[>>> Official Black Friday DIGITAL CAMERA Discussion Thread <<<]

That is exactly what I was going to recommend!

 

One of the amazing things about the S5 is you can add a hot shoe flash if you decide you ever need some extra power for your lighting!

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.

[>>> Official Black Friday DIGITAL CAMERA Discussion Thread <<<]

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!