Optical Zoom V's Megapixel

[Guillaume]

I am soon going to be in the market for a new digital. Reason being the A40 is next to useless for landscape or any outdoor shots really.
I don't know too much about the digital side of things and can't decide which way to go - either a camera with more optical zoom 10-12x or a camera with higher resolution so I can zoom in on the computer.
Is my thinking correct or will zooming in on a higher resolution picture still give me average results?

[Moppie]

The A40 is fantastic for landscapes, and performs excellently out doors.
However its getting a little old, and if you want to get closer to your subject, with out actualy getting closer then you need something with a longer lens.

Your right that having a better optical zoom will be better than being able to crop closed from a larger image with more megapixels.

[S230]

I personally go with a camera that has better resolution for P&S because Zoom is still limited. If you need to get a closeup shot, move in closer. The A40 isn't bad but I agree with Moppie, it is getting old. I used the A70 and is pretty similar. The newer model I believe is the A95.
I currently still shoot with my S230 in weddings alongside with my DSLR's (just to tease) and it is only a 3.2MP. The Elph is quite decent eventhough it's tiny. People are still amazed at how good the shots are when developed. Many people during the weddings question as to why I still shoot with the S230 while I have other DSLR's that can blow it again but when they saw the results, end of question.
Actually, there is a professional photographer that publishes one of the more common (well known) photo magazines and some of the photos were taken with a P&S Camera. I think it's the A40. The images are amazing.

[Guillaume]

I think I will take all your advise and perhaps concentrate on composition when shooting rather than relying on the old crop tool (I find I crop approx 30-50% out of every shot).

Don't get me wrong the A40 has served me well, I will be keeping it as a light weight traveller and a P&S is very practical.

Here is one of my landscapes taken with the A40.

[wmd]

You could get a S2 IS.

It's a great P&S and it's 5MP and it's got a 12x optical zoom and image stabiliser, a swivel LCD screen(handy for candid/overhead shots).

It also does good video footage, for a stills camera.

I've had mine for a month now and the only thing I don't like too much is the viewfinder. It's slow to react/update when trying to take multiple shots.

[Briancd]

The Australian bush looks the same whatever part of the country you are in. Where was this taken?

[Salleke]

You could get a S2 IS.

It's a great P&S and it's 5MP and it's got a 12x optical zoom and image stabiliser, a swivel LCD screen(handy for candid/overhead shots).

It also does good video footage, for a stills camera.

I've had mine for a month now and the only thing I don't like too much is the viewfinder. It's slow to react/update when trying to take multiple shots.

Wrmd - That's the reason I bought me one and haven't regretted it a second.
It's an amazing camera with lots of possibelities.