Advice on 10-12x Digital Cameras with IS ???

[porphyra]

Seeing as there are many knowledgeable photography aficionados here, I figured I get some opinions especially geared for the Canadian Market.

Basically i am looking for a 10-12x DSLR-Like super zoom camera with Optical image stabilization. I think that narrows it down to a very specific list of cameras.

Now there are quite a few to choose from here. Steve's has a list here: http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html

Well, I have been looking at:
Canon Powershot S3 IS,
Sony Cybershot H2/H5 (H2 is hard to find now as its been phased out -only seen in Sony stores..even H5 is getting harder as H7 is out),
Panasonic DMC-FZ7/FZ50

My budget is under $400. Also, just because I am willing to spend $400 doesn't mean I wont take a good deal if I find one. This is RFD after all!

I would appreciate any suggestions on the camera, any others that I should consider, and where to find decent deals. Also, this camera will most likely leave the country to something like an international warranty would be a bonus.

[Keas]

i was going to mention the olympus (sp?) camera that came out lately that has 18 times optical zoom but its 100-150 more than your budget. i would love to test drive it though ;)

the canon one has been on my wish list since it came out and although not perfect reviews it gets good ones. (never seen a perfect review of anything so...)

sony has the proprietory mem sticks which suck becuase of price.

finding good camera review sites has been difficult for me although i had one til i reformatted and forgot to add my bookmarks that i saved to a folder to my flashdrive so no longer have it:( so best i can do is sat try www.cnet.com and check out thier camera reviews unless someone can post a better site.

[goofball]

Go handhold one and see how it feels. Comfort is very important.

See if the controls you would want access to are easily accessible.

Look at the LCD screen (if you would compose a shot this way) and see how it handles under lighting conditions.

Use the EVF and see how it looks as well. You may think you won't use this but when you can't see the LCD because of lighting, this is the only way you will see what you are trying to shoot. Plus by holding the camera to your eye, you usually end up being a bit steadier, important for low lighting conditions.

Try to track someone walking around, see how easy it is to do. Indoors is the hardest because of the fake lighting so if it can do it indoors, it will be easier outdoors.

See how steady it is when you use the zoom and the IS system.

And this may not seem very important but see which camera can handle screw-on filters, either by connecting a lens attachment or directly. I know some Panasonic's could do this directly. The ability to use a circular polarizer is very handy when shooting landscapes/outdoors and especially with water/sky.

None of those have a hotshoe, too bad. The new S5 Canon does, and this ability is a huge improvement over using the onboard.