Please help! need to decide between cameras

[natnal81]

Hi,

I am looking to acquire a new camera, however, I am such a novice I can't decide. I will be going to Hawaii in a month and i wanted to get a camera that is slightly better than your regular point and shoot but not as advanced as some of the $2,000 and higher cameras that are out there.

I cant decide between the Nikon Coolpix P7000 or the Coolpix P5000

If anyone has any ideas, suggestions, experince, please let me know!

Thank you!

[jdepould]

Canon G12 (or S95) if you want an advanced compact.

Take a look at the Olympus XZ-1. Seems to have a lot of advanced features in a compact body..

XZ-1

And here is a guy I know, his XZ-1 shots..
Zenfolio | RFL Photography | Olympus XZ-1 f/1.8

[JFSanders]

I would suggest a "bridge" camera such as the Fujifilm Fine pix HS10 or HS20EXR. Both are in the mid level price category but do not require the learning curve of a DSLR. And they do give good results without a lot of fuss.

[zenandzen]

Nikon Coolpix P7000 Hands-on Preview: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

Nikon Coolpix P5000: Digital Photography Review

Judging by these reviews I think the P7000 is a better buy because it will shoot in RAW.
This may not be important to you right away but it will be a benefit when you gain more experience and want to carry out more adjustments in software.

The other replies have made good, valid suggestions, but looking at your question it looks as though you have Nikon on your mind.

[candleman]

My dad has an hs-10 ...pretty nifty little animal i must say.

[eyalg]

If you can afford it, get the XZ-1.
If not, get the G12 or the smaller S95.
If you meant you are debating between the P7000 and the P500,
they are quite different cameras - the P7000 is a high-end camera
aimed at enthusiasts looking for manual controls and image quality.
The P500 has a ground break wide angel lens (22.5mm) and zoom
range (x36) - but not the same size of the P700's imaging sensor,
so image quality would not be the same.