Say Cheese!

No trip around the world would be complete without a ton of pictures of me with a temple, or Lizzi standing next to a temple, or us standing next to a temple, ad infinitum. Of course, our biggest concern is not that we will bore you to tears with one vacation picture after another. No, our biggest concern is what camera to take.

Of course, we already have a wonderful Nikon D70s digital SLR that I love almost as much as Lizzi. It takes beautiful shots, but once you add in the telephoto lens, the whole package starts getting heavy. And I always end up grumbling when I want to run out the door and find myself lugging 8 lbs of camera gear. We're trying to minimize weight, so a simple digital point and shoot camera seems to be the way to go. But at the same time, we're trying to minimize expenses.

So here are a couple of options that we are looking at in the point and shoot category. First, the Canon SD850. Personally, I love Canon's tiny digital cameras. They give great results without much fuss. For me, the big pros for this camera are the 4x optical zoom, face detection, and optical image stabilization. A quick test drive in Best Buy tonight proved that face detection is well worth the money.

Second, the Olympus Stylus 790. It's shock-proof, water-proof, and freeze-proof (ok, not really a major concern, but pretty cool). It's got face detection and 3x optical zoom. Oh, and it comes in orange. We check it out at Best Buy as well, and we're pretty satisfied with how it handles.

The question on the table is twofold. First, should we even invest in a new camera? If so, which one do you like better, the Canon or the Olympus? Please, dear Internet, your thoughts...