I am in the market for a good p/s (point & shoot) digital pocket or small
camera and have been researching the enormous selections online plus the
hundreds of owner/user opinion/reviews. I have singled out the following among the
best and most practical choices that seem to meet my expectations without
going to a full blown and much more expensive & bulky dslr plus all the
required accoutrements.

Canon Powershot S2 IS (5.0mp, 12X optical)
Canon Powershot S3 IS (6.0mp, 12X optical) ...[maybe not available before
May?]
Panasonic DMC-FZ30 (8mp, 12X optical)
Sony DSC-H5 (7.1mp, 12X optical)

Obviously, I desire the biggest bang for the buck ($500 range) to include
highest resolution available with a p/s and the versatility option with a good
telephoto (12X = 432mm).

Any thoughts, suggestions, pitfalls to watch out for, or any other helpful
comments would be appreciated. Offline replies are welcome or online if this
sounds like something of interest to the list. I just want to be prepared
when that still elusive Siberian Accentor decides to make an appearance in my
yard :-))

Richard Rowlett
Bellevue/Eastgate, WA