I have been doing aloooooooooot of research on the casio ex-z750 and the canon sd-550, and i can not decide! i have tested both of them out and they have stuff going for them.
I am a photographer who loves macro mode, creative, advanced amateur, needs good image quality.

Now things that i need in my camera- (not in specific order)
A big screen (both)
good flash (canon)
good quality (??)
good ergonomics (both)
good movie mode (casio is better)
manual features (casio)
i love the accent color- like i am obsessed- it is SO cool (canon)
small and nice looks (casio)
zoom (casio)
optical viewfinder (canon)
professional results (???)
durablity(both pretty delicate, but canon's tougher)
battery life (casio)
macro (canon- gets closer)
noise reduction (??)

I am so torn, i love the canon's color features so much, and i love casio's features, but which offers better performance and is better for my needs? I have the casio-ex-z40 now but i want a more quality camera. THank you!

It's a tough choice. I don't have any direct experience with the SD550, but I've used the Casio extensively and found it a very capable camera. I believe they both have the same 7-megapixel sensor. The Canon's image quality is probably better as Canon usually has the edge there. Plus, I've used the Canon G6 which also has the 7-megapixel sensor and that camera has awesome image quality. The biggest difference for me is the lack of real manual exposure modes on the SD550. I really enjoyed the manual, aperture priority, and shutter priority exposure modes on the Casio. The Casio is also one of the fastest compact cameras I've ever used.

I don't know how much that will help you. I used the Casio mostly for mountain bike, landscape, and party photos. If you haven't seen it yet, please check my detailed review to learn more: http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/cameras/digital-cameras/6-megapixel-and-higher/casio/PRD_335580_5648crx.aspx?TabID=2

thanks photojohn for the reply. Anyone else have recommendation?