Maggie is looking for something to replace her trusty Nikon CoolPix 5900, a 5MP camera that served her well. Budget is $250-400

Three Solid Contenders. I have ranked them in order of best value based on reviews and features. But, all three are excellent cameras and I feel confident that Maggie would be happy with any one of the three.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5S 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Camera Highlights: Large and Beautiful LCD screen (3″) for composing and reviewing | iA mode – 5 features work together to pick the perfect settings for each shot, includes Auto red-eye removal and image stabilization | 10x Zoom | HD Movie Mode | 400+ Near perfect reviews on Amazon Site | Size compared to the Coolpix 5900- Width is 1/2″ larger, height and thickness is a smidgen smaller.

Canon PowerShot SD880IS 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized ZoomCamera Highlights: 3″ LCD screen but 1/2 the resolution of the Lumix above | Face detection for focus, auto scene selection, auto red-eye removal and image stabilization | 4x Zoom | 200+ favorable reviews | Size compared to the Coolpix 5900- The 880 is 0.2″ wider but much slimmer and slightly shorter

Nikon Coolpix S630 12MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Jet Black)Camera Highlights: 2.7″ LCD | Nikon’s portrait system – Face detection for focus and proper exposure, auto scene selection, auto red-eye removal and image stabilization | Smile Mode automatically fires shutter when subject is smiling and Blink Proof which takes two pics when the subject smiles and saves the shot in which the subject’s eyes are open | 7x Zoom | Early reviews are good, this camera has only been on the market for a few months | Size compared to the Coolpix 5900- The S630 is 0.3″ wider but slimmer and slightly shorter

If you are not Maggie and want your own personalized recommendation