Need help deciding! Buying Compact Digital Cam for GF

[c95cruizing]

So My girlfriends birthday is coming up and she has been complaining for the past year about her current compact digital camera which is a older canon powershot (forgot which model it is but is a couple yearsold). The picture quality is just not that great. She needs a point and shoot camera so I decided I would step up and purchase one.

My price range is between 300-400. I looked around on this website and other review sites and for now have narrowed it down to 2 cameras that are in the running.

Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10MP Digital Camera

They seem to offer very good specs for a compact Digital camera. Of course I don't know anything about cameras so it has been extremely tough for me to digest all the information in such a short amount of time. My girlfriend doesn't know much about cameras so I take it she won't care much for all the specs. She is basic just wants a camera that takes good shots since she is moving to Boston and will be taking a lot of cool pics!

1) Which of the two cameras above do you think is the best to buy?
2) If not those 2 cameras what else will be suitable?

Thanks everyone!

[Photo-John]

What a great boyfriend! You've got a very nice budget and I think the cameras you're looking at are great choices. I've used the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 and I think it's one of the most versatile pocket cameras available right now. The Fuji F200EXR is nice, but a lot less versatile. I'm not sure if you can buy it yet, but Fujifilm recently announced the F70EXR, which has a lens and other features closer to the Panasonic ZS3. And since she already has a Canon and is used to the Canon controls, you should also consider the PowerShot SX200 IS, another pocket superzoom.

Of those three cameras, the only one I've used is the Panasonic. But the Fuji has some really interesting new sensor technology and reports on the image quality of the F200EXR, which uses the same technology, have been very good. Canon is usually among the best for camera performance and image quality so I would expect the SX200 IS to be a very nice camera. I think it's a little larger than the other two cameras. But the user reviews I've seen have been positive. Here are links to articles or reviews on all three cameras:

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS User Reviews >>
Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR Introduction >>
Panasonic Lumix ZS3 Introduction >>

I know I haven't told you which camera to buy. I think you're doing the right thing looking at pocket superzooms like the ZS3 and I wanted to give you some comparable options to look at. After you've taken a look at the other two cameras, let us know if you have more questions