Looking for a New Digital Camera

I have the Olympus Stylus tough - it is waterproof up to 10 feet and drop-proof up to 5 feet. I got it specifically for summer as my other digital cameras can jam when it is very humid and I love to get shots of my kids at the beach, pool and lake without worry. The best money I've ever spent. I even have underwater shots of my little fish swimming. The photo quality is excellent. I am very into photography so I have another camera for more "artsy" shots but for everyday snapshots and video, I love this camera.

Sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the Coolpix - that is what I just bought (not the touch screen one, the next one down) and so far I really like it. If you aren't happy with that one, I really don't have one that I can recommend; however, I do have one that you may want to stay away from - the Kodak line. We have had 7 Kodaks over the last 5 years between me (2), my mom (2), my girls (1 each), and my ex-husband. Every one of them failed, each of them having the same problem (even though they were not all the same model). After awhile, the lens doesn't "unshutter" when you turn it on. You can trick it open by replacing the batteries, but pretty soon even that doesn't work.

Good luck in your search!

I have a sony cybershot that is awesome at taking pictures. It has 5x optical zoom on it 8.1 maga pixels. It does a fabulous job. I had a fuji fine pix that I never liked. The pictures almost always came out blurry.

K.

Hi E.--We have a Panasonic Lumix and absolutely love it. It is right around the $200 price range. It is easy to use--but also has all of the bells and whistles as you learn more about light settings and take pictures at different times of the day. We also use it to take short movie clips that we can upload to the grammas or share on Facebook. It also has a large screen for viewing your digital pics before downloading them to computer or to print out. Good luck with your decision!

I have the Canon Rebel and just love it - great for action shots and zooming in from the stands (sports shots are awesome). However it is large and a bit cumbersome, and as you said, expensive.
For quick picks we also have a Sony Cybershot and it works well. It came with the adapter for the stick -not expensive or extra that I recall. I am able to pop the pic's into my computer very easily. Got it at Best Buy and I believe it was under $200. I can send you some examples of pic's we've taken with it if you'd like.

I have a Canon PowerShot A590IS that I love!. I don't remember what I paid for it, but I think it was right around $200. It is small enough to fit in my purse, but it also has some features that you don't usually find on smaller cameras--multiple settings, including one for kids and pets, video, etc. It is very easy to use.

i have had kodak easy share for several years now and i still love it!!! and no problems with the pictures!!!

I'd go with back to a Canon Powershot. Stay away from anything Sony as they use a special card memory strip (very expensive). My dil has a Kodak and seems to love it...

I love my Olympus Stylus 740. It is waterproof and shatterproof. My one year old tortures it with not a single problem. We've had it for I would say like 5 years!I should mention that Olympus is up to the 850 as the new model and they call them tough now. I would try ebay to keep it under 200 and go for an older like mine-740 or 780 model.

I keep going back to the Canon Powershots..and have had three different versions. You can often find the "old" ones that aren't in the stores anymore online...still new...for cheaper than the stores. I'm like you...the powershots are just great at catching my moving targets in great poses! Good luck!

We bought a Kodak EasyShare V1233, 12.0 megapixels and I just love it! It was a great price and it takes great pictures. Good luck finding a new one!

I know you said you had a $200 price range but I wanted to suggest a compromise from the Rebel, just in case. I love, love, love my Canon Powershot SX10 IS! It's about$400 in the stores but I found it at Dell.com for about $315 a few months ago. You'd have to watch for sales. It has a 20x zoom, quick recovery time, you can buy a mounted flash if you want, plus it has lots of manual features to play with. It got great reviews on the camera websites. Good luck with finding a great camera!!