$150-$300 P&S Camera

[IEC]

This is not for personal use but to recommend to a friend (DSLR > P&S)

Budget is as in title.

So far I have three decent recommendations, but I don't keep up with compact/ultra-compact so I need a few of those as well so he can make a decision.

Fuji FinePix S700
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16830122110

Fuji FinePix S8100fd
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16830122150

Panasonic DMC-FZ18K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16830180122

I'm thinking anything beyond the S700 might be too bulky to carry around easily/too advanced. But then compact/ultra-compacts are not as durable or as well-featured.

He did mention he wanted good zoom capability, and I think the 10x of the S700 would be decent (granted it is 28mm)

 

[ElFenix]

i'd rather have a few extra mm on the wide end than a lot of extra mm on the long end, frankly. with the sheer number of MP cameras have these days you can crop to get a narrower field of view, but you can't do the reverse to get wider.

too advanced isn't a problem until you get to canon 1D/nikon 3D type cameras. basically every camera below those has plenty of hand-hold modes easily accessible.

i don't know that compacts/ultra compacts are any less durable than super-zoom type cameras. i'd actually guess the other way around. if you're concerned about durability in harsh environments you may want to look into something weather sealed.