Help please

[Matthew62024]

I am trying to decide what camera to buy for my sister for Christmas. I don't know a whole lot about the P&S market because I went from an old 4MP P&S to an XTi earlier this year.

What I want.
Something easy to use at first but with the ability to learn more about moving into Manual mode. She likes my camera but doesn't know how to use it.

Something kinda small but with a decent zoom on it. Something like 8x or 10x would be good.

I am looking to spend under $300 but willing to spend more if I have to. She doesn't really want a dSLR yet so I will probably hand mine down to her once I decide to upgrade.

She was looking at some online and liked the SX100IS. There are a few minor things that I am not crazy about with that camera. First, no viewfinder. Not major, but it would be nice to have that option. Second, I am not familiar with the shooting modes but I did notice that it didn't list Tv. Again, not a big issue since it does have Av and M.

I guess I am just trying to make sure there isn't a different camera that would be a better stepping stone up to dSLR then the SX100IS.

[Jon]

Yes, the SX100 has shutter priority as well as aperture priority and manual.

I'd suggest that (even with IS) you don't push zoom all the way to 8-10X. It's going to be hard for a new photographer to hold the camera steady even with IS, especially if there isn't an optical finder.

Take a look at the A series, from the A570 on up. Those all have 4-6x zoom, an optical viewfinder (I wouldn't get a P&S without one) and full Av, Tv and M controls. Auxiliary lenses are available later, if she finds the basic range isn't enough, and some models have IS as well. If the budget runs to it, the swing-out LCD of the A640 and A650 is really handy.

[Matthew62024]

Would you suggest an A640 or A650 over an A720 IS? 6x may be enough but I am not sure. I will have to see what she is using now but it is older and around 4MP. She has also used my old P&S that has 10x on it. I am a little worried about getting a shorter zoom if she is use to the longer zoom. I think the one she has now is 6x so I will see what she says.

Among the A series which one would offer the best quality picture along with Av, Tv and M controls? I also looked at the S5 IS a bit but is might be a little too big and a little high in price. How does the S5 compare in size to the A series and is it worth the extra cash?

[StaceyAnnie.]

I bought myself the S5 IS for Christmas : )
I think it's every bit worth the cost! It's a really great camera : )

But if your sister is new to the stuff I wouldn't recommend it.
A great camera for beginners would be the Sony Cybershot DSC H7.
I own it as well, it's very easy to use and you can build on it as well, add more lenses, filters etc.
For the art course i'm doing that was the camera we're assigned to use : )
because well, it's pretty much perfect for the student.
I found it also prepared me a little for the S5. :)

[StaceyAnnie.]

by the way the Sony Cybershot DSC H7 has 15x optical zoom which is..wow : )

[S-Man]

I'd say the S5 is a great camera, or even the S3. They work well for beginners in full "auto" mode, and can provide further practice as knowledge and skill increases with time with full manual controls. Plus the 12x zoom is great, and the movie mode is stupendous. The S5 can be had now from amazon for $320