I am looking for a new digital camera......?

the one i have is a little larger but has a good amount of megapixels. i am looking for a smaller one that i can take with in my purses and pockets {{so a smaller size}} but is still a good quality that has at least 7 mp and good zoom for my vacations and stuff like that. i don't know what is better- digital or optical zoom, and how much is good. Any suggestions of help pf any kind is very much appreciated because i have no clue.

i personally like the sony DSC-W80 which is 7.2 megapixel because its lite and nice to look at. i believe theres a W90 and its like 12 megapixels

large flash are necessary for good quality but i heard there trying to da away with the falsh altogether. i got a kodak 743c easyshare 7.1 megapixil 3x optical 5x digital zoom for 130.oo at www.bestbuy.com i'd suggest spending more money and getting a camera as large as your purse the like a 500 dollar canon its worth the investment other wise youll have problems with it soon enough( i bought my kodak so if i lost it in jamaica it wouldn't be a big deal , get a off brand memory card from walmart at least one gig or several 256 cards and take them out each night and pack them up so youll have some picks when your camera bites the dust in the ocean or is stolen and my camera takes awesome pics just not so good after night sunset good though

The best camera for under $200 is the Canon A550

* 7.1 Megapixel
*4X Optical Zoom
* Very good photo quality, noise levels low through ISO 400 (in good light)
* Well built for the price
* Very good performance
* LCD visible in low light
* Some manual controls
* AF-assist lamp, good low light focusing
* Good movie and continuous shooting modes
* Impressive software bundle
* Uses AA batteries; great battery life
* USB 2.0 High Speed support

Fuji makes a really nice one not as small as some of the ohter brands but fits in pocket fine and takes great pics
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital...

Even though you have stipulated that the camera have at least 7 mp, you may want to consider the following camera due to its other desirable features.

Even though I currently own this ultracompact digital camera, I would still like to highly recommend the purchase of a Nikon Coolpix L10 for the following reasons:

1. Besides taking well-exposed hi-quality 5 megapixel pictures, it uses a standard set of rechargeable double AA batteries which last a very long time;
2. Has a 3x optical zoom;
3. Has a macro feature which allows closeups within 6 inches;
4. The flash setting for "red-eye" correction is on the navigator wheel and not within a submenu;
5. It's very small and light;
6. Uses inexpensive SD memory cards;
7. The digital video feature takes wonderful "sound" videos which are noise free. It records the piano very well with it's built-in microphone;
8. It comes with a USB 2.0 transfer cable which you connect to your USB computer port;
9. Has tripod mount on bottom of camera;
10. And the price is a mere $99 [sold at Samy's Camera - www.samys.com, and Staples.com.]

Review(s) can be found at www.amazon.com [Query: "Nikon Coolpix L10" along with pictures provided by satisfied purchasers.]

Good luck!

Whatever matches your outfit ;-)

Most digitals these days have both optical and digital zoom so it's probably not an issue. The most important thing is how it fits into the rest of your technology stuff. Will you be able to link to your computer or printer to make photos via a cable or memory card -- things like that are most important. For that reason it is better to stick with name brands like Nikon, Canon, HP, Minolta, etc. where connectivity is easy.