So I'm looking for a new camera. Mother dearest told me that if I found one that wasn't too expensive (read <$250 and preferably much less) she'd buy it for me for xmas. As much as I love my Canon Powershot A520, it's four years old and has been slowly dying a very painful death for the past year and a half. It no longer holds charge, the lens cover often does not open entirely and has to be coaxed, it is easily confused and only rarely lets me shoot video anymore. But I have loved it for a long time, and grown with it and gotten to know its quirks quite well and I'll mourn its passing with due diligence.

Onwards.

For my new camera I'm looking for something of similar size to the A520, maybe a bit lighter, though not of elph style. I want a slightly more serious point and shoot while still being able to fit into my jean pockets, no matter how awkwardly. High resolution and better zoom are almost matter of fact, I'm not sure you can still buy 4 megapixel cameras anymore. (Hell, my phone has 3.) It also should take AA batteries and SD memory cards. I am biased toward Canon but it might be time to look elsewhere. I need a camera that at the very least will allow me to adjust aperture, shutter speed and ISO in manual mode. RAW would also be lovely. I really really want something that performs better in low light situations, as I love them far more than I should, and has a decent lens for macro, though everyone seems to be focused on zoom these days. Also, I want something that has a burst rate higher than my current POS. One thing I did really like about my A520 is that I can hold and control EVERYTHING with just one hand ad if I can manage that, I'll be satisfied. Lastly, if it lacks features that my A520 had, I cannot in good conscience buy it

So far, my top contenders are:

the Canon Powershot S90: [link]
I'm especially pleased by its performance in low light, as well as its size. Tis a bit pricey. I would like to test drive one in a store somewhere, but that's something to do at home. I've heard it's slippery but that's what fiber tape is for. It doesn't do AA batteries but it comes with a charger so I think I can live with that.

the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1: [link] It's also kind of expensive (though Amazon has it for cheap) and has an impressive zoom in a small body. I hear it lacks manual features but I don't want that many. However, it doesn't perform as well in low light situations. I'm still not sure if that's a deal breaker or not, and its macro is wanting.

the Nikon Coolpix L20 and S570 do not impress, with poor lowlight quality and minimal manual features, though their macro looks quite nice and indeed the camera body is pretty sleek. The S570 is the more preferred of the two.

Sony has yet to put out a camera that I like.

Anyway, if anyone has any input, I'd be glad of it. Better yet if anyone has one of these and is willing to let me play with it, lemme know.