Our old Canon A95 P&S is dying, so I need a new camera. I would describe my camera skills as minimal, but with a desire to learn. My shooting is general-purpose: vacation landscapes and architectural shots, family events, macro shots of foliage, and trying to shoot speedy little yorkie dogs before they run off.

Portability is a major consideration for me - baggage space is getting to be at a premium on flights, and lugging a lot of equipment around seems like it would be a burden. And my wife uses the camera as much as I do, and she's definitely an AUTO mode only shooter who likes to put the camera in her purse when we're out and about.

I had a Nikon N50 and stopped using it when we got our first digital because it was just so easy to carry a small P&S, and much easier for others to use as well. I'm afraid that a dSLR would get left in the closet like the N50 is now.

I'm thinking about a Canon S5is. It gets good reviews, and my wife really likes the 12x zoom. Is this a reasonable choice for a "not-quite dSLR"?

On the dSLR front, I did look at a Canon XTi (or XSi when they come out), and it's definitely a nicer camera, but by the time I get enough lenses to match what the S5is can do, I will have spent well over $1000, vs $320 for the S5. I'd get a Nikon and use my old lenses, but Nikon doesn't put an in-body AF drive on their low end models, so I'd have to get a D80, which is way more than I'm going to spend.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Jeff J

D50's have them, and it's easy to find one in good shape for cheap.

Non-interchangable lenses make them real portable, but they pack many of dSLR features in their small bodies.

Canon makes some good ones. As does Olympus and if you are a baller with $$ burning a hole in your britches...Leica has some really cool stuff.

Sell your old lenses (always a market of some sort if they are clean) and go compact.

Great features... Just got it so can't report "real world" yet.

i had the S3 and it was a good camera. you'll be able to zoom in for close ups and macro work, the swivel screen will help when shooting at weird angles, and the RAW/manual capabilities/hot shoe mount will be useful when you want to learn more.

Thanks for the suggestions.

We looked at the G9, and it was a really nice camera, but it didn't fit my large hands very well, and at $400+ is almost as much as a basic dSLR. The chunky body of the S5is was significantly more comfortable.

I'd sell my old lenses, but they really aren't that great - they're cheap Tamrons, not Nikon, and I kind of doubt they're worth all that much.

We've decided to get the S5is - it's got enough features to keep me interested and allow for learning "real" photography, and is simple enough for others to pick up and use easily. We'll see how it goes.