Help picking out a digital Camera?

i'm lokking for a digital camera that's around $200 or less. I would like 5 mega pixels or more, and I would like the camera to be very slim (so i can stick it in my purse or pocket). I want one with a rechargable batery. I will most likely get it from Walmart, Target, or Bestbuy. Any suggestions for a camera that meets my criteria? or any ideas on what else i need to look at?

Easiest way to help compare different cameras(or any other products) is www.epinions.com They let you narrow down your choices by selecting price range and pixel size that you are looking for. Then you can read reviews from people who own the cameras and are pretty honest opinions. On top of all of that info, they also tell you the cheapest place to find the camera that you select. Hope this helps.

Why not go to Target, Best Buy and Walmart and look around at their camera's? There are so many out there, Olympus, Sony, Kodak, Panoramic, Nikon are the best.

They're easy enough to find. 5mp are getting pretty low in price, but I would first ask yourself what you want to use it for. Indoor, outdoor, snapshot, action etc.

Once you've decided that then it'll be easy to find a good camera for you.

As for batteries, you can buy rechargeable battery, if the camera doesn't come with them. I try to stay away from camera's that use a special battery. Who know how long they'll keep making them. Try this; look for a battery for a 3 to 5 year old laptop and you'll see what I mean. Also if the camera take a standard set of batteries then you could always stop at just about any store and pick up a set.

Hope it helps.

CANON is my personal preference - I would try Circuit City - they have the largest model range that I know. You can actually go to the physical store touch the camera, choose one. Then go to Sam's club online store and find it there (I did this and saved $150). Also consider the fact that you may need to purchase the memory card separately, since what the stores offer is a laugh in most cases!!!

I like the Panasonic FX01 or the Fuji F20.

All of the major brands have their fans, and I have no doubt that they are all good cameras. The only camera available at the moment that I would stay away from is the Fuji S9500. (Above the price you mentioned anyway) I bought one and the photos are just not sharp and clear.

Take your time looking, they are getting better and cheaper as time goes by.

Optical zoom is the most important thing, get the most you can for your money.

Digital zoom is a complete waste of time, do not consider this as a factor when buying a camera. Once you have bought a camera, turn digital zoom off.

Get the most megapixels you can for your money.

As a very rough rule of thumb when comparing your final choices in camera, take the number of megapixels and multiply that by the amount of optical zoom. Buy the camera with the highest number.

Try to avoid a camera that uses two 'AA' batteries (except perhaps the Kodaks that can use the CR3 Lithium ion Battery Pack). Get a camera that either uses four, or one with its own dedicated Lithium Ion battery pack. (If you want to keep it for a long time, check the price and availability of replacement batteries. perhaps ebay?)