CAMERA HELP! Mine Broke---Disney in 3 weeks!!!

[MickeyMomOfThree]

OK, so 2 years ago I got the Pentax Optio A10. I totally love this camera because it was so easy to use and the photos looked good. A year later I dropped it and the LCD screen shattered (totally my fault). So, after an afternoon in tears my DH ordered me the upgraded Optio A30. I was blissfully happy until yesterday. I went to use it and the LCD screen was again broken. This time, no drop, no nothing. I have been extreemly careful with it. My camera case had a snap on it and DH thinks the snap is what craced the screen. So, I have spent the better part of today researching cameras and trying to decide what to do.
It is so terribly overwhelming. There are just so many choices out there. So I figured I'd ask all of you.

Here is what I am looking for.
It MUST have imiage stablizer, I shake terribly without it.
It needs to be lightweight and small, I take it with me eveywhere.
My 8MP was fine, the 10MP was fine too, but I wouldn't mind going back to 8 (like the A10 I loved). I wouldn't want to go back to much smaller though.
It needs to be easy to use, I am no professional, just a mom who likes to take photos of everything!!!

I can't spend too much, I'd like to be around $100, but can go to $150 if I need to.

My camera means everything to me. I have a terrible memory, always have. I don't remember so much of my life and that of my kids, but I use my photos to jog my memory. I take photos almost everyday. I need to replace this quick.

So, if you have a great camera you could share with me I'd love to hear what kind.
OR
If you have the Pentax A10 or A30 and think I should trust them again, I'd love to hear that too.

Thanks to all willing to help me out...

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Any suggestions? I guess maybe I am being impatient, but this is all I can think about right now.

 

[eduk8r26]

I have a Pasasonic DMC Tz3 with 10x optical zoom, image stabilization and 7.2 MP, I think. It's small and easy to use.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Thanks for the reply, I will go look into it.

 

[mom2princessj]

I have a Pasasonic DMC Tz3 with 10x optical zoom, image stabilization and 7.2 MP, I think. It's small and easy to use.

I have an older version of this and it is a great camera. The only problem I've had with it is it doesn't keep time and date accurate but aside from that it takes great pictures and is very easy to use.
I currently use a cannon with image stabilization and have alot of blurry pictures. My panasonic I never had issues with blurry pictures but this one takes them all the time. BEAUTIFUL picture quality when they aren't blurry. My sister has a cannon without stabilization and her pictures are never blurry and they come out great.
Here is mine:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Cano.../ccd/productDetail.do?cc_fm=Featured+Item+Mod

I can't find the one my sister has. I think they've actually added image stabilization to the one she has as she bought hers at the end of last year.
Good luck. The panasonic is definitely worth a look. I still use mine quite a bit along with the cannon.

 

[DISNEYNUTS]

go to cameraworld.com you can do lots of research there and also purchase. I have Sony for my small (Portable) cameras love the Carl Zeiss lens. quick easy to use and take great pictures. I love SONY for the type of camera you are talking about and they have lots of choices as far as options.

 

[nilseks]

I have the FujiFilm S700 and I love it. The only thing is it doesn't meet your requirement of being small; it's 15 oz. and a little bulky, but a great camera. On the WalMart website it is listed as $149 for a bundle with a bag and SD card, and it also says it's $149 at the store for just the camera. But if you buy it at the store it's actually $138. I know from experience because I just bought my 2nd one this week after I broke the first one.

The only real negatives are the size and the fact that the first pic has a tad longer delay than I'd like (but it does have a nice burst feature that is fast). The image stabilization works GREAT -- over the summer I got some truly amazing photos of my son pitching for his baseball team -- they looked like a professional took them.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I have an older version of this and it is a great camera. The only problem I've had with it is it doesn't keep time and date accurate but aside from that it takes great pictures and is very easy to use.
I currently use a cannon with image stabilization and have alot of blurry pictures. My panasonic I never had issues with blurry pictures but this one takes them all the time. BEAUTIFUL picture quality when they aren't blurry. My sister has a cannon without stabilization and her pictures are never blurry and they come out great.
Here is mine:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Cano.../ccd/productDetail.do?cc_fm=Featured+Item+Mod

I can't find the one my sister has. I think they've actually added image stabilization to the one she has as she bought hers at the end of last year.
Good luck. The panasonic is definitely worth a look. I still use mine quite a bit along with the cannon.

I'm glad you posted this, I was actually considering this one last night. I don't want to risk some being blurry. While in Disney, my 71 year old grandma will be taking lots of our photos for us (so we are all in them) and it is almost certain those would be blurry. She did fine with my old one, but not with the one before the image stabilizer.