Reccomend a digital camera

[Quiksilver]

I'm looking to get a new digital camera shortly. Now I am not some sort of photographer of any kind, it will mainly be used for parties, family gatherings, and the occasional outdoor event and what not so I don't need anything majorly fancy.

Now, my only requirements are it needs to be small, perhaps in the compact/ultra-compact range. It has to use a lithium-ion battery as I'm sick of having to purchase batteries for my camera (like my old one that I want to replace). The last requirement is for it to have zero problems using this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820211245

Just to get an idea here, I've been eying this camera here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16830180148

Now is there something better, or it probably one of the better cameras in my price range?

What do you think?
Suggestions? Opinions? Anything?

 

[996GT2]

The TZ5 is an awesome, feature packed camera that will produce great pictures as long as you keep it at ISO 100 or 200. Beyond that, it produces noisy images (but this is a problem with 99% of the point and shoot cameras on the market today).

What this means is that the TZ5 is not suited well to low light shots taken without flash. If you shoot mainly in daylight, though, then by all means the TZ5 is a great choice (I had an FZ8 which uses a similar image sensor, and was very happy with it).

 

[xanis]

IMO, you can't go wrong with any of the Panasonic Lumix cameras. I would also check out the Canon Powershot and Nikon Coolpix cameras.

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: Xanis
IMO, you can't go wrong with any of the Panasonic Lumix cameras. I would also check out the Canon Powershot and Nikon Coolpix cameras.

I'd scratch the Nikon Coolpix cameras off that list. Nikon makes great DSLRs, but not compacts at the moment.
Canon, Panasonic, and Fuji make good compact cameras.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: soydios

Originally posted by: Xanis
IMO, you can't go wrong with any of the Panasonic Lumix cameras. I would also check out the Canon Powershot and Nikon Coolpix cameras.

I'd scratch the Nikon Coolpix cameras off that list. Nikon makes great DSLRs, but not compacts at the moment.
Canon, Panasonic, and Fuji make good compact cameras.

nikon has only made a handful of decent compacts in their history, so it's not just 'at the moment.' if it ain't an SLR nikon really isn't that interested.

 

[jayanath]

I'm no pro here but I'm using a Canon compact camera and once my memory card stopped working after i used it for around 4000 shots.. I googled it and this has happened to quite a lot of people mostly if not in all cases when they are using memory cards with more than 512mb.. (something to do with the battery running low or something) It would be a shame to spend that much and lose it along with your precious photos Luckily i had already saved mine. I don't know exactly which models have had this problem but I'm sure it wasn't just my Ixus 75(or whatever its called in the US)

 

[Quiksilver]

Hmm... for the sounds of things, the camera I've been eying really is probbaly the pinnacle of what I can get in my budget. Thanks for all the input guys, of course if anyone else wants to chime in; feel free.