I'm in the market for a new camera. My needs in no particular order are:

Taking up-close photos of flies.
Taking photos of fish if I ever catch one.
Taking action photos and getting no blur.
Dreaded family photos at holidays.

I was in Fry's today and had no idea what I was looking at so because I know absolutely nothing about cameras other than point, click, I need some help.

I know more pixels, memory, and battery life, are probably way up there in importance but is there anything else I should be looking for? OK, forgot Water resistant.

What do you like and/or dislike about what you use.

I'd like to think one could be found for $200 or less.

i have Olympus compact digital, bunch of GB, zoom, uses SD card, waterproof cost a bit more than 200 but not much...and best of all, it takes fantastic photos but the nuther phuckn thing takes a picture about 30 seconds after you push the shutter button...goodbye action shots...I also have a cheap Canon its old and around 4 GB or whatever you call it, but its by far my favorite it actually snaps a pic when you press the shutter button. The canon uses 2 AA batteries which I find advantageous over the rather short charge time on the Olympus...the Olympus is cool for taking underwater shots, but that long lag time on the shutter really killed the deal for me....so you may want to check specs and see if they have a shutter time....or whatever ya call it listed or ask about it.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-SX...7327&sr=1-1

This is the camera I have. The only thing it isn't water resistant. I love the camera for the price. I use a cheaper camera I have for fish pictures, if I take that one with me, otherwise I use my cell phone to take photos. I got mine with present money. I have had it now for close to two years. It is perfect for my needs.

I use a DSLR for all my fly pics(Nikon D3000) but that'll run way over 200. I like it because the macro on it is awesome.

I used to use a Nikon Coolpix s630 for all my fly stuff and still do when i'm packing light or taking quick shots of flies. It's a great camera for the price and takes some awesome pictures. 12 megapixels, pretty adjustable for a point and shoot, I really like it.
http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/P...OLPIX-S630.html

+1 on the Olympus. Most of their models are waterproof shockproof now. They have a spot led you can use instead of the regular flash for macro shots, would be great for flys. Takes excellent pics and vid even under water. Love this group of point and shoot digis.
Not sure about the "shutter speed" probs. Think mine shoots 3FPS in action mode?

Anything over 8mp would be fine.

I have an older model Coolpix, and hate the macro lens on it. It took crappy pics of my flies. But then again, I don't have real steady hands.

Nice cameras all. Did your cameras come with editing software or were you directed to their respective sites to get it?

Do you have to fumble with tiny buttons when choosing the different modes to change the type of photo you are taking? Action, macro, regular photos?

Would you feel comfortable wagging it around while camping or fishing because of or due to its apparent durability?

I've seen where some cameras have the ability to take quite a few photos per second. Do any of you use this feature? If so for what? Maybe just to choose the best one of the lot?

craigslist.com search for a d70s with lens should be around 200 bucks.

Canon d10. Everything you want. A little bulky a bit over your price. Video but not hi def. Next one I get will be hidef.

A good place to start: http://www.steves-digicams.com/best-cameras.html

Look at the LifeProof cameras--extensive reviews of features, and sample photos that include underwater or macro shots.

They all take good to great photos. Most of a good photo is good composition and lighting. Don't confuse pixels with resolution. More pixels will mean you can print a bigger photo.

If you're near or on the water, you want something that can take a polarizing filter.

The other questions are: do you want an eyepiece viewfinder, or just an LCD screen? Do you want all-automatic, or do you want some manual control? If you're shooting macro, depth-of-field is important and means a small aperture and good light. Proprietary batteries, or good old AA or AAA you can find anywhere? Do you think you'll need an external flash--most built-in flashes aren't good for macro use. Does it shoot RAW, TIF, or JPG? For shooting action scenes with no blur, you'll want to have a fast exposure...check the ISO settings and shutter speeds available.

After that, it's a matter of the software and graphic user interface, how well the camera controls are placed, and subjective things like that.

Wow! That's a lot to take in. Thank you to everyone, the advice is appreciated. So much to learn and look out for.

Back to the web for more searching.

What I would say against the AA and AAA battery powered cameras is that yes the batteries can be replaced quickly and easily but you must factor in several things:

1-waste of the spent batteries. Even the rechargeable AA's have a short life span.
2-the camera functions are much slower with the AA camera's.
3-It takes much longer for the flash to recycle and the flash is the biggest depleter of the batteries life.

My wife has a higher end Canon P&S that uses AA batteries and the high quality rechargeable batteries lasted less than 6 months. The flash takes 15-30 seconds to recharge and the batteries life span is dreadfully short. All these are in comparison to 4 canon cameras with proprietary rechargeable batteries. Buy 2 batteries for whatever camera you get and keep one charged at all times.

All of the video and photos from me come from my Canon PowerShot SX20/is. It is the best P&S for under 300.00 IMHO

I have had good results with AA rechargeable batteries and I shoot lots of video and stills.

The current Canon Powershot (the SX35/is) uses a proprietary battery.

We're on the verge of a lot of new cameras coming out, like the Nikon 1. The game is about to change again, and that drives current model prices down, and the new model's capabilities are yet to be known. It's a good time to wait. I would suggest the Kodak Playsport ZX-5 but they pretty much ruined that model with a built in battery, and they just don't have it when going macro. I still like my Sanyo Xacti when it comes to a lot of situations.