[X4U] Who loves ya Digi Camera? [TAN]

[Brett Conlon]

OK, so the Misses wants a digital camera for Chrissy... something  
kinda compact for the handbag and coz I got me a digital movie camera  
2 Christmases back I won't be seeing a serious digital camera of my  
own for some time to come.

Therefore I'd like to marry our two worlds together and get something  
that I could happily use when I need to and she'll be happy with in  
her pocket. She wants the camera for quick happy family shots and some  
professional macro close-ups of botanicals.

As a designer I want the flexibility to take shots and blow them up or  
zoom in a few hundred % without it looking too crappy too quickly.

The SPECS:
At least 7mpix (pref 8 & above)
10X zoom would be preferable but would settle for 5X (3 just won't cut  
it in my opinion)
Good quality lens (the bigger the better I've been taught re: letting  
in more light for better exposure)
Decent flash strength
Good size LCD (2+ inch)
Viewfinder would be a bonus.
Pref SD card (XD are more expensive) but not a show-stopper
Price range under AUD$500  (prob US$350-400)

To give you an idea, I've been looking at the following cameras  
(probably coz that's all the shops have been thrusting under my nose):

Fuji FinePix S5700 & S5800 (maybe a bit bulky)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-T23
Olympus 161795
Canon SX100 IS

So I'm looking for real-world experience from people who've already  
broken down all of the above walls to find a great solution.

And a merry Christmas/holidays from down-unda,

Cojcolds