ProGression wants an ultra-compact between $200-$250. It is important that the camera has a solid movie mode and a decent wide angle lens

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5S 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Camera Highlights: High resolution 3" LCD | iA mode - 7 features work together to pick the perfect settings for each shot, includes Auto red-eye removal and image stabilization | 10x Zoom & Wide Angle (28mm) Lens | HD Movie Mode | 400+ Near perfect reviews on Amazon Site

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500S 10.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized ZoomCamera Highlights: 3" Touchscreen LCD | iA mode - 7 features work together to pick the perfect settings for each shot, includes Auto red-eye removal and image stabilization | 5x Zoom & Wide Angle (25mm) Lens | HD Movie Mode

Panasonic dominates the ultra-compact wide-angle market. Especially when you are looking for a camera that also does high quality video. The Powershots in the price range cap video at 640 x 480 - decent but not exciting and some new models from Samsung and Nikon are too new for me to be comfortable recommending them.

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Ann is looking for a stylish cam that takes good photos and great movies. Budget is $100-150

Casio Exilim EX-Z80 8MP Digital CameraCamera highlights: 8MP | 2.6" LCD | 3x Zoom | Excellent video includes a Youtube ready mode - fit 2 hours on a 2Gb memory card.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10K 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Camera highlights: 5x wide-angle optical zoom | 2.5" Intelligent LCD screen | Face Detection | 848 x 480 Movie mode, 30fps | iA mode = a suite of technologies that ensure the best settings for the scene

Canon Powershot A1000IS 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Purple) A little less stylish but hey it's purple. Other camera highlights include 640 x 480 30fps Movie Mode | 10 MP | 4x Zoom | Excellent user reviews | Canon reliability

Sony Cybershot DSCW130/P 8.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot (Pink) It's PINK! | 2.5" LCD | 4x Zoom | 640 x 480, 30fps movie mode | Smile Shutter technology takes pics when subject is smiling and Face detection help optimize lighting and focus on subjects faces

If you are not Ann and want your own personalized recommendation

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Samantha is looking for a camera under $200 that is portable, has a big zoom and an excellent movie mode. It should be easy to use too.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4K 8.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom This camera has excellent near-perfect reviews on Amazon and dpreview.

Why this is a great camera for Samantha:

• Compact enough to easily fit in a small camera bag or jacket pocket.
• 10x Leica zoom with wide-angle coverage out to 28mm
• Several movie modes to select from 640x480/320x240 (4:3) or 848x480 (16:9) all with audio
• Advanced Intelligent Auto (AiA) which consists of 7 technologies that work together to make sure you get the shots you want. Bottom line- Easy to use & get great pictures
• Great Battery life

Buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4K 8.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

If you are not Samantha and you want your own personalized recommendation

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Robert is looking for an ultra-compact camera that takes great video, has top notch image quality and costs $150.00-$250.00

Sometimes it amazes me the features and quality you can get in a digital camera today around the $200 price point. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35K 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Zoom is an excellent example.

Why this is a great camera for Robert-

• Great HD video & options for smaller resolution movies all at 30fps
• The FX35 is a true ultra-compact and slimmer than many in its class
• Many positive reviews regarding image and movie quality
• Scene modes and lots of image options to customize
• Nice & Bright LCD Screen on the back for composing/image review

Downsides to this camera? Just two- No manual controls and HD movie clips have a 2GB limit ~8.5minutes. Lowering the movie resolution will allow you to take longer clips.

Buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35K 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

Possible Alternative:

Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Doesn't have HD movies, No wide-angle lens and a little less zoom. It is however an incredibly popular camera with positive reviews to support. And it is cheaper, leaving room in the budget to buy spare cards/batteries.

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Ilana is willing to spend between $300 - $500 to get a compact point & shoot with a serious zoom, a good movie mode and is easy to use.

Nicely falling in the middle of that price range is the excellent Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 inch LCD. The ZS3 continues the line of TZ cameras that have been highly praised by professional reviews and amateur users.

Why this is a great camera for Ilana:

• Compact enough to easily fit in a purse or jacket pocket.
• 12x Leica zoom with wide-angle coverage out to a stunning 25mm
• A movie mode with dedicated controls and the ability to capture HD video at an amazing 60 frames a second with stereo sound
• Intelligent Auto (iA) mode & Face Recognition feature mean it is very easy to get great, in-focus shots
• 3" LCD allows you to easily compose and review

Buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 inch LCD

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