----Best SUBCOMPACT camera ???----?

For a more compact camera, consider the Canon Powershot SD850-IS, which you can get from B&H Photo for $310. This is the new replacement for the SD700-IS. I admit that this is a canned answer about the _700_, but I have not seen an 850 in person yet. I would very seriously consider buying this for myself, though, and I expect it to be a top seller. Okay, here's my canned answer for the SD700-IS, which will help you learn about the SD850-IS, because it has the same features except it has the newer Digic III image processor and it is an 8 MP camera instead of 6 MP.

I think the COOLEST small camera is the Canon Powershot SD700-IS. It has 4X optical zoom (35-140 mm), image stabilization and 6 MP. I bought one for my daughter's birthday and I played around with it for a couple of days before I gave it to her. I was going to get this model for myself, but it was simply sold out everywhere for a couple of months when I was ready to buy. Maybe I should have waited for the SD850-IS...

I did a series of side-by-side tests to compare the SD700-IS and the SD900, just to see if I was still happy with my camera. The SD700-IS compares very favorably. Personally, I chose the SD900 images, but another "top contributor" here prefered the SD700-IS images. I found that I could use the "Vivid Colors" setting in the SD900 to get the "snap" that he liked better in the SD700-IS.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7189769@N04/485855174/

It costs $310, has good zoom range and the image stabilization to go with it. It's SMALL and good looking. Great LCD and it still has an optical viewfinder.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsd700is/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/sd700.html

(In Europe, this same camera is known as the IXUS 800 IS, so don't let the label on the camera confuse you. This is NOT the SD800-IS, which is known in Europe as the IXUS 850 IS.)

SD850-IS (IXUS 950 IS) Preview:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0705/07050702canonsd850is.asp

Many people will recommend the SD800-IS over the SD700-IS and I would disagree. The SD800-IS has a slightly wider angle lens, but the reviews say, "there is a slight, but noticeable drop off in sharpness towards the edges and corners in some circumstances." Also, the SD800-IS only zooms to an equivalent of 105 mm while the SD700-IS goes to 140 mm.

G7 and SD800 IS have very different size. g7 is alomost 3 times bigger than SD800

I have a Sony DSC-W80. I got it at Circuit City, and I love that store because the sales associates really know what they're doing. They steered my towards this camera and I'm very happy with the purchase, it was $230, which is a lot to a 14-year-old on a babysitting salary, but I have yet to regret it.

The video mode is better than a camcorder, no lie. The sound is flawless and you can even adjust sound on the camera. The picture...never blurry or anything. The videos play on my 34" LCD with no fault! I'm totally taking advantage of this feature!

The pictures are almost too amazing for me. The camera is a 7.2 megapixel, but I set my picture quality to 5 megapixel because it takes up less space and the pictures turn out beautiful. The image stabilization works really well. I tested it by waving my camera back and forth in the air and randomly took shots without stopping my camera. The weren't the least bit blurry!

There are a few modes in this camera:

Auto Adjustment (For shooting with preset settings)
High Sensitivity (For Low Lighting)
Soft Snap (Adds soft background, good for taking pics of people.)
Twilight Portrait
Twilight
Landscape
Beach
Snow
Video
Prgram Auto (Allows more programming before taking the shot.)

Also, you can remove red-eye, crop the photo, and do a bunch of other editing right on the camera!

The lens is without flaw. I don't even need flash on my shots because the lens can take in enough light.

You can play slideshows on your camera WITH MUSIC!

There's so many things I like about this camera, I can't list them all. I love it so much. If you get this camera, you will not have regrets. It's only $230 max and worth the price. I have the pink one, but it comes in pink, silver, white, and black.

Also, it looks bulky in pictures but it is really small. A little thicker than a casio but less length and width.

Also, don't buy a camera that doesn't have a viewfinder. I was outside in the sun today and I couldn't see my screen! I love that this camera has a viewfinder!

The Only Cons:
*The battery takes 4.5 hours to charge (but it lasts a long time on full charge)
*Sony uses memory stick PRO DUO instead of SD cards, but Circuit City has a deal that when you buy this camera, you get a free 1GB card (which is all you need.)

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/sony-cybe...

I would reccomend this to anyone...it is really user friendly. Each setting you put it on show a description of what it is. Someone who has never used a digital camera could figure this out with ease!

The G7 isn't really a subcompact camera. I would be hard pressed to call anything from Canon compact. The G7 and the G9 are amazing cameras and take much better photos than a lot of point and shoots out there right now. They are both a bit higher than your budget but you get what you pay for. If you are looking for something really small, try Nikon. They have a bunch of great, small cameras on the market now. Stay away from the Sonys simply because of the memory stick compatibility issues.

Check out www.pbase.com/cameras for lists, info and loads of sample shots from all sorts of cameras. Generally, if you stay with Nikon or Canon, you'll get a great camera. You need to decide what features are most important to you and look for those. Adorama.com also has lots of technical data on all the cameras they sell.