Canon vs. Pentax - Trouble deciding

[psustang89]

I'm a casual to beginning photographer. I currently have a Canon G3. The main reason I want to upgrade is the size. Our friends love their subcompact cameras and my wife and I have to lug around a small duffle bag holding our G3. So, our plans are to sell the G3 and upgrade. Several cameras I've been looking at are listed below.

Canon SD900 10.0 MP ($400-500)
Canon SD800 7.1MP ($335-385)
Canon SD700 IS 6.0MP ($280-350)
Pentax A10 8.0MP ($220-275)
Pentax A20 10.0MP ($300-325)
Panasonic DMC-TZ1 5.0MP ($230-275)

I'd like to be in the $300 range. It is important to me to have an image stabilizer. I'm also concerned about the time between shots (2 sec with the Canons and 6 sec with the Pentax). I was all about the Pentax until I found that. I'm not exactly sure if I really need the highest pixels (8-10). I was attracted to the Panasonic due to the 10x zoom and the image stabilizer, however I'm not sure about Panasonic cameras and it is quite larger than the others. In a nut shell, we'd like a good, reliable camera that can fit in our pocket and won't be out dated in 3 years. So, the question is what camera would be the best performing, best investment, for the money???

Thanks,
Jason

[Photo-John]

Do you use the manual exposure controls on your G3? If so, then I think the Canon A-Series cameras are your best bet. I also think you should look at Casio compact digital cameras. They really fit in a pants pocket, are super quick, and they have models that offer full manual exposure controls. It's a bit outdated now, but here's a link to my detailed review of the Casio Exilim EX-Z750:

Casio Exilim EX-Z750 Pro Review >>

I think the updated version is the Exilim EX-Z850. I've recommended this camera to lots of people. I think it's the best all-purpose pocket-sized digital camera I've had the opportunity to use.

[psustang89]

Thanks John

I do not use the manual exposure controls on my G3.

Does the EX-Z850 have an image stabilizer comparable to the Pentax and Canon cameras I listed? I've been researching the Casios and have added the EX-Z850 and Z60 to my list of possibles. The Canon SD700IS and SD800IS have caught my eye due to the reputation, stabilization, and 4x optical zoom. I'm just not sure if that extra zoom in worth the price. I like the Pentax models because they seem to have a lot of what the others have, just a little cheaper. The Pentax are slower, which concerns me, and they lack the optical view finder, although on such a small camera I'm not sure how often it would get used. The Casio EX-Z850 seems like my best bet right now, with the price and everything else considered. Are Casios as reliable as Canon? How's the speed of the Z850? Any other comments would be appreciated. Thanks!!!

I've gone to my local camera store (Ritz) to see if I could get some hands on time with any of these cameras. They had nothing...I mean nothing even in this category. The manager said they can't keep them in the store. He has a bunch ordered, but he said they're already sold. I'd really like to handle something before I bought it. I may have to travel to do so.

Jason