[Be Young]

I have a Canon Power Shot A75, 3.2 megapixel, 3X optical zoom, a cheapy about 2 years old.

We are going on vacation to Alaska and would like to get some nice photos of wildlife and scenery. I think the animals may be some distance away.

Are there any cameras out there between 4-5 hundred that would be much better than what I have, for zooming in on animals and such?

Any suggestions are appreciated, I don't have much time for research, and I don't know much about it and don't really care to learn.

Thanks
Bill

 

[Fishing For Tips]

Get at least a total of 30X zoom. Just got back from Alaska and got some good photos. King Salmon are not running yet. I wasted quite a bit of money on a guide, maybe you won't have to now.

 

[RustyBrown]

Since you're already familiar with Canon...

I would recommend either the S2 or S3 IS models for you. They have 12X zoom and 5 or 6 MP sensors respectively. They will not give you the resolution of an SLR, but it also won't have the cost associated with an slr either. I may be buying an S3 myself here soon. Ignore the digital zoom feature it's worthless.

 

[NaClH2O]

I have a Panasonic DMC-FZ5, which is similar to the S3 IS. If I had the money though, I'd get the FZ30. When I was looking for a camera, I used www.dpreview.com to read reviews on various cameras. It helped me make the right choice, I love my camera.

 

[Be Young]

Thanks for the help, but now I am more confused too many choices.

I talked to a sales guy at Ritz camera and he said he was a diehard Canon guy but he would have to reccomend the Panasonic FZ5 and it was the same price as the Canon S2IS.

I looked at Circut City on the Internet and the price was good on the Panasonic.
I called and they don't stock the camera but can order it. He said they don't stock it because they sell more DMZ 7K, which is about 50 dollars higher. But there is also a DMZ 7S for the same price.
I think he said the 7K is a SLR type (??) and the 7S is not SLR but easier to operate, is this correct ?

Thanks
Bill

 

[Saltwater Servitude]

There seem to be some noise issues with that particular model panasonic. It gets a recommended from dpreview, but there is room for improvement from the cameras performance.