Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

I'm trying to wade through specs and think about what I want for the new camera. I wish I had never dropped lil' black in the ocean! Now that I'm looking into new cameras, I'm finding I had pretty much I what I wanted: small but not so small as to feel flimsy, manual settings for those times I want to experiment, the flip screen LCD was a dream, easy controls, AA batteries. I've thought about buying my little camera again but I don't want used (I think about how many times I dropped my camera) and deadstock runs about twice as much as I paid 1.5 years ago. So, the hunt continues. Here are some of the candidates so far. Maybe by writing a little about each camera will help me figure it all out. And of course I'm open to suggestions. :)

Canon Powershot SX10is
Kind of like a DSLR without being a DSLR. The only flip screen LCD I could find! Decent reviews. The controls to which I'm accustomed. 20X zoom? Wow.

The cons...I went and held it in the store and it was BIG and heavy. The lens does not retract and I hear a lot about the lens cap popping off all the time. The photos I could see on the LCD were 'eh', but then again, it was on the LCD. And if I'm going this big, should I spend the extra bux and buy an DSLR?

Canon Powershot G10
Sweet style. Very much the same size as lil' black. Controls are familiar. I checked this one in the store too and despite the fact I had written it off (cons to follow), the photos I took looked great on the LCD. Wide angle!

The cons...too many MP for its sensor which, according to reviews, equals some so-so photo quality in certain situations. Pricey! So pricey. And, no beloved flip LCD.

Canon EOS Rebel XS
Had to throw one DSLR in the mix. I told myself when lil' black was gone, I'd get a DSLR. Now that time has come, I'm not sure if I really want one. I carry my camera everywhere. Do I really want to lug an extra couple pounds around in my bag? And who am I kidding? I'm no professional. Do I want the steep learning curve? Then there's all the lenses and filters that one feels compelled to buy. Besides, I'm playing with a SLR already. I don't need to have two.

And just so you don't think I'm all Canon, all the time, what about Nikon? I was a Nikon'er through and through as I used to have a little Nikon that I loved. However, everything that I'm trying to find right now just isn't happening in a Nikon. And since I replaced the Nikon with lil' black (a Canon), I found I really loved my Canon. I guess I'm fickle, eh?

As I continued my research, I found the type of camera I want is called a "prosumer" (you don't want just little snappy shooter, but you don't want a brick either). As I looked, a couple of other choices appeared.

Panasonic DMC-LX3
I never used to think about Panasonic for cameras, but I've seen some flickr folks use them with great success. They have amazing Leica lenses and get super reviews. Crisp, clear photos. The right amount of MP for their sensors.

The cons? Spendy, spendy. Small learning curve, since I've never owned a Panasonic.

And what the heck? Let's throw it in there...

Leica C-Lux 3
Sharp, vivid photos. Very style-y.

The cons? Spendy. And yeah, it's just a little speedy shooter which blows my "small, but not flimsy" (and pretty much every other) requirement out of the water.

What have I learned today? Ummm, not much except I'd better start saving my money.