I think you can consider buying Nikon Coolpix L100 10MP Digital Camera # 15x optical wide-angle (28-420mm) Zoom-Nikkor glass lens# 3.0-inch LCD and Electronic Viewfinder; 4-way VR image stabilization# Nikon's Smart Portrait System; Red-eye Fix, Face Priority AE and morehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PK8…

I just replaced my trusty ZS3 with the new ZS7 and, so far, I am very pleased with this camera. The output is much cleaner and smoother than the ZS3's, much more refined. Compared to the ZS7, the ZS3 produced images that look brittle and over-processed. As with virtually all small-sensor cameras, the ZS7's images are a little noisy (even at base ISO) if you look close enough. But noise is far less objectionable than ragged edges and smeared details, which is what I usually got from the ZS3. The images I'm getting from the ZS7 look surprisingly good even at 100% on-screen enlargement; whereas the ZS3's output was virtually unusable at this magnification. The improvement is dramatic. Considering that the ZS7's resolution has also increased from 10 to 12 MP (it's actually a 14 MP sensor that is masked to create different aspect ratios), I'd say that Panasonic has done a really good job here. The ZS7 improves on the ZS3 in several ways; but for me the most important new feature is Picture Adjustments, which let you turn down the amount of sharpening and noise reduction that are automatically applied to every image. Photographers who do their own post-processing will appreciate the ability to apply their own preferred methods of sharpening and noise reduction. The next most important new feature (imho) is the addition of aperture/shutter-priority shooting modes. There isn't much latitude for adjusting the f-stop in most small-sensor cameras because of defraction effects; but it's great to be able to control the shutter speed manually. The ZS7 also adds GPS, which can (thankfully) be turned off. Leaving it on shortens battery life. Other improvements that I appreciate include (1) improved image stabilization, (2) new Venus processing engine, (3) High Dynamic mode, and (4) the LCD now has a good anti-glare coating. All things considered, the ZS7 is an impressive upgrade that is easily worth the price.Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-ZS7-…

I like nikon way better. But, another camera you should get instead is a Casio Exilim Ex-h10 because it has 10x zoom and 12.2 megapixels! You can find it for like 200$ and also casio is better than nikon and canon

If you like to do extreme things then the Fuji is for you. :P I think the Panasonic is mostly for regular photography. I'd totally get the Fuji though. That's an awesome camera. :P In fact... I think I want one!

for $350 you can consider you can consider buying Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 12.1MP Digital Camera# 27mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens; # 18x optical zoom with POWER O.I.S.# HD movies with 1280 x 720-pixel resolution; AVCHD Lite format# 2.7-inch TFT LCD screenhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IKL…Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 - Digital camera # 20x optical zoom; 28mm wide-angle Sony G-Lens# Capture up to 10 frames per second; HD (1080p) movie capture# 3.0-inch Clear Photo LCD tilt display; 90-degree tilt, horizontal and verticalhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001U3Z…Canon PowerShot SX20IS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoomhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LIT…for $400 Sony Alpha A230L 10.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot INSIDE Image Stabilization and 18-55mm Lenshttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029U0…

I would suggest to go with Canon PowerShot SD780IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCDhttp://www.best-discount-deals.com/1_4_b…

The Canon web site lets you compare cameras side by side - that would give you the answer to this question.

I prefer Canon over Nikon any day. It goes without saying to me that I suggest you get the Canon but I'll back myself up a bit. Both cameras have about the same amount of megapixels, around 12 so they'll have about the same quality. 12 megapixels is pretty good for a handheld point and shoot digital camera, almost seems hard to believe for me because my professional camera has 15.1 megapixels. They both have about the same zoom range as far as I can tell. Canon has better quality photos at high ISO levels than Nikon does and the Canon has Image Stabilization and a top of the line image processor. You will get better pictures in darker situations with the Canon and you will get blurry pictures less often with the Canon than you will with the Nikon.

When it comes to low-end SLRs, the most important thing to worry about is ISO sensitivity and noise reduction. Since smaller SLRs have smaller lenses that let in less light, they need a camera that can handle higher ISOs and still not have a noise issue when shooting in low light. So, for your situation, I would recommend the D3000. Canon just can't compete with Nikon's enhanced noise reduction in cameras like these.

This Canon camera is the best digital camera I've had yet. Its about half the size, but double the picture quality which is fantastic. I've found that Canon is always the easiest to use and takes the best pictures so you really can't go wrong with this camera. It was also really worth the price. I HIGHLY recommend this camera to everyone!!PowerShot SD780IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-Di…