Help me decide between these Canon cameras!

[honeybiscuit]

I'm a camera novice, and I'm pretty torn about what camera to buy. What I'm looking for is something not very expensive (under $150 at the very, very most, preferably cheaper) but decent and reliable. It's very important for the camera to have good image stabilization, because I tend to have a shaky hand. Quality of picture is also pretty important. Something less important, more superficially, I'd like it to be pretty small and it would be nice if it came in a nice color.

After spending some time researching, these are the cameras I've narrowed it down to (although I'm open to suggestions):

Canon Powershot A590 IS --- The great reviews and price ($109) are really tempting, plus it seems like the image stabilization is really good. But it looks ugly, and doesn't have the greatest battery life.

Canon Powershot SD1100 IS --- Seems pretty similar to the one above, but smaller and a nicer design, excellent picture quality, and good battery life. On the other hand, I don't know if the image stabilization is as good as the A590 (I'm *guessing* it is, because it's the same brand and also released this year at about the same price -- if anyone has on-hand experience, I'd love to hear about it), and the cheapest price I can find is $149 right now, which is above what I'd really like to spend.

I was planning on buying a camera sooner than later because I have to get it before late January '09, but I don't know if cameras tend to get marked down after Christmas -- any experience? I know 2008 is a weird year economically, but advice on that would be handy too.

So, if anyone has any opinion on which camera is better for the money and my requirements, or any personal experiences, please share! Thanks for any help.

 

[ukcatfan]

The "A" series has very good manual controls such as shutter, aperture, ISO, WB, etc. The "SD" series is meant to be small and automatic. There are some settings you can change, but not as much as on the "A". That does not mean that you cannot do completely automatic on the "A" though. I personally prefer using the AA batteries compared to the lithium ones in the small cameras. An extra lithium can be around $50 where rechargeable AAs go for $10.

 

[boBQuincy]

I go along with what ukcatfan wrote. We have a Canon SD1100 and some older Canon "A" series cameras. The SD is great for a pocketable camera but the A's have more functionality and the features are easier to access.

For us it mostly comes down to size, the SD is tiny.

 

[Shanan]

You might want to check out this month's Consumer Report. Their whole issue is about electronics. I have a 'big' camera but wanted a small one to have on hand. From what Consumer Report said and reviews I read online, I bought the Canon SD1100 IS today on sale at Office Depot for $149.99
www.poweregg.com had same one on sale plus camera case and 4GB card for $159.99.

 

[honeybiscuit]

Thanks for the help so far. I'm still really torn between the two cameras, though. Is there any store that would let me test them out a bit? I live in the Midwest.