Canon A520 or Minolta DiMAGE Z2

[Layne]

Hello everyone!

I have been doing tons of research, reading countless reviews, viewing sample images, and going to retail stores to feel up the display models. And my total indecisiveness is wearing me out!

My boyfriend and I are looking to spend roughly between $200-$300. We definitely want at least a 4x optical zoom (and we lust after the longer zooms and SLRs!). I'm not into the super tiny compacts, but I want something that I can carry with me everywhere I go.

This will be my first digital camera (except for the one my Grandma bought my family a few years back, but my parents have that one now). The camera I have now is a Nikon N80. I guess I'd consider myself a "prosumer" (just learned that term yesterday from Cnet!), or an enthusiast.

At the beginning of my quest I was looking at the Kodak DX7440 (which I still haven't completely written off), but then after more research I came to like certain things about the Canon A520 more. I really like how the DX7440 feels in the hand, but am not too thrilled at the idea of the proprietary battery, and it seems that better quality is available in the same price range.

The A520's grip feels a little small for my taste, but that's something I'd get used to, I'm sure. I like how it has some metal in the construction. My one BIG concern with the A520 is the slowness of it. I've read some reviews that complain about the shot-to-shot time. I finally found it in a store with a SD card in the display model so I could actually take some shots, and it did seem a bit slow, although I'm not yet convinced it's something I'd really notice in real life applications. But it worries me, because I like speed -- a LOT!

So now I've been checking out the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z2. The 10x optical zoom is nice, but I'm worried because it doesn't have any sort of image stabilization. Which is why I started considering the Z3, which is a little above my target price range, but I'm not unwilling to go there. Also the DiMAGE's have a $50 mail-in rebate going on now, anyway. So, I hear the Z2 is superfast, but I haven't been able to find it in a store to play with, so I'm worried I won't like the feel of it. Also, I am extremely hesistant about the whole mirror viewfinder/LCD contraption. I prefer optical viewfinders anyway, but even if this had an electronic one that wouldn't bother me as much as the whole mirror thing.

I also [very briefly] looked into the Olympus C7000, which looks terrific (except that it uses xD cards -- I prefer SD), but the price is a bit too high for us, so I didn't delve into it too much.

Anyway, any opinions, suggestions, and any help at all will be GREATLY appreciated! I would especially love to hear opinions from people who've used the A520 and what you think about the slowness of the shot-to-shot time, if you even notice it, etc...

Thanks in advance for your help!

Layne

[almo]

Honestly I think you should rethink this. Unless it is just not an option then I really think you need to expand your budget. Also if you are going from an N80 to a prosumer digicam you will hate it. Believe me, I went from a Minolta Maxxum 7 (a pro 35mm SLR) to a Minolta DiMage 7i. I hated it, and you will too. I would suggest looking into one of the entry level DigiSLR's out there. With the release of the XT last month The older 6mp D-Rebel has dropped in price. Also there is an outstanding new modle out by Olympus called the E-Volt 300.

Now if that just isn't for you, or you can't stand to wait then I would look into the:

Fujifilm FinePix S5100 Zoom

Review: Finepix S5100 on PR.com