Legacy Digital Camera Debris - New Camera advice needed

[Charlie America]

Well, my CoolPix 950 is no more; too many crashes on the bike and it gave up the ghost. Now I still have the CoolPix 800 but the resolution on those shots is not what the 950 gave me and I find myself lusting after something that will give me the clarity and depth of field that I used to get from my old SLRs.

Issues:
I have a Sony PC9 Digital Video Camera and my old lenses from the CoolPix work great on it so no real loss there, but the memory sticks are vastly different as are all the support equipment.

I have memory cards from the CoolPix that I can only use on the 800 and I have Sony memory sticks as well. The big gain for me is my tv takes the memory sticks and I can show pictures on the big WEGA. Downside is the money spent on the memory, batteries, chargers, lens covers and filters, etc. for the other camera.

My question for you guys (and gals):
Get another CoolPix (are they worth it today? Will me older infrastructure support a newer model?)
Get a Sony Digital still camera and leave the other stuff for the (I'm sorry baby) inferior CoolPix 800?
Get a different Digital camera that uses the same card memory as the CoolPix and live with minimal loss?

Oh, I should point out that this camera will be travelling on my mountain bike riders around the world and will probably be bashed around a lot (the metal case on the old 950 stood up for almost 4 years to the abuse).

Help?

CA -

[Photo-John]

Nice to see you over here! So you up and moved to Montreal? It's kinda cold up there, isn't it? But the Quebec women might make up for that, huh?

So your old Coolpix kicked the bucket, huh? Those are classic digital cameras, now. I think there will a soft spot in many an old (30 years old?) photographer's heart for Nikon 900-Series cameras. But we must move on and accept change. Let your camera go the way of V-brakes. There are better things to be had.

Ok. Enough poetry bs. The one area that the Coolpix 950 is going to be hard to match is macro photography. You're going to have to let that go. If you really need the kind of macro ability your 950 had, you'll need to buy a conversion lens. Aside from that, I think almost anything you get is going to be better. Digitalcameras have come a long way in the last couple years.

If you go by the reviews here, you should get a Canon. If you go by overall sales, you should get a Canon or a Sony. Since you're already leaning towards Sony, let's take a look at that. Memory Stick. Yup. It's cheesy that Sony tries to make you use their proprietary memory. But they're starting to loosen up with their high-end stuff. And the image quality of their cameras is arguably as good as any manufacturers, in the compact digital market. Take a look at the new W7: http://www.pcphotoreview.com/6,Megap...7_5648crx.aspx

And here are a few more for you to take a look at:

Canon S70: http://www.pcphotoreview.com/6,Megap...7_5648crx.aspx

Casio Exilim Pro EX-P700: http://www.pcphotoreview.com/6,Megap...5_5648crx.aspx

Let me just admit that I'm a fan of the 7 megapixel sensor. I think it's the best thing to hit compact digital cameras in a long, long time. The image quality is absolutely stunning. It's not the resolution. It's the actual image quality. Anyway, most cameras will be faster than your 950 and image quality should be better, too.

Just in case you've been thinking about an SLR, for you, my friend, I would recommend the Olympus E-300. That's my idea of the ultimate bike camera right now: http://www.pcphotoreview.com/Profess...1_3127crx.aspx

I know I didn't tel you what to buy. But I hope I gave you some ideas and direction. I expect you'll be back with more questions. And we'll be here to help.

[Charlie America]

Yeah, the weather up here is frightening at times, but one particular Quebec woman makes up for it.

Canon has always been a good camera for me in the olde, film days and I can't believe they didn't continue to innovate in the digital domain...

That said, remember how I ride (and crash)...

The Sony W7 and the Canon S70 both look good to me so I'll do a little mroe research into what's available here and what kind of use I can get out of them (and how sturdy they are).

I'd love an SLR but I can't see where I'd carry the thing with all the other junk I haul aroudn on my bike...

CA -

I'll keep you updated.. and maybe share a picture or two.