What are the better point & shoot cameras in the $200-$300 range?

I would only consider Canon, Nikon and Panasonic personally. Nikons are always terrible on battery life compared to the others. However, that's all relative I guess as my Canon can go for weeks and thousands of pics before it needs a recharge - even half that would be perfectly suitable. Canon's typically offer great pics but build quality is crap and has been for the last few years at least. I would probably go with one of the recent Panasonics. Check dpreview for some detailed reviews.

Well I find Canon and Nikon don't put in a lot of development in P&S cameras. My 6 year old Sony F717 5mp performs much better than my new 9mp Panasonic TZ5. A friend of mine had a Canon G5, and that was slow at taking pics too. My old Sony is cumbersome, but it takes good shots.
When it comes to SLRs, I will stick to Nikon & Canon, but P&S, I don't think they are any better than other brands.

Im a total camera junkie and have purchased EVERY major brand that can be named and when I take my test shots and A/B them against other camera's the winners are ALWAYS my Kodaks.

In the last few months alone I have tested the Canon SD780, Canon SX120, Nikon S70, Panasonic DMC-ZS1k, Samsung TL225 and the Casio FS100 and the winner for picture quality was my Kodak Z915 and Kodak Z950.

As far as Canon's, they have always been the worst of the worst.

I own about 6 or 7 Kodaks and the new'est point and shoot Z915 is my new favorite.

Cheers
Davyo

I wasn't really thinking about Sony but you're right, that is a consideration also for sure.

Based on the OP's post, it seemed he was looking for an ultra-compact model and those 3 brands I mentioned, along with Sony who I admittedly forgot, typically dominate the rankings.


Well image quality can be largely subjective but Canon is nearly always somewhere in the top rankings and Kodak is almost always towards the bottom. There are always exceptions of course. Fuji is usually mediocre but they have produced a couple excellent ultra-compact cameras.

Canons are made like junk but I can't dispute their image quality. Some people may not like the color reproduction as it tends to be overly vivid but I am still fond of it.

I don't think you can really compare all of those models you listed directly as some are compacts and others are ultra-compacts.

OP has made his purchase anyway so I guess it's all just theoretical discussion now.

Yea, I know, Canons are always ranked tops in image quality and thats was has always puzzeled me.
Over the years I have purchased more than a fair share of Canon's and in every case, my Kokaks have always beaten the Canon's for picture quality.
And I really have wanted to like the Canons, that's why I have kept tring them over the years, the Canon features (color swap, color accent) are very cool as well as some of the other features Canon offers.
The only feature no Canon has ever done good with for me is the "taking pictures" features.

Yes, I know the OP already made his purchase,,, Im just ranting a bit because I just dont get that whole "Canons are the best" thing.

Of ALL the dozen or so Canons I have purchased (and returned) over the years they have always been a big disapointment in terms of picture quality.

As an example, last week I purchased the new Kodak Z915 and the Canon SX120(is) and did about a hundred or so comparison side by side shots indoors and outdoors, the two shots below are typical of the results I got with just about ALL the A/B shots.
In the two pics below, both camera's were left in Auto mode, indoors, with flash,,, to my eyes the Canon looks blured and unfocused, while the Kodak looks crisp and clear and has truer colors.

On a side note, the Canon was over $400.00 while the Kodak Z915 was $139.00.


Cheers
Davyo

Canon SX120(IS)


Kodak Z915

Putting aside the disturbing nature of the photo (lol), I would agree that the Kodak image is sharper in this case. White balance looks off in the Kodak pic and the Canon's image looks too warm.

You won't catch me pushing anyone to buy a Canon, though i do often mention them as usually their image quality is very good for the price point. I am having a hard enough time convincing myself to even try one of their camcorders. The vieos on the net look good but ... My P&S SD870 experienced a stuck wheel within 10 days of purchase and now has an LCD that has become internally damaged. It has never been dropped, always kept securely in my pocket or inside the hip belt of my backpack. For $240 ($400 MSRP at launch I think) it should be more durable. Canon offered to fix the LCD for a mere $150 - about twice what I would pay for a mint, used model off eBay.