Need a new camera for DW trip in August....recommendations?

[Purplebaby1216]

I am sorry if this has been asked and answered already but I can't seem to find a relevant thread.

I currently own a Sony Cybershot DSC-H70 point and shoot and I loved it when we got it before our Hawaii trip in December of 2011....but now I don't love it so much and am thinking I need to get a new one before our FIRST EVER Disney World trip in August! The current Sony does not seem to choose the best setting for itself on iAuto for lightening...I can change that by selecting an appropriate scene but I tend to miss out on good shots of my kids when having to change settings and find the right things....both of my girls had birthdays in the last month and on BOTH of them I MISSED THE CANDLE BLOW OUT SHOT because of the setting not working right

So....what I need is something that can think for itself fairly accurately both indoors and out and doesn't have a slow reaction time after one shot before being ready for the next shot...if that makes sense to you? I would like it to be small, something that can either strap to my wrist or go in my cross body purse and not always be hung around my neck like our old Olympus DSLR was. Also, my husband will kill me if I spend a ton of money so I would like the asking price to be $400 or less if I have even a chance of getting him to agree to a new camera.

So....what's your recommendations? Thank you in advance!

 

[R o y]

My wife has a Lumix, I can't recall the model but it was around $300, it is a compact with 15 times zoom and she gets some really good results. It has loads of scene modes to choose from - good luck with your search

 

[Purplebaby1216]

My wife has a Lumix, I can't recall the model but it was around $300, it is a compact with 15 times zoom and she gets some really good results. It has loads of scene modes to choose from - good luck with your search

Thank you. I will take a look at their line.

 

[hakepb]

Judging Sony cameras on the H70 is like judging all Disneyworld resorts on All Star Sports...they are both cheap.

I had the H70, it felt cheap and was slow and the pictures were noisy, but it had a decent 10x zoom.
I now have the HX30, and its a massive improvement. it feels like a quality piece of metal instead of hollow plastic, its much more responsive and takes better pictures, especially in lower light.

I tend to think the HX and RX cameras have the best overall auto mode performance, but no camera can guess correctly all the time...especially with a candle shot, you need a few practice ones. There are fans of every brand as they all have unique blends of cost/size/features..

I would start looking at reviews. This is a bit old as a few newer cameras are available, including the new RX100 M2
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6698413448/dpreview-recommends-top-5-compact-cameras

 

[wiigirl]

My wife has a Lumix, I can't recall the model but it was around $300, it is a compact with 15 times zoom and she gets some really good results. It has loads of scene modes to choose from - good luck with your search

 

[Purplebaby1216]

Thank you. After searching all night all over the computer and talking to a few mama friends of mine, I bought a Nokia D90 with an 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens.

 

[hakepb]

Thank you. After searching all night all over the computer and talking to a few mama friends of mine, I bought a Nokia D90 with an 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens.

Is that a Nikon D90 DSLr camera? Thats what the Disney Photopass photographers use

 

[photo_chick]

Thank you. After searching all night all over the computer and talking to a few mama friends of mine, I bought a Nokia D90 with an 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens.

This still isn't going to give you great indoor results unless you get it off auto and get a faster lens. The Nikon is a great camera with a lot of potential but if you want to shoot indoors (with no flash) you're probably going to need a faster lens.

 

[havoc315]

Thank you. After searching all night all over the computer and talking to a few mama friends of mine, I bought a Nokia D90 with an 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens.

Great camera... but thought you wanted small and to spend under $400, lol.