I am planning to replace my 10 years old olympus D-500L digital camera, which has only 0.8M resolution and costed me 600 USD at that time. I like the feature of having super zoom built in. so after a search at pricerunner with optical zoom >6, price <300, It gave the top 3 as these:

Sony CyberShot DSC-H5 Black
7.2 megapixel, 12x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom, USB, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Duo PRO, 406 gram, 3 inch LCD Best price £294

Canon PowerShot S3 IS Black
6 megapixel, 12x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom, USB, Secure Digital, 410 gram, 2 inch LCD Best price £259

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 Black
6 megapixel, 12x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom, USB, Secure Digital, MultiMedia Card, 308.4 gram, 2.5 inch LCD Best price £226.99

They all have fairly good reviews. The camera will be mainly used on taking kids out for short breaks, or maybe some hobby shooting. Has anybody got any experience with these cameras? Is 6 mega enough for A4 print-out?
which one is the best choice?

[pm79]

Even I have shortlisted these 3 cameras. Right now DSC H5 is on top priority considering it's resolution, ease of AA batteries, Carl Zeiss lens and offcourse name of sony . Does anyone who's used them can tell us more about these cameras. Thanks in advance.

[38H21543]

Maybe read this as it discusses all 3:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/SonyH5/page15.asp

[HCK]

I think it would hard to say that there is a clear winner....its going to be down to what camera suits you best....I have the Canon S2 IS. I chose it because the differenc between it and the S3 is marginal, it had a great movie mode and it uses AA batteries.

Is there a shop nearby where you can try these three out ?

[sbw]

Ive had the Canon S3 for a few days now and its brilliant. I had the same dilemma as yourself but after asking around and reading different reviews I plumped for the S3. You will find that people will recommend the Canon because they are synonymous with photography. One thing to consider is the Canon S2, its about £70 cheaper than the S3 and not too much different, and the money you save can be spent on memory, batteries and a decent bag.

And in answer to your question as to wether or not 6mp is enough for A4 its a resounding yes from me.

[Quiznite]

I use fz7 and I am really enjoying it . Have a look around flickr by tyoing camera in and see what you can do with each camera

Thanks for the advice. It seems after reading some reviews the H5 is marginally superior, but price wisely FZ7 might be better value for money. Probably FZ7 should be compared with Canon S2 or Sony H2, rather than the newer S3 or H5. Personally I like to use SD card and NiH battery, mainly because they are cheaper and easy to find. One thing I liked H5 is that it can take my filter collections from my Canon EF lens which has a 58 mm thread without using an adaptor. I am wondering if G3 or FZ7 also has 58 mm thread ring to take filters. I guess I have to go to Jessops to get a feel of these cameras.

[ste1010]

Originally Posted by sutyde

Canon PowerShot S3 IS Black
6 megapixel, 12x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom, USB, Secure Digital, 410 gram, 2 inch LCD Best price £259

Hi
Where have you seen the S3 for £259

cheers

Ste

[Quiznite]

Fz7 has a 52mm thread . Think you can get all filters in this size. should be able to get fz7 around £220 now ( black is more for some reason )