Help! I'm no Photographer or Videographer!?

[Moeluv4u7]

Okay, I am not a photographer or even do photography as a hobby- I am just a mom that wants to take some great pictures and video!

I have a Kodak Easy share series- (to tell you exact I'd have to even look at it to get the model #) It is a 4 megapixel is about all I can say- My battery is never keeping a charge and I even bought a new one soooooo...
I figure I need a better camera anyway- What should I buy within reason and budget for a non-photographer?
Something still small enough to carry in one small camera pouch, must take some form of SD card or other storage device type card- I'd love to be able to zoom in real close and out etc- Also, action shots as well as still shots- Need to be able to take great night shots as well as daytime shots-
Oh! Also, would prefer picture to take as soon as I snap the button and not have the delay I have w/ my kodak...
Spending $300- or less (and prefer less) What should I look for?
I am also looking for a good video camera and would like as compact as possible but still with quality- I am not sure if I should be looking for a video camera w/ a big harddrive, one that uses a different type storage device or what??
Also, and this is the last question- I have seen some video cameras that also take still shots- Are these any good? Should I look into one with this option?
Thanks for any advice and suggestions!

 

[jann1033]

you may want to check here...i think his reviews are pretty accurate and he has a list of compact and other point and shoots...sorry i don't really have any first hand info about them. one daughter has a canon powershot she likes( few yrs old) other one has a kodak she doesn't like("z" something i think,has low light problems)
http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html

 

[Moeluv4u7]

Thx so much- at least this will give me more info than the salesguy at the store

 

[RCDisneyFan]

Fair warning: Instant response from the shutter button and great night shots are not synonymous with point and shoot cameras.

If you're a zoom junkie, you may want to look at the "superzoom" cameras - these are 10x and above. They're pretty good if size of the camera isn't an issue. Canon makes a good series, I think Nikon just put one out and the Panasonics in this category are fairly reputable. Olympus has made on for ages too, but I've never even held one (I seem to recall reading the 18x one they put out was slooow - but that was 2+ years ago.)

Two things to keep in mind as you shop for point and shoots:
1. Megapixels don't matter if you're not printing something over 11x14 - if your choice is between a 9, 10 or 12 MP camera - don't worry about it. Just pick the one you want.

2. Always look for Optical zoom, not digital zoom. Digital zooming is just zooming into your existing view and can result in grainy pics (at least it did when 4mp was state of the art!)

Personally, I don't think that a digital camera the does video does a spectacular job on video and I suspect a video camera that takes pictures would be the same. I don't have much experience with either - maybe someone else can give some ideas?

Dp review has a pretty extensive list of reviews: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/ Including a superzoom comparison! http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q109superzoomgroup/