cassidyfan

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm still researching reviews on dpreview and Steve's digicam. I'm so torn. I really was hoping for something smaller and cheaper unless it will truly replace both my camera and video camera. I found a new Kodak that looked promising, but it has no view finder. Now I've read that IS increases shutter lag??...shutter lag terrifies me. lol. So now I'm wondering if I should give up the high optical zoom...my zoomed photos always end up dark anyway. Ugh.

I'm looking for a recommendation for a digital camera and/or video camera. I take pics and video of EVERYTHING, and I've tried many times to learn how to set shutter speeds and so on to be a "real" photographer but when it comes time to take a photo, I always just use the standard mode, so I'm looking for something simple, preferably smallish, that will take clear pics. Right now I have a Minolta Z2 that I got in 2004. At the time it was one of only a few cameras that would take video...I love that feature. I'd like to be able to do away with a video camera altogether...or is that crazy? Is there a camera available that would allow me to video a clip and print good quality still pics from it? I don't need a lot of megapixels because I rarely print larger than 4 x 6. I definitely want plenty of optical zoom and image stabilization. I'd love to be able to take great action shots of my DD on stage during school programs. I don't care if you can add lenses or a flash (my Minolta lets me do that but I've never bothered to learn). I'd go as high as $700-$800 if I could replace both my camera and video camera, but of course $200-$300 would be better. Am I dreaming? Thanks for any advice!