Best image quality point and shoot camera? (narrowing the "top 5")?

i just keep finding these lists and confusing reviews, i still don't know which to get. i want a camera that takes super sharp saturated pictures and picks up light well. also with image stabilization and macro settings.

help?

i just keep finding these lists and confusing reviews, i still don't know which to get. i want a camera that takes super sharp saturated pictures and picks up light well. also with image stabilization and macro settings. +easy to use, i don't know anything about photography and i am the most impatiant person in the world.

help?

Here you go, top picks for every kind of digital camera with links to in-depth reviews:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_came...

As for your 4 year old digital, things have improved noticeably. The main differences are: higher resolution for still pictures, higher resolution and frames per second for movies, better low-light performance, and slightly improved responsiveness - point & shoot cameras are still not as fast as a (digital) SLR, but they *are* better than 4 years ago.
You麓re right though, that image quality has only improved marginally. In all fairness, that麓s due to pricing limitations. You can麓t expect a professional quality lens from a $200 camera. (A professional quality 3x zoom lens for a dSLR camera costs +$1000 by itself... I know because I use one.) Even so, todays麓s cameras do have better software than 4 years ago, and that does help image quality a little bit.

Not a direct answer, sorry if that is a problem but some advice, two things;

1. It is not uncommon that camera people (and camera web sites) are irrationally and unfairly fanatical about their brand. You can even see so called image comparisons where the "losing" camera wasn't even set up ideally. Beware and don't take everything you read as truth.

2. From my humble experience what makes a bigger difference than which of the top cameras you decide to use is understanding how to use all the different settings that come with even a non-SLR camera. Trial and error, and you never stop learning. Often users blame the camera when there are simple solutions is settings that often make a big difference.

Canon Ixus (any of them - the hight megapixel you can afford).

We have upgraded ours a few times, but even the 3.2 mp photos from years back enlarge really well. supoerb quality pictures, easy to use camera, and reliably tough!

Take a look at dpreview's top 20 cameras list: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/stats.as...

If you're looking for a DSLR, I suggest either the Canon Rebel XSi (450D), Canon 40D, or the Canon Rebel XTi (400D). I have the XTi and I'm very happy with it. Of course, with DSLR's the image stabilization and macro are in the lens and not the camera, so I suggest you get the XTi body and a nice macro lens... I use the 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens.

If you're looking for a point and shoot, I suggest either the Canon PowerShot S5 IS or the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS. Of these two, I prefer the SD870 because it's smaller so I can carry it around in my purse.