Looking for a compact camera for quality pictures

I have been shopping around for a compact digital for quite awhile now but haven't actually found anyone that knows anything about cameras. They know about the camera they are selling but when I ask them about image quality they have absolutely nothing to say other than a repeat of its megapixels and the features. So besides the fact I want to invest in a really good camera without the equipment luggage. I would prefer really sharp and detailed photos without the major loss of color. I am a real newbie when it comes to photography but I want a camera that takes really good pictures and I'm willing to pay for something that will last me. Any suggestions would be great. I was concidering the Canon 850 Is but I have seen some sample images and they do not seem as clear as previous images.

I had a Canon A700 for a "knock-around camera" with which I was very pleased with the image quality (once I turned the in-camera sharpening down to its lowest setting - otherwise it tended to over-sharpen images that I made 8x10's from, although the more usual 4x6's were incredible). Unfortunately my wife has absconded with it, she loves it! My Dad is 74, he bought one after seeing the results from mine and also loves it (he can see what he's doing thanks to the big LCD screen). No, it doesn't match the images that come from my Canon 20D DSLR, but for a tiny camera that can be carried anywhere I find it hard to beat (get the Canon case that's made for it - for $10 it makes for a tiny package that leaves no excuse for not taking it along everywhere). Canon put a very fine lens on that camera and I got some nice 8x10's from it, my favorite being one of the Space Shuttle on the launch pad in Florida that show more detail than a point-& -shoot has any right to deliver. The newer A710, which adds image stabilization, would be even better.

jZ

I recommend the Canon S3 IS. It is a wonderful camera with great zoom and is easy to carry around. The image stabilization works great, and the image quality is awesome!

The A6x0 series cameras are excellent, I myself have and use the A630, it's a great little camera which produces excellent results. It also has rotating LCD screen, x4 optical zoom and full manual control settings. Highly recommended
P.S. There was an upgrade to the A6x0 series, A650 IS which added extra zoom and image stabilizer - may be worth a look.

Olegis wrote in post #4075943
The A6x0 series cameras are excellent, I myself have and use the A630, it's a great little camera which produces excellent results. It also has rotating LCD screen, x4 optical zoom and full manual control settings. Highly recommended
P.S. There was an upgrade to the A6x0 series, A650 IS which added extra zoom and image stabilizer - may be worth a look.

I second that. I have an a640 and it works great.

Alex_H wrote in post #4076260
I second that. I have an a640 and it works great.

I third that. I have an a640 and it's excellent!

I will definitely check out the A series then. Anyone know if the A650 IS is good. From the reviews and by looking at the specs it looks like a really promising camera for such a little package.

Since the A630/640 (and A610/620 before that) were all excellent cameras, there is no reason to believe that the newer model would not be good. They always seem to improve things in newer models, like operation speed, image quality with lower noise, better LCD displays, more features etc.

The main disadvantages of the A6x0 series (in my opinion) are -
1. Size and bulk (cannot really carry them in your pocket).
2. Lack of "normal" RAW support (RAW support is possible only with some kind of a special hacked firmware). This is more like a nitpicking because JPEG files are very good with this camera.

IMO, you should save money and get an A640 instead of an A650. The differences between the two are minimal. 2 megapixels? Insignificant! Here's an interesting article exploding the megapixel myth: http://www.kenrockwell​.com/tech/mpmyth.htm (By the way it's an interesting, informative site.)

The A650 does have slightly greater optical zoom capability -- 6X as opposed to 4X with the A640 -- which is kind of nice... but worth the extra cost? You're call.

Anyway I love my A640, and now that it's an "old" model the price is dropping. I recommend it highly.

Well, the 650 also has the DiGiC III processor, I agree about the 12 vs. 10 MP; in fact, if it weren't for the megapixel "arms race", they shoulda stopped at about 8 MP in the line (and put some of that effort into wider angle zoom lenses).

Fuji for low light. Fuji has awesome ISO levels and make nice cameras for a decent price unlike Canon. I won't buy a canon P&S save the nicer G and S series but that's a diff story for those.

I was looking for a good quality pocket camera, but I can't find any. All of them have noise at 400 Iso, and sometimes even at 200. I don't want that!!!! Can you tell me about noise and the A serie, because I think it's my next option.... Are they much biger than Ixus serie?

The sensors are about the same size, and that's what makes the difference WRT noise. So don't expect a real improvement in noise levels.

So, what can I buy!!! I spent hours and hours on internet, and no result for a compact camera good in low light condition and indoor pictures. I checked Fuji, the F31 will be perfect but out of stock, end of production. And the F40 and F50 don't have a very good reviews.

I finally bought an A650 IS today and I'm already loving it. It's so easy to use yet I still have quite a fair amount of control on my settings. Loving the rotating display and the image quality is really great for such a small compact camera. Thoughly please with it so far and I'm sure it continue to give me excellent photos to come. One question though it seems as though I can only zoom in so close to an object before it gets blurry. I changed the settings around but I can't seem to get it to focus. Any suggestions? I would really like to take come close up pictures of flowers and such in the spring. Although it looks as though I may need to buy another lens for it.