I'm looking at upgrading my camera. I currently have a Canon A95. I like it, and I haven't even learned how to use all its features, but I'm looking for more zoom and, if I can find it, something with less shutter lag. Am I understanding correctly that with DSLRs you need to change the lens if you want to zoom? Or how does that work? How many lenses do you generally need as a beginner photographer? And they don't do video, do they?

You can probably tell that I don't know very much about photography, but I want to learn. The cameras I've been looking at the most are Sony DSC-H5 and Canon S3-IS. I've seen a lot of great reviews for the Canon, but I'm a little worried about what I've read about problems with image stabilization. Or does somebody have a recommendation for another similar type of camera?

As far as the kinds of things I know to look for, the two cameras seem very similar. Using the side-by-side comparison feature at dpreview, I see they're different in things like macro focus range, aperture range, auto focus type, and metering. Do these things make much of a difference? Can you give me any hints of what to look for?

Of course I'll be going out and actually holding and testing these cameras before I make any decision, but I could use some pointers for making sense of all these terms and features.

Sorry it got so long. I'm just full of so many questions!

Thanks,

Megan

__________________