Valerie wants a camera with a big zoom and the possibility of interchangeable lenses that provide neat effects and creative opportunities.

The Good news- DSLR prices are dropping and the XS is an affordable, easy to use, full-featured DSLR for ~$525 including an image stabilization lens. The bad news - you don't get much in the way of zoom, but you do have the option, as your budget allows, of buying a nice zoom or any one of hundreds of canon lenses giving you huge flexibility and photographic freedom.

Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black) Camera Highlights: 10MP | 2.5" LCD | 18mm-55mm lens with image stabilization | Live view | decent low-light performance | Auto Lighting Optimizer & Picture Style settings- styles you can apply in real time to change the look of the photo.


To add a zoom I suggest the excellent Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras


And if you want to get really creative take a look at the Lensbaby Creative Aperture Kit

Buy the Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)

Possible Alternatives:

If you want serious zoom now and need to keep the price below $700 you want to consider the Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Camera Highlights: 10MP | 2.5" vari-angle LCD | 20x Zoom with Image Satbilization| 30fps VGA movies | Face detection & Face self-timer | Ability to add external Flash

Please let me know if you have any questions about these cameras or anything else you come across while shopping.

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

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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

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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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Sara wants to spend less than $200 on an ultra-compact camera with top notch image quality, a solid movie mode, decent zoom/wide angle lens and looks fairly stylish to boot.

Canon PowerShot SD890IS 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom There are several reason why this camera has been consistently in the top ten bestselling cameras on Amazon for many weeks.

• 10 MP is plenty of mega pixels for printing 8 x10s and even higher
• A nice 5x zoom, most cameras in at this price point only offer 3x, a few 4x
• A decent(standard) movie mode - 640 x 480 at 30 fps
• It's good looking, sleek with nice curves and will slip in a jean's pocket

Buy the Canon PowerShot SD890IS 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Possible Alternative

A strong contender that may even been slightly better. It doesn't have the sales numbers that the 890IS does but the reviews are consistently excellent. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35K 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) A solid camera with good reviews and is actually a little slimmer than the 890IS

Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Blue) Less zoom and fewer megapixels but cheaper and same form factor/size

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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.

• 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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