Help! I need opinions, please!

[ksueboo]

Amateur. Me.

I am looking for a replacement to my piece of trash Kodak M863. LOL. I would really like something with an Optical (?) viewfinder in addition to an LCD but would like to have more than the 3x/4x zooms. This is turning out to be harder than I thought. In order to get a 7x, 10x, or greater zoom and not get into the SLR (?) then I am giving up the optical viewfinder. This seems so backwards, why don't the upper range point and shoots have this?!
Should I...
a) Stick with an optical viewfinder and be content with 4x?
b) Go with a larger zoom and hope the newer LCD screens are viewable in sunlight.
c) Try the Fujifilm S2550, which is brand new and has essentially no reviews but has a 18x optical zoom and both viewfinders.

I don't know what else I should be looking for...
I also think the Canon sx20 IS looks nice, but again, I don't know enough to know what else to look for.

My pictures are generally all of my 4 kiddos, inside and outdoors. I am tired of grainy shots and a 3x zoom that is no good.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[boBQuincy]

It is difficult to design a decent optical viewfinder for a large zoom range and expensive to produce them. I too prefer an optical viewfinder but they are becoming difficult to find and are none too accurate on the cameras that have them. Superzoom cameras are far more likely to have an electronic viewfinder (evf), sometimes described as "looking at a television at the end of a tunnel".

The EVFs are getting better and soon that may be all to be had on anything other than a SLR. I settled for a Canon G11 with it's 4x zoom and optical viewfinder.

 

[photo_chick]

I wasn't a fan of electronic view finders at all until I used my daughter's camera. And while I prefer my DSLR with it's though the lens optical view finder, the EVF on her little Fuji (S1000) is way more accurate framing wise than any p&s optical viewfinder I've seen. And I'ts easy to switch from the EVF to the LCD screen...it's just a little button.

The Fuji you listed has an EVF and an LCD screen.

 

[SrisonS]

If I'm thinking this through right; you probably don't care if it's a real optical viewfinder or an electronic viewfinder (eyepiece with a small LCD type screen); you just don't want to totally rely on the outside LCD (which is a pain in bright light). Both of the cameras mentioned will suit that purpose just fine.

I used to have a Canon S3 IS, which is similar to the one you listed.... And I loved it!!!! I only sold it because I upgraded to a dslr. And it's evf was spot on. I have no complaints whatsoever about it. You could even review your pictures and adjust camera settings while looking through there (which is great in bright light situations; or in a very dark area where you don't wanna be "that person").

 

[ksueboo]

Yes, you are correct, I don't think I care whether I have evf or optical, just so I can see in the sunlight. Hard to take a picture when you are guessing! So, I think the viewfinder and LCD are a must. Which means either getting a small zoom or a really large zoom (for my needs). And I am leaning towards the larger zoom. My 3x just doesn't get what I want and I can't imagine a 4x is much better. I'm probably looking at the Canon sx20 unless someone highly recommends the Fujifilm. I just need more reviews on it than I can find.

 

[can84]

Hi there! I have the older version of the Fuji, the S5200, which has a 10x optical zoom and--to show just how long I've had it --a whopping 5 mp. I'm very happy with pictures I get with it. I do want something with higher MP count, but I just can't bring myself to give up this one. It feels very comfortable in my hands, which I think is important.

Here are pictures taken with it--some with the viewfinder and some with the screen, to give you an idea of the quality. Again, it's only a 5 mp, so keep that in mind!

 

[ksueboo]

Oooo...thanks for sharing! Those are nice! I wish I could just take them both home for a week and then decide! I think both the Fuji and Canon are more than I need...I'll just have to learn the extras as I go. Maybe I'll get hooked!