Can anyone answer this digital camera question?

Question

I am looking for a compact digital camera with the following features:

10+ megapixels

5+ optical zoom

16:9 aspect ratio

very high resolution

Less than $300

The goal is to travel overseas and take some great pics, then upload them onto my 40" LCD TV, and use my tv as a digital picture frame.

The closest I've seen so far is the spec on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2S I found on Newegg (not sure if it's accurate). I'm just looking for something slightly cheaper than $350. I'd like to know if the Canon Powershot features the same 16:9 resolution.

Answer 1

Your idea for getting a camera with at least a 5x optical zoom and one with a high pixel count is good as far as it goes, but for high quality, the size of the sensor is much more important the the number of pixels.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.h...

Answer 2

Fotoace is exactly right.  Your LCD doesn't seriously have ten megapixel resolution, does it?  

  What you might consider is the Fujifilm Finepix F100fd.  It's 12 megapixel.  It has a 1/1.6" sensor, which is larger than pretty much any other compact digital camera.  It has 5X optical zoom. It has the regular aspect ratio, but it will take 3:2 ratio photographs at "only" 8 megapixels.   You'll have to get a good deal if you want it for only $300 though.

Check out the linked Kodaks also.  I've heard most Kodak cameras aren't very good, but these seem up to spec.  Read the reviews before you buy to make sure.