Okay, so I really, really, really want need want a new camera. I have truly gone as far as I can with my silly, little EasyShare C643. It’s a great little camera for quick snapshots in broad daylight with totally still subjects, but if I want to do anything else, it’s meh. (The one good thing I can say about it is that I’ve learned how to be a steady mofo and how to get a decent shot in less-than-ideal conditions. Oh, and how to work the snot out of Photoshop CS2.)

BUT I’m a little scared to jump into the D-SLR world. That is a lot of cabbage for a hobby, people. And let’s be real — I’m just not motivated (or good) enough to make it a career. So, I went hunting through many, many, MANY review sites to see if there might be a point & shoot out there that would get me closer to where I want to be with my photography.

I’m reading and reading and reading (shhh…don’t tell my boss, but I only got about a half hour of audio done today DOH! And Robbi, if you’re reading this, I’m just playin’ — I busted my buns all day. :nod:).

I finally narrow it down to this badass Canon. It’s a little pricey for a point & shoot but much cheaper than even the cheapest of D-SLRs. And it seems like a good compromise. Okay, decision made.

“Let’s go to Best Buy so I can show you the camera I want, and maybe take a gander at how it does in real life,” I say to Bill. And we’re off. We get in the store, and sweet Isis, mother of Horus, there are point & shoots which are shinier and prettier than the Canon, including this Kodak. Uh oh. Back to dithering, I go.

Here’s why — my very first digital camera was an EasyShare C…something or other. Lisa would know.) It was *beautiful. Crisp, clear shots in nearly any lighting. It knew that it didn’t always *need the flash. Trademark Kodak, jump-out-and-grab-you color. It truly was a thing of beauty. (And it’s still snapping good photos to this day. I’ve seen ‘em so I know.)

Then there came a time when I was ready to move on to bigger and better things than what that ol’ EasyShare could do. So, I found it a good home with Lisa, and I bought a Fuji FinePix A350.

Cough, sputter, gag, PTOOEY! What is this foulness? Where are my beautifully colored, crisp, clear photos? What do you MEAN I’m shaking you too much, you not-my-beloved-EasyShare? I hate you, O Craptastic Fuji. I. Hate. You.

Sorry. I got sidetracked. So, I mourned and mourned my EasyShare and cursed the name of Fuji to all the deities of whom I could think. After a few months of this, Bill has enough of my bitching and moaning, and we go off to purchase an Easy Share. I mean, if I loved my not-so-badass-but-totally-reliable EasyShare, I will love an upgraded EasyShare; right?

We procure the ol’ C643 which is sitting on my desk now. And it behaves in much the same way the abhorrent Fuji did. It’s a very needy camera. It wants broad daylight. And a tripod. And for the subject to be 3 feet away, no more, no less. And zoom? Ah hahahahaha…no. Oh, Kodak, how could you?

I’m now torn between trying another EasyShare and getting the Canon. My in-store goofing around led me to believe the Kodak was the better of the two, but much experience with the C643 has taught me that Kodak’s LCD screens are lying bastards. Yet…my first EasyShare was so well-loved, I’m having a hard time ignoring Kodak’s venture into the “advanced point & shoot” market. And let’s be real — the $100 price difference is a pretty big deal, too.

So, what do y’all think? Do any of you have experience with either of these cameras or brands? Reading online reviews isn’t helping since they seem to be pretty evenly matched there. Would it be totally asshole-ish of me to ask the people at Best Buy to let me see the photos I’ve taken on an actual computer monitor v. the LCD screen? Help me out here.

Oh, and Lisa, want to upgrade that EasyShare?