Advice about digital cameras please

[kerryb]

Hi

I'm looking to replace my digital camera in the next month or so and would appreciate some advice from camera owners.

I currently have a Fuji Finepix 6900 zoom which is a good camera although I have never felt that comfortable with it and I desperately need image stabilisation which seems to be the latest great thing.  I've always had problems with blurry pictures since I was a child with my first film camera.

I'm not after a SLR, I want a super zoom, I'm an enthusiast and want to take macro shots of flowers and insects and a good zoom in order to take pictures of birds, generally in my garden on the feeder.

A friend of mine has the Nikon coopix 8800 which I like the look of but it has been discontinued but that is the sort of thing I'm looking for a high optical zoom and about 8 - 10 mega pixels.

Does anyone have any advice or a camera like that they love or - hate!

Thanks

Kerry

[Stumped!]

Kerry
I'm very happy with my coolpix S10, but it only goes to 6 meg so it might not suit.
The optical zoom is excellent and the rotating back means I can use it like my old waist level twin lens. It also has image stabilisation.
Peter

[Gadget]

Hi

The Canon 400 EOS is probably one of the best:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/review/2007/02/13/Canon-EOS-400D/p1

gnu

[kerryb]

Hi Peter

I'll have a look at that one but what is waist level twin lens??

Gnu

It was really a super zoom I was after not a SLR although that one's not a bad price!

Kerry 

[Stumped!]

Kerry
Now I'm feeling really ancient! 
A twin lens reflex camera was one in which you looked down into the viewfinder.
Then the taking lens was beneath the viewing lens. It meant that the camera was used at waist level and made it extremely useful for close-ups. One drawback was that the image was reversed in the viewfinder.
Two examples were the Rolleiflex and the Rolleicord.
Peter

[kerryb]

  You're not ancient, I'm just a techno phobe when it comes to cameras.    I think I remember my dad using something like that.

Kerry

[Gadget]

Hi Kerry

Because it's an SLR, you can buy other lenses for it AND you'll be able to frame the shot in the lens and be able to see what your photo will look like before you shoot. This is never satisfactory with non-SLRs, however good.

gnu

[ShaunJ]

I have a Panasonic Lumix FZ5 which I'm well pleased with - it has a great 12x optical, 48x digital zoom, is very lightweight and small by comparison with the EOS. It's now been replaced by the FZ7 which is similar http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz7/page14.asp

[jksdelver]

We have just got the Fugi FinePix S5700. You could just consider the same manufacturer 
 http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/review/2007/07/20/Fujifilm-FinePix-S5700/p1