Hi All,

I know this is possibly an inappropriate forum to be asking about cameras but I guess most of you have digital cameras and I was wondering about your experiences.

We're going off to New Zealiand next year, and I'd like to take some really good photos. Presently we have a Pentax Film SLR and a Pentax Optio S4 (the dinky one)

The film SLR takes lovely photos, as long as 2 great ones per film is what you are after.

In terms of Digital Photography the S4 is handy but sometimes does not produce great results, mainly when it has problems focussing. This is normally when there is not much light, such as in a darkened room (i,e, a presentation).

Now the S4 has a viewfinder, but not one of the WYSIWYG type. It's just a hole to look through and tiny at that !! In a situation where you are taking little more than holiday 'snaps' it's a bit point and hope.
The 1.5" screen is also small to review the photos on, so sometimes you don't realise they are OOF until you get them on the PC.

So now I want to buy a new camera, possibly selling the S4 in the process, should funds dictate.

I am torn really between a great compact camera eg. Pentax 555 size, an SLR-Like Camera such as the Nikon 8800 and a digital SLR such as a Nikon D70.

What are you opinion on the merits of each type and do you find problems e.g. focussing, perhaps over exposure ?, with any paticular types of camera. Are some better than others. I realise that CCD size, is as important as megapixels.

Note that I am just a novice, but am interested in taking really good photos. With that said, although i think i can do better than a Point and Shoot camera, sometimes, that's all i need, especially to grab a moment, it's just that if i have time to be a bit more 'arty' then I should be able to play around with the settings.

I realise that great pictures are down to me too, but any advice or experience on this is greatly appreciated.

Thanks