camera recommendations

[macOSX-tastic]

hi all,

i have always been into aviation photography (not professionally of course) but as a hobby. i currently own a sony DSC-W12 compact camera, which is ideal for casual point and shoot, but not really great for this kind of photography as it only has 3x zoom (optical) and a very, very small lense.

i would like to take a "next step" and get a better camera. i am not going pro, but would like a camera which is more than an all purpose point-and-shoot that you carry about in your pocket.

i am currently looking into the canon powershot S2 and powershot S3. the S2 is more affordable, and is quite easy to use (i played around with one at jessops). many friends have recommended the canon as the way to go. i really cant afford a DSLR like the canon 350D, so im looking at these as midway-alternatives.

the S2 has 5.0MP, which is fine for me resolution wise. the S3 has 6.0MP and a few extra features, but is almost £90 more, and for that i could stock up on memory cards.

the main attraction for me is the diameter of the lense (obviously better for lighting/etc) and the powerful zoom. i also like to take macro shots, and both cameras are very well suited for this.

any advice anyone can give on this matter, including other camera recs, would be much appreciated.

thanks

S

 

[Abstract]

Check out Olympus as well. Seriously. They make some good point and shoot's. I've played with 2 models recently, they both seemed quite ace.

 

[jsm4182]

I'm also looking to upgrade from a point and shoot to something a little more featured. One comera I have been looking at is the fujifilm finepix s5200. It is 5mp, has a 10x optical zoom, and is threaded for filters and lens converters. msrp is $400, but i have found it for under $300.

 

[jared_kipe]

Fuji F10 is a good camera.
The Panasonic Lumix line is pretty strong especially for the money.