or top-notch image quality with no zoom at all?
- I want it to have zoom, but I think I'm willing to compromise on zoom for better quality.

• What size of camera do you want? To what degree would you be willing to sacrifice other features for compactness?
- Compactness is irrelevant, as long as it's not huge, it's fine.

Budget

• What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
- Around 250.

• Do you plan to spend more on additional accessories now or in the future? (Lenses, lighting, tripods, batteries, memory cards, camera bags... it adds up!)
- Yes, but that's not included in the 250, it's fine.

• How long do you plan on keeping this new camera?
- For as long as possible

Usage

• What will you generally use the camera for?
- Traveling a lot starting January.

• Are you going to photograph sports? What sport, and from how far away?
- Not primarily, might at some point.

• Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos, or other low-light photos?
- Not primarily

• Will you make prints, or primarily view and share images on a computer screen? If you make prints, will they typically be small (up to 5×7") or medium sized (8×10"), or are you interested in larger sizes as well?
- Will probably print several, but I want to be able to view them to have great quality so that they can be used as a desktop background on my 24" screen.

• Are you interested in spending time post-processing to make an image "perfect", or would you prefer to use images basically straight from the camera?
- I will spend some time on my favorites, but I'd like them to be great straight from the camera - there'll probably be a lot of them.

Miscellaneous

• Are there particular lenses or technical features that are interesting or important to you?
- Not really, I would like panorama but I'm willing to compromise.

• Are there particular brands or models you already have in mind?
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7, Nikon Coolpix S8100, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5 are the ones I've heard are the top ones within my price range. I'm open to suggestions.

Thank you!