P&S Suggestions for new parents

[stmay]

Hello everyone,

I've been lurking on here for awhile and have found some really great suggestions so far. Thanks everyone! My wife and I have started a small start up photography business, but we are wanting to buy a new P&S camera for our best friends who just had a new baby last week.

I'm currently shooting with a 7d and she is using an XSi, so we are kind of partial to Canon equipment. Our friends have a 4 year old Coolpix P&S but we'd like to get them something a little higher quality that does decent video as well. A lot of their family members are out of town, so I'm sure they'll be wanting to post pics and videos online. We'd like to stay around the $200 - $250 range.

I was leaning towards the sx130, but the battery life reviews have scared me a little. I wish we had the money to spend on the s95, but it's a little out of our price range.

We'd really appreciate advice that anyone would be able to give us!

Thanks in advance!

[eyalg]

I fully understand your wishing you could get them an S95.
For under $250, I would recommend the SD4000 as a premium family shooter.
Even though it doesn't have the same large sensor as the S95, it does share
the S95's wide f/2.0 aperture, and even provides zoom & AF during video, which the S95 doesn't.
It's not a better camera than the S95 or even as good. It's just a fine camera in its own right.

[stmay]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll take a look at the SD4000.

Anyone else have any input on the SX130 or anything else?

Thanks again.